Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-07-26
wife, but then he would confess it all

wife, but then he would confess it all
afterward and ask her forgiveness.
Thus there could be no further harm
attaching to his plan, and he would be
freed of all difficulty and be able to-de
scribe the scene with powerful realism.
He could not understand why the idea
had not occurred to him sooner. 1t was
so simple and SO natural, and there
seemed to be absolutely no other escape
from his difficulty.
Thank goodness the time was now
approaching when he would be able to
hear the bitter protest Of the innocent
and illuminated wife.
Forthwith he was anxious to execute
his design, but his heart beat little
faster at the thought of it. With diff
Guilty he wrote a few lines in an al
tered handwriting, which interpreted
in pitiable way the accusation Of the
wife whom he adored and loved. And
in order to make the deception more
complete he added thereto the initials
of the name Of her supposed lover and
traducer.
For this purpose he selected the name
of the young apothecary who had only
few minutes before come to his house
ON visit
cit is true, I know, that my wife
cannot endure him, he said to himself,
"but what of that? The scene will be
all the more natural and powerful. -
Yet somehow as he wrote the ad-
dress on the encyclopedias own address
"a sad feeling stole over him.
''Some things cause pain even in
JOKE" he murmured to himself. "How
thankful I am for my wife's stainless
character!"
And with trembling fingers he finish
ed the writing. Then he weighed care
fully in his mind what the next step
should be and finally carried it to the
postoffice himself.
All was going splendidly. In the
evening they intended to 60 to the the
alter, so that she would find this letter,
on which so much depended, among her
other papers and letters when they got
home again. The whole scene would be
acted at night just as in real novel. 1t
was splendid.
When they came out of the theater, it
was already late.
"After midnight, remarked Frank
as they passed the tall clock in the hall.
He asked the maidservant who open
ed the door for them if there were any
letters, and she gave him those that had
come while they had been at the the
alter.
While his wife sank with tired sigh
into all armchair and united her veil he
remained standing and ran his eye over
the addresses.
Suddenly something seemed to strike
him. He raised his eyebrows slightly,
and casting stern glance in the direc-
ton of his wife tucked the correspond
ence under his arm, babe her good
night and went abruptly into his study.
The young wife observed him mar
rowly, drew a deep breath as her GUS
tom was and shook her head. She did
not ask him whether there were any let
tiers among his own, and he Of course
did not tell her.
Then she took her candle from the
servant girl and walked slowly toward
her bedchamber.
Once in his workroom Frank INDUCED
in contented little laugh. At last the
goal was in sight. In few moments
he would know all he wanted to know!
Yes, all, and he laughed again. Then
it would be easy for him to describe the
scene from beginning to end i'll a mas
terly manner.
Just little more patience, and her
maid will have left her. Going up and
down in his room, he calculates what
effect will be produced OH the world by
his novel, drawn in the most realistic
manner from nature itself.
IT wonder what makes her so slow
tonight" he said to himself.
In the stiffness of the night he could
hear the sounds Of their voices. Then
he heard her lay down her rings OH the
marble slab of the dressing table.
Thereupon the clear sounds of her merry
laughter foated through the air to his
ears.
'Today of all days she seems to take
so long, he murmured to himself.
A little while longer he walked up
and down the room with excited brain.
Then he heard the opening and shutting
of the door and steps dying away i'll the
distance.
SAT last!" he exclaimed, with sigh.
Softly and with great caution he
pressed the door handle, walked lightly
through the toilet room into the sleep
ing room and entered with such sudden
ness and violence that the young wife
cried aloud with fear and establishment.
"How you frightened me! Have you
gone crazy?"
He made no answer, but stood in 81
lence, watching carefully every gesture
that she made and every change of ex-
preston that crossed her face
Then in measured steps and with a
pale, earnest face he approached her.
The fair young wife sat bolt upright
in bed.
The night candle burned brightly on
the table beside her.
With trembling, feverish hands he
held out the terrible letter to her.
''There Read thatv' he cried in an
angry, panied tone Of the outraged, in
jured husband.
The woman turned suddenly to a
deathly pallor. She seized the letter
Locti1v on1 co ct n rapid e1 auco ovo,r ~