The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-02


burst into a food of tears.
| Shortly after Stanislos, unannounced,
entered the room and stood with his
hand upon the door, gazing in aston
ishment at the sobbing figure. She did
not hear his approach.
| Martha he said, laying his hand on
her arm, what does. this mean?" He
went down on one knee by the side of
the couch. She raised her head and
staggered to her feet.
1t means that we must part" Stan
lislos looked curiously at her, wondering
If intense happiness had affected her
mind. She saw his incredulous express
sion and added chokingly:
My husband is alive. 1 have seen
him today
| 1T is impossible he almost shouted.
| You must be mistaken 1t is an inn
ip0stOr whom you have seen. Your hus-
band is dead, and in a few hours you
will be my wife.
Then she told him everything
| When she had finished, he led her to
a seat and sat by her side.
There is one remedy-the law. You
nave but to release yourself from this
mans clutches by the law, and you
will be free. [ will go at once and ar
range the matter for you. 1 will see
that your-my-future happiness is not
destroyed by this fellow
| He rose to go, but she detained him.
| No no. l am as free now as ever [
can be while he lives. [ could not wish
to seek redress from the law. I could
not do it. It could never bring me hap
piness, and that is all 1 want. No, no.
| You must go away from me-must try
| to forget me. You are young and have
all the world before you, while IL have
seen enough of the world. You must
not ruin your peace of mind by refus-
ing to see reason through your love-
| Her voice trembled, for the effort to
speak calmly when her very soul was
torn asunder had caused her cheeks to
blanch and her lips to culver. For
some time he pleaded with here i'm
plored her to make the union with him
possible and honorable by the inter
vention of the law, or at least to hold
out some hope of all obstacles being
eventually removed. But she told him
with firmness that they must part for
lever.
I will go he said at length. 1if you
wish it, but I shall return. l will not
be with you, but I shall watch over
you and guard you until the day-comes
when you are free. Then I shall come
and claim you as my own, and nothing
shall mar the happiness of our lives"
you will never be able to be near
me and yet keep from my side. You
must go away altogether. and when
you may come back I will send you a
|
"As you wish. We are both young
and can afford to wait. But, oh, my
darling, reconsider your decision once
more-the last time! Thinkr'
She shook her head sadly.
| Then we must say goodby."
All the GOODNESS went out of her
heart at a sweep when those bitter
words fell upon her ears She looked
full into his eyes and said falteringly:
1t seems to me that I have spoiled
your whole life. All I pray for is that
you will learn to forget me soon and
to put me from your thoughts. I do
not mean to be unkind, but such a
state of affairs will be better for both
Goodby.'
Five years had flown, and Nine
Novar sat in her drawoing room at ST.
Petersburg. In her hand she held the
key that unlocked those chains which
had bound her life's happiness for so
long and which she now hesitated to
utilize as her heart told her For
more than an hour she sat, filed with
a. strange happiness, that Savored of
regret mingled with remorse. She was
free now, freed from the bonds that
the law had wound about her and the
man who was once her legal husband
/ Drawing her writing materials to-
word her, she wrote the letter which
she had promised to send five years
before
Come, StanisIos," she wrote, .ff
you are happy that may know it
and rejoice Come, if you are unhap-
by, that 1 may comfort you
She did not dispatch it, but kept it,
with the intention of handing it her
self to his lawyer
That evening mshe had an engage
n1ent at Nine. Zernovois. There were
more lines on the forehead and cheeks
of the image reflected in her mirror
that she had ever noticed before. The
gray hairs stood out with a distinct
ness that she had never realized hith-
ertor After bending close to the glass,
she stood erect sharply.
What am I doing? This childlike
vanity is folish. But where is that
beauty which brought my ruin? Where
is the lustre of nay eyes or the roses of
my cheeks? Ala cit. is sad that while
j the heart is stlll young the flesh should
! have aged so much"
She went down the staircase and en-.
tered her carriage, driving to the house
of her friend.
/ There were large number of guests
that night. Nine Novar became her
self once more and played and en-
! chanted the company with her capti-
waiting voice.
/ There was one song which on this
! particular night she sang with all the
fervor of her heart 1t was The
Sleigh Bells a duet Of which she sang
but one part, while no one accompanied
her.
People wondered at her strange
freak, but she laughingIy told them it
was her whina. Never had she been so
gay since the time of that terrible part
4 ing.
During the second verse a TALL hand
some man, dressed in the uniform of
the Imperial Guard, walked quickly
over to the hostess and whispered:
I will you bring Nine. -Novar over to
my wife? I should like to introduce
them to one another
/ When the song was finished-the one
in which he had so often accompanied
her five years ago-Mne Zernova led
her across the room to where Stanislos
stood by the side of his wife.
Madame, let me introduce you to a.
new arrival in St Petersburg, Captain
Feovitch.'
There was an awkward silence for a
moment while Nine. Novar went
CHASTITY pale and pressed her lips tight
ly together.
ALLOW me to introduce you to my
wife," he said, holding out his hand
toward a lovely young girl, who
glanced shyly at the woman before
her
LET me congratulate you. You have
indeed a sweet Wife
The words were slowly and painfully
uttered.
When the others had moved away,
he said: You did not write to me.
waited until wear ago. Then thought