The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-03

lady whose name-excuse mel would
rather not drag into this conversation
The woman's face darkened ominous-
ly.
$50 am not worthy to even speak heI
NAME" she cried, land vet 7 was to have
been your wife. | wonder if she would
regard the position so desirable if
showed her the letter, the infamous let
ter, that gave you your freedom and made
me Mrs. Ulmer?"
you speak in Riddles" said Mr..
Bruce, coolly, 'but hardly think that
Miss Arnott would care to look over your
correspondence"
THAT is because you think this is de-
stroyed," said she, taking from the bosom
of her dress note, soiled and yellowed
by age, broken in the folds, crumpled,
disreputable bit of paper.
81 do not wish to threaten" she went
on more quietly. "You were false to me,
you may be to Miss Arnott, but l have
not the heart to injure you. have said
enough, too much, perhaps, and l know
that have kept this wicked letter too
long. Take it, destroy it if you please;
know that if were a man l should
wish to-"
She handed him the paper, open. He
took it mechanically, glanced at it, read
it from beginning to eud, his free grow
ing set and stern. 1t was an infamous
letter, written in his own handwriting,
signed with his name.
dolly Ulmer," said he, las sure as
there is heaven above US l never saw
this thing before. could not write like
that to any woman, and in those days /
loved the very ground Y)u walked on"
I'm those days! In those days" she
cried bitterly.
"Yes, Dolly" he said, sadly; shat is
the worst of some things, they can never
be righted. am sorry for you, sorry
for myself if 1 could find the person who
did this l would thrash the life out of
him; but can not put time back five
years, and | would not want to if | could,
because these very years brought me
Sansie."
''Sansiel Sansie!' said she; 'your
heart is full of Sansiel for you are aan,
and men change, but women never"
Mr.. Bruce was profoundly moved.
There was silence for moment, and
then she went on, all the passion and
pain of years trembling in her voice.
"Oh, Harry, Harry! look at ME once
with no sheer upon your lips, with no
contempt in your dear eyes,"
What man could resist such an appeal /;
moreover, he owed her something for all
the sorrow and disappointment that had
come to her through him. So when the
trembling lips tempted, and the dusky
eyes entreated, he took her in his arms
and kissed her as in the old days. At
this inauspicious moment fate in the
person of Sansie Arnott, opened the door
ana walked steadily towards them. Her
face was very white, but she did not
seem at all surprised or embarrassed. In
one hand she held long, dark garment
that ,ra!'ed behind her as she walked and
in the otne. curious slips of paper.
Mrs. Ulmer,' sd she, speaking in a
low quiet tone, 'as you have taken the
trouble to show Mr.. Bruce that very
clever note, l thought he might like to
see other and less perfect copies. To
forge letter which vilifies no one but
yourself is not state prison offense; to
call yourself widow and try to extort
money from man who has never injured
you only proves that you are scheming
and dishonest; but the private detective
in your room has found evidence of ether
and more punishable crimes. A police
officer is waiting outside 20 arrest you
but because you once did Harry q great
favor am going to try and help you.
Take this cloak, pass from here into the
dining-room, down the cellar stairs and
out through the bulkhead. Once in the
back yard you can easily slip away"
Mrs. Ulmer never spoke, but all the
high color faded out of her face, leaving
it gray and corpselike. She caught the
dark garment from Sansie's arm and
glided like a shadow from the room.
When they heard the cellar door close
softly Sansie turned to her companion.
'She is wicked woman" she said,
'and no more a widow than 1 am. Her
husband sent her here to make money
out of her acquaintance with you, and 1
rather think if that detective upstairs
had not disturbed her little game she
would have played it successfully.
Then, with toss of her pretty head,
she left the room, not banging the door
behind her, but SHIFTING it decisively.
Mr.. Bruce, crushed, bewildered, over
whelmed, dare not call her back. To
tell the truth, however, the young lady
was not One-half so angry as she appear
ed to be, because, womanlike, she placed
all the blame where most of it belonged
on Ulmer's handsome shoulders. After
time, when Mr.. Bruce lost his appetite
and began to fall away perceptibly, she
relented and in some occult and unex-
planned manner she made it manifest to
him that;
While the lamp holds out to burn