Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-10-06

The lights disappeared one by one from
the little houses, the factory bell tolled
through the silence once, twice, three
times the hour and still he strolled aim
lessly on.
He leaned upon the fence Of Silas
Perkins front yard and looked down
upon the wide flower beds. He could
see the late asters and smell the tall
tuberose that rose like the ghost of
flower in the dusk Of the laburnum's
shade. He stepped within the little
gate, walked softly through the mar
row garden paths. He observed that a
| lighted lamp stood on the 'sit'n room"
table, and that the rest of the house
was in darkness. No one passed in the
little street; every house in sight was
dark and silent AS he walked around
| he saw that no one waited in the little
room where stood the light, and softly
| he brushed past the fragrant grape
vines to the Il" of the house, where
close to the main part of the building
! he discovered disused old door, drap-
| ed In vines, as with a curtain. The
step was sunken, the panels were warp,
ed and cracked, and before it grew a
curtain of vines, now heavy with pur-
pie fruit, he sat upon the shabby step
and let fall again the mat Of foliage to
its usual position. Here he could COM
mand the street front almost the
| length of the plank walk, and so shall
low was the projection Of the main
! building that he might touch the very
railing of the porch and without being
himself seen from any point.
After a time the sound of quiet voices
! broke the stiffness, and Esther came in
| to view, a tall, dark figure by her side.
! She carried her long, white train grace
! fully upon her arm, and her wrap fell
away from her bare arms and white
throat with a coquettish and unwonted
grace. Her hair was uncovered, and as
she paused for an instant in the ray Of
yellow lamplight it shOne like gold and
her beautiful brown eyes glowed tender
and bright.
On the porch her companion said
let us not go init is early. Sit here
for a little, will you not? Miss Maria's
marbletop table always affects my flow
of speech, as IL does yours, and l pro-
pose to have my say out as the YAM
! KEGS say. tonight I'll not keep you
! long. and I'll fetch a cushion and chair
| from the house. So lean right back,
here in the corner of the porch railing,
| and remember that all this is as beast
| ly hard on me as on you, and try TO have
| a little patience with a man"
Well. Arthur. can't fancy what you
came here TO say to me that should re-
] h1rf "a
| turbed 1 suppose l must listen 10 you.
Eyes, you really must, and l am fore
| ed to speak with brutal plainness, too.
You've been strange this summer, Es-
Their. not like your old self; every one
remarks it. Mother says you've shunt>
ed her off whenever she's tried TO talk
with Won about yourself, and so now,
nv dear. you really must listen TO me.
You ought to know by this time, Es-
Their. that the world is duced hard
place for an unprotected woman, and
all this beastly emancipation business
| doesn't make it any easier. Esther, l
want YOU to tell me what YOU intend 70
do afer next week. You say your good
friends here are removing their home
| TO the West. and that they are all the
people of your blood that you know
ANYTHING about. You can't go with
them, you say, and even II you could
! kind as they are, you might not ma a
! permanent residence with them alto
| gether satisfying. And you must
| state bare facts-you've got no home OF
/ your own to return to- Now, l wish 10
| lay our plans before you.
Glow do you dare to say that have
no home?'
Heaven knows, Esther, I know too
we'll with what reason / speak. Curse
nv oficiousness. l wish to God | had
not taken this upon myself. Last
week. in New York, l heard from an in
! innate friend OF your husband that he
| is taking measures-to-tO procure a
| divorce from you"
Il do no believe It! / shall never be-
! Iieve itw The words came brave and
clear as Esther rose to her feet. Il
shall never believe it until l hear 1t
from my husbands own lips, and that,
I know. will never be. Robert Prince
! is nv husband. He vowed to God 10
love me always and to be true to me,
and | believe that he has kept that
VOW"
The quick rustling of leaves and the
fall of a footstep were unheard by the
two upon the porch.
arthur. were you not the man you
are I would never hear another word
from your lips. But for the sake of the
friendship which you have so gener-
ously shown in all these years l will
hear you"
THANK you, Esther. But allow me
to compliment you upon your skill IN
acting part. You do the faithful and
adoring wife business to perfection; one
might really suppose you loved the tel-
low still"
'T will answer you, Arthur, for the
very delight ! bore in my own words
Love him still! You have been think
ing that because my silence and reserve
when I first came up here have chang
ed to my present cheerfulness and gay
etv that | have learned to forget him,
/ that I have changed. Yes, 1 have
/ changed. but not as you think. To-
night. this moment, l love him as never
before. Thank God for me, Arthur
| that my love has stood the test LOT 10 Isl
all tina have left"
u confess that J cannot understand
Won. Esther; you are in a sort Of ex-
altation now that gives you a false
strength. evidently, and you do not
look upon the subject at all in prac-
tical lieL-. but it is most necessary that
Won should do so. You have got to
live If YOU do love Mr.. Prince. Some
thing must be decided upon, and at
once. You cannot 90 back to your old
school work in IrOnton, and you are
forced to leave this house. VIII You
listen to our plan, and listen nationally?