Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-11

lOhCQ All . AuIIlCQ Rul9DcE. WQlC4 MAS
stopped again by the voice she knew. stNo;
certainly not.n The next moment his tall
figure was darkening the door of the
Kitchen his hand was outstretched. Good
by, Mrs Bunker, and many thanks for your
hospitality. My friends here he turned
grimly TO the men behind him, think
ought to ask You to keep this secret even
from your husband DON'T They also
think that ought to offer you money for
your kindness. 7 don't. But If you will
honor NE by keeping this ring in remem-
brance OF 1.-THE took heavy seal ring
from his fnger-''it'slthe only bit of Jew
elry have about me-I'n be very glad
Good-byew She felt for q moment the
firm, soft pressure of his long, thin fingers
around her own, and then-he was gone.
The sound OF retre2ting oars grew fainter
and fainter and was lost The same re-
serve OF delicacy which now appeared to
her as duty kept her from going to the
window to watch the destination Of the
boat No, he should go as he came, with
out her supervision or knowledge.
Nor did she feel lonely afterward. On
the contrary, the silence and solitude of the
Isolated domain had new charm. They
kept the memory of her experience intact,
and enabled her to refill it with his pres
ence. She could see his tall figure again
pausing before her cabin without the in
con gruous association Of another person
alty; she could hear his voice again, un-
mingled sylfhone more familiar. Fer the
first tiusfthe regular absence of her huss
band ssemed an essential good fortune in
stead 81 an accident<of their life. For the
experience belonged to her, and not to him
and her together. Heeould not understand
it; he would have acted differently and
spoiled it. She could not tell him anything
of it, - spite Of the strangers suggesti6h,
which,iof course, he bad only made because
t,r,A lr,1r II,
For Mrs. Bunker vas gettxsg on raPidlS;
it was her first admission Of the ceAtt {A
knowledge thasone's husband Is in fsrIortes
the outside estimate Of him. ne next
step-the belief that he was deceiving her
as he was them-would be comparatively
easy.
Nor should she show him the ring. The
stranger had certainly never said anything
about that! 1t was heavy ring, with
helmeted head carved on its red corneliaQ
stone, and what looked like STRANGE letsezss
around it. It fitted her thixsf niger per-
fectlyi but his fingers Mere small and ne
had taken it from his little finger She
should kept herself. OF course, if it had
been mopSrsshe would have given it to
Zephas but the stranger knew that she
wouldu,Stake money. How firmly he had
said that 81 .6ehst. 4" She felt the warm
bloodf y TONER fresh, %saung face at the
thought it. Hs@had understood her. she;
nigh Be iaias in poar cabin, doing aIE
the ilousework herself, Z and her husband
onl8a fisherman, but be had tFeated her
Ikea lady. ~ =
lyiEg fog began To- foil in sAv the sGolGsn
Cafe, obliteratingkhe headfand and stretch
ingfa feecys bar aeross thessch6nnel rs il
shutting our fHS1a vulgar eyes the waythat
he had gone. Night fell, Zephas had not
yet come. This was unusual, for he was
generally as regular as the afternoon
''trades'' which blew him there. There
was nothing to detain him in this weather
and at this season. eShe began to be vaguely
uneasy, citizen alittle angry at this new
development of his incompatibility. Then
it occurred to her for the first time in her
wifehood, to think what she would do if he
were lost. Yet, in spite of some pain, ter
ror. and perplexity at the possibility, her
dominant thought was that she would be a
free woman tc order her life as she liked.
IL was after 10 before his lateen sail
tapped in the little cove. She was waiting
to receive him on the shore. His good
humored hirsute face was slightly apollo
getic in expression, but flushed and dis
turbed with some new excitement to which
an extra glass or two of spirits had appar-
emily added intensity. The contrast be-
tween his evident indulgence and the pre-
vious abstemiousness OF her late guest
struck her unpleasantly.
''Well-I declare she said indignantly,
$50 that's what kept you!'
No" he said quickly-"there's been
awful times over in 'Friscol Everybody
just wild, and the vigilance committee in
session. 10 Hendersons killed. Shot by
Wynyard Marion in a duel! He'll be
lynched, sure as a gun, if they ketch him.
81 But 1 thought men who fought duels
always went free
D"YeS, but this amt no common duel; they
say the whole thing was planned before
hand by them Southern tre-eaters to get
rid o. Henderson because he's Northern
man and anti-slavery, and that they picked
out Col. Marion to do it because he was a
dead shot. They got him to insult Hender-
son, so he was bound to challenge Marion,
and that Civ Marion the chyce of weppings.
1t was a regular put up job to kill him.
"And what's all this to do with you2"
she asked, with irritation.
Hold on, won't you and I'll tell you. 1
was pikin' up nets off Sancelito about noon,
when 1 was hailed by one of them Vigilance
tugs, and they set me to stand off and on
the shore and watch that Marion didn't get
away, while they were scoutin' inland.
Ye see the duel took place just over the
bluff there-behind ye-and they allowed
that Marion had struck away north for
Mendocino to take ship there. For after
overhaulin' his seconds boat they found
out that they had come away from Sance
Ito alone. But they sent a tug around by
sea to Mendocina to head him of there,
while they're closin' in around him inland.
They're bound to catch him sooner or later
But you amt hstnin', Molly?'
She wGs-in every fibre-but with her
head turned toward the window, and the
invisible Golden Gate through which the
fugitive had escaped. For she saw it all
glorious vision-her high-bred,
handsome guest and Wynyard Marion were
one and the same person. And this rough,
man before her-her own
husband-had been basely set to capture
himl
(To BE CoNTINUED.)
Consumption Cured.