St. Paul daily globe., 1894-05-06

ana mother. But with rare deiicacy, ne
forbore speaking Of herself, and, with
woman's tact, she appreciated his motive.
Itwas at Dora's suggestion that the four
visited the conservatory after breakfast, and
1t was through her generalship that her
mother and the commodore were left to-
gether, while she led Ralph further down
under the fronded palms and between walls
Of exquisite exotics.
Seeing that Mrs. Morton was not strong,
the commodore, who had gallantly given her
his arm, thoughtfully took advantage of the
first seat that presented itself to insist upon
her resting. After she had sat down she in
serted her hand in her breast, drew out a
package of yellow papers, and looking up at
him with steadiness of purpose in the
sweet, gentle face that surprised him, she
said:
Commodore West, I have purposely
sought this interview. For twenty years
and more you have thought me one of the
most faithless and mercenary of women.
Nothing that either of us can say or do now
can change the past, but it is due to myself,
at least, to show you that am not wholly to
blame; that have been the creature of cir
cumstances and the victim Of false repre-
sentation. Will you kindly read this?"
She drew from the package a newspaper
clipping cracked at the foldings, and
yellow letter, which she handed to the COM
modore.
He adjusted his glasses and read the
letter. 1t was dated at Washington, ad-
dressed to her father, and gave description
of Lieutenant George Vests marriage to the
daughter of well-known United States
senator. The newspaper clipping, which
purported to be taken from New York
publication, gave the details of the we'd
ding, after the manner of such fashionable
gossip.
AS the commodore read his hand trembled,
his face became flushed, and when he had
concluded he suppressed the oath that
struggled at his lips, and turning to her,
said:
MADAM, this is monstrous lie. These
papers are forgeries. From the time left
you in San Francisco, until learned of your
marriage, never a week passed that did not
write you; and from the day I learned of
what believed to be your perfdy until the
present, have never given thought to an.
other woman!'' -. .a
Then, as if suddenly reminded of some
thing that he might have forgotten, he drew
out his wallet and took therefrom a faded
yellow letter, which he handed to Mrs. Nor
ton without comment. x., g.
s. This letter purported to have been written
by the young lady six months before her
marriage. In it she said that she had been
mistaken in her love for Lieutenant West.
and that she had transferred her affection
to another man, whom she was about to
marry. -
The letter was evidently in her writing, or
was SO cleverly forged that she could not her
self tell the difference. Indeed, she at once
confirmed the accuracy of the forgery by.
saying:
"That certainly is my handwriting of those
days; but, before God in Heaven, I never
wrote that letter.
The commodore dropped into the seat be-
side her, and for fully a minute they looked
from the faded papers, that told of ruined
hopes, into each others eyes, without speak
ing word. He was first to break the si-
lence
"It is clear to me-, he said, "that you and
I have both been made the victims of a
damnable conspiracy! It has blasted my
life, and, I regret to say, it has not blest
yours. If were to seek the author of this
plot should naturally look to the man who
took my place by your side, if not in your
affections. Mrs. Morton, will you pardon
me, but I cannot think your husband guilt
less, and, feeling what feel and knowing
what I know, cannot, after this hour, re-
main guest under his roof.'
Mrs. Morton half reached out her thin.
white hands as if to detain him, then said,
in voice so low that he had to bend forward
to catch her words:
"I do not ask your pity, but and my
daughter may presently want your help.
For Gods sake do not go far from us, I
will not ask to detain you. I have told you
the truth; you know the secret of my miser-
able life, and how eager I am to save my
daughter from a like fate.''
The commodore took her hand, and, rais-
ing it to his lips with the reverence of a
knight of old, said:
MADAM, I am your servant. My nephew
and myself are on this coast for a purpose.
That must first command our time. Apart
from that am yours at any hour of the night
or day."
While the commodore and Mrs. Morton
were thus resurrecting the ghosts of the past,
and proving to themselves the truth of the
poets lines:
'Of all sad words, of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: 1t might have been''
Dora and Ralph had wandered into the
furthest recesses of the conservatory. They
went down, arm in arm, each confident
of the others love; they returned with
clasped hands, each assured that from that
hour forward their life-paths would be one
until death brought parting.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE DUEL.
After leaving Albert Howard Colonel Nor
ton went down to the stable, intending to
return to Buena Vista and tell DR.. Ellerton
what had happened. His face was an ashy
gray and his voice trembled as he gave his
order to the stableman. He had hardly