Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-02-24

sNS@tnN YOU nave excited such palm
full interest In the sccret. whatever il IL.
that must know H."
You VIII not be,ray mo to Alice n 1
Certainly not u secrecy be tho only
condition on which ] can learn the truth
And you promise not TO think harHhly
VI poor Aliccs"
~ would be strange II should think
other than well OF emo whose purltv az
hrart ~ 50 well town 10 mo"
We'll, then" replied the lnsidlous NO.
man, WIN u rheht, very slight sneer
IN hor lip, since you have such un-
doubling faith IN your wife there can DO
no harm IL telling you Bit really We
arc mailing a great affalr OF II very
tfining occurrence. Charles Wilson was
clerk TO Alicc's father. and while she
was yet AZ school he made love to her In
the hope OF cntieing hes into u ciandestlne
marriage Alice was oniy about IL md
Ike an other girls OF her age. was de-
lighted with nrst lover He lived In
the house with us and Of course enjoyed
many oppt rtunitics OF meeting hor, no
mat before We knew anything about g.
an elopement was actually planned,
h6ppensd TO discover It, ana, rs my duty
REQUIRED, made Il known to her parents
me consequence was that Wilson was
Dismissed and Alice sent TO boarding
school; ! dare say she has thanked me
Tor II since, though then sho could not
forgive me. You look pained Mr.. Won't
worth. ! hepe my foolifh frenkness has
rot made you unhappy. | really thought
u such childish artair that felt no hest.
tauon In abiding to II today, suppoang
that Alice had lost all scnsitvcness about
" anu l was never moro surprised than
l py her evident agitation. However, com
Toss was wrong; ought to have known
that an early disappointment is not easily
fergoten. even In tho midst OF happl-
ness"
MIR Wentworth.
Just before l was marrled--I suppose
about elshi years agoi wonder Alice did
not tell YOU tho whole story but she Is
such tlmd creature that / suppose she
could not summon courage enough to be
perfectly frank with you"
! Wentworth made no rcply. hut tho poll
soned arrow reached iia mark. Ills oon-
I ndence In his wife was shaken; he had
not been the first love OF her Young
heart She had loved md been beloved
she had plghted her sAlth even In her
glrlhood, aud the creature whom he be-
I llevcd to be- az pure In heart az an in
/ FAINT had narrowly escaped B. clnndestine
marriage with an Inferior He was
shocted and almost disgusted; he felt
| hcurt-sicki and even the eight OF his
child. connected as It now was with the
similiiudc Of tho early lover, was painful
l to him Ho recalled thousand trning
circumstances which would pass by nm
needed hu, Tor Cousin AgithHs kind at
tempts 10 explain Alce's meaning, and
/ all now corrobJratcd his suspicious VI hia
WHO'S perfect sincerity, The more he
discussed the matter with Agatha the
more dissatisfied aid he hocomu with
/ Alice; and In proportion ma she tell In his
] .aNl Ina Nls.fa
/ OF Agatha arose. There was a hgh-
toned sentiment about her sense OF
honor ana Nn Intensity of feeling which
added new charms "a her expressive ooun-
/ tennnce and graceful manncrs Wont
worth was not In love with Agatha,
| but he was a little out OF love with
his wife, and the oonniant presence
OF such fascinating woman az such
/ "a moment was certainly somewhat
dangerous. More than once he caught
himself rogretting that Alice was not
more like her cousin. and long before
Alice was well enough TO leave her apart
inout he had become quite rpconciod TO
her absence from the drawing room Alice
| felt his Increasing neglect, but she dared
not allow herself 10 attribute II 10 rs
I true cause, Cousin Agatha was so kind,
| 40 attentive TO her, ana studied 10 much
the comfort Of Mir. Wentworth that she
nlnost hated herself for the growing dis
likr which she was conscious OF feeling
toward her
one day about two months after the
birth Of hor babe Alice, who had been
suffering from a slow fever, felt no much
better that she felt determined to surprise
{ her husband by ioalrg him AZ dinner
Wrapping "a shawl about her, she slowly
proceeded downstairs ana, nnding the
drnwing-room door partly open. entered
! no silently ms not to disturb tho occupants
] NJ the apartment Mr. Wentworth was
{ lyiuE ON u sofn, while Cousin Agatha sat
on a low ottoman beside him, with one
] hand threading the marnCE OF his bright
hair while the other was clnrped IN his.
] The face OF Agatha was hidden from
/ her. but the wretched wife boheld tho
eyca OF her husband upturncd towards Il
Z with the most vivid expression OF fond
ness and passion. Her worry soul grew
/ sick az she gazed; she turned to glide
from The room and fen rensnless on the
threshold. weeks had elapsed ere she re-
covered her condolences, The sudden
shock which her weakened nerves had
sustained, produced Inflammation Of the
brain and Tor many an anxious day her
husband watched beside her sick bed.
droudlng lest every hour should be her
| last, She lay In o state Of Htupor, and
her first slgna OF returning consciousness
was the SILVER that ran through hor
! frame when the voice OF Cousin Agatha
struck upon her ear.
/ Mr. Wentworth was conscience stricken
when. aroused by the sound Of her fail he
| had behold Alice lying lifelcss on Tho
/ floor lie uttered not word OF Inquiry,
I but he readily OWNED the cause u hor
condition, and. AS he bore her to her
] apartment, he almost hated himself for
/ the brief dellfium In which his senses had
been plunged. lie could not be said 10
1 love Agathn. hui her destinations had not