Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-08-31
RIVALS AT THE TOMB.

L
de Sambreuse died last spring, every one
feared that her husband would lose his
mind He had loved her SO ardently that
it seemed impossible for him to resign him
self to the anguish of losing her
| His grief showed itself in touching
| though slightly romantic manner. Pauline
| from cle earliest childhood had been ex-
| travagantly fond Of roses, and in later years
| not a day had passed without her having a
bouquet of that sweetest of flowers They
| had become SO closely associated with her
that after her death her husband went to
the cemetery each morning and placed Il
| fresh bunch of them in the marble urn
which surmounted her tomb
One morning of autumn when, according
to his invariable custom, NJ de Sambreusc
arrived at Pere Lachaise, he was much as
tonished to find bunch of strange roses in
the urn, while his lay half united upon the
tomb.
Without asking himself whence came
| these flowers, which seemed to him impious
usurpers, he grasped them with indignant
hands and replaced them with his own.
But as he was about to throw them far
from him he paused, looking at them, and
a feeling of pity succeeded his sudden an
ger, No longer did he cherish i'll will
toward the person who had thus desired to
pay homage to Pauline, and whose only
fault had been in not compromising the
privileged and sacred character of the flow
ers. As he gently laid the crimson roses
| upon the tomb he wondered sadly who
could have brought them. Some friend Or
relative? His conjectures were in vain, and
he relinquished the hope of ever knowing.
Three days later on reaching Pauline's
tomb, he found that the deed had been re-
peated. He felt the same surprise and an
ger as on the previous day, but not the
same forbearance Full of wrath, he flung
the bouquet which some one had dared
substitute for his upon a heap of dried
leaves and immortelles Then for the first
individual who, without respect for his
grief, had done him such an injury.
The following day matters were even
worse, fora strange bouquet was in the urn,
and his own was no longer upon the tomb.
He found it crushed and withered upon the
pile of rubbish where he had tossed the
other the evening before. During eight
days the singular rivalry continued. De-
fled and insulted by an unknown person,
the more M. de Sambreuse tried to identify
the guilty one the more eXasperated he be-
came.
However, by constantly questioning his
memory he recalled that on the morning of
the burial, when crushed with sorrow he
stood at the edge of Pauline's grave, he had
raised his eyes as the priest threw the earth
upon the coffin and had seen through his
tears young man whose despair seemed to
equal his own Who was this young MANI
So distressing, SO cruel, was the suspicion
gnawing at his heart that he was treasured
only when he knelt before his wifes por-
trait and read her constancy in those clear
and loyal eyes.
One morning he went to the cemetery
earlier than usual. AS he approached his
wife's tomb he saw man standing before
it, his hat in his hand in an attitude of
meditation and reflection. He recognized
him. TWAS the young man whose face had
only passed before his eyes on the day of
the funeral, but it had so deeply impressed
itself upon his mind that in thinking of it
later he had been able to recall the slight
est details of the incident.
M. de Sambreuse walked close to him
without being observed.
what are you doing here, monsieur"
he demanded.
The stranger started, looked at him and
replied in u sweet but firm voice:
Doubtless what you yourself are doing"
II, monsieur? ! come to pray at my
wife's grave"
81 come to pray here also"
by what right"
by the right which friendship has given
me-"
''You wer> then friend of Nine. de
Sambreuse?"
II was her friend"
A flush mounted to M. dc Sambreuse's
checks, and all of his old suspicious again
took possession of him.
"You were friend who hid himself from
me and whose existence my wife con-
cealcd," he said in trembling voice. SIS
this the reason that You have profaned her
tomb by despoiling it of the flowers which
have put upon itS'
You removed mine"
Because they filled the place which mine
alone may occupy
At these words the young man straight
ened himself as IL to protest, to demand his
rights, but he appeared suddenly to change
his mind, and lowering his head muir
INJURED:
81 was wrong, monsieur, and ask your
pardon"
you loved my wife-confess it."
The other lifted his head.
II loved her much" he said in a tone
equally free from Boosting or timidity.
Passive and resigned, he awaited the re-
suit of the husbands access of fury. But
the grasp on his arm loosened, and he saw
NJ. de Sambreuse slowly draw back and
pass his hands over his forehead as If to dis
sipate his anger.
A terrible conflict was going on in the
heart of the wretched husband. Would he
not in demanding full explanation from
this young man run the risk of shattering
tile altar upon which lie had placed his
idol9 Would he not in persevering in his
suspicious, whether they were well founded
or not, defile the memory of his wife and
deprive himself of the sad pleasure of living
with recollections which up to that day had
been pure and holy?
Abruptly he cut short his meditations
and said in voice that was kind and gen
Tie, DuC WHOSE NlDfttGlOuS UeUrdyeu Ine ne
roic effort he was making:
you must never come here again, mon
sieur. Promise me that you will never re-
turn and that you will always recognize
my exclusive right to weep at this tomb
and to bring flowers to it,"
Anxiously he waited for the reply
Il promise, monsieur," sighed the stran-
ger, and he Immediately started to go away
But the husband detained him.
"Since you loved her." he said, "kneel
down once more and let us pray for her to-
gether. From the French of Ernest Dau-
Diet.
Howsthe Patent Office Was Saved.
When in the war of 1912 the British