The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-13

FRIEND, GEN. BRANT,'' SAID sUsy.
more often before him than he cared
to think-tllat she was the one human
being who had been capable of a great
act of self-sacrifice for hin-her en-
envy, her accuser-the man Who had
scarcely treated her civilly. He was
ashamed to remember now that this
thought had occurred to him at the
bedside of his wife-at the hour of her
escape-even ON the fatal slope on
which he had been struck down. And
now this fond illusion must go with
the rest-t1le girl who had served him,
so Loyalty was ashamed Of 1t. a bitter
smile crossed his face.
well. I don't wonderi Here are all
the women asking me who is that
good-looking Mephistopheles, with the
burning eyes, who is proving around
my rooms as if searching for victim.
Why you're smiling for all the world
like poor jim, when he used to do the
Red Avenger."
Susp's voice. an Illustration, recalled
him to himself. Furious I may we'll
be-" he said with a gentler smile, all
though his eyes still glittered; ''furi-
Gus that I have to wait until the one
woman I came to see, the one woman
I have not seen for so long, while
these puppets have been nightly dane
ing before ler-can give me a. few
moments from them to talk Of the old
days"
In his reaction he was quite sincere,
although he felt a slight sense of re-
morse as he saw the Quick faint color
through the to-nielat's powder on her
cheek. That's like the old I<la'uns, :"
she said, with a slight pressure of his
arm, but we will not have a chance
to speak until late. When they are
nearly all gone you will take me to
get a little refreshment, and We'll have
a chat in the conservatory. But you
must drop that awfully wicked look,
and make yourself generally agree
able to those women until then
1t was, perhaps, part of this reac-
ton which enabled him to obey his
hostess commands with a certain
recklessness that, however, seemed to
be in keeping with the previous satal1-
ic reputatio he had, all unconscious
~. achieved. The woman listened to
the cynical f1ippancy of the cookbook
ing soldier with an undisguised ad-
miration, which, in turn, excited curl
osity and envy from his own sex. He
saw the whispered questioning, the
lifted eyebrows, the scornful shrug-
ging of shoulders-and knew that the
story of his disgrace was in the air
4 But / fear that this only excited him
to further recklessness and triumph
Once he thought he recognized Miss
| Faulkner's figure at a. distance, and
even fancied that she had been watch
ing him-but he only redoubled his at
tentions to the fair woman beside him.
and looked no more
But he was glad when the guests
began to drop off; the great rooms
thinned and Susy, appearing on the
arm of her husband, coquettishly res
minded him of his promise. For ]
want to talk to you OF old times. Gen
eral Brant," she went on, turning eX-
planatorfly to Boompointer, married
my adopted mother in California, al
Robes, a dear old place, where 1 spent
my earliest years. SO you see we are
sort Of relations by marriage" she
added, with delightful naivete Hook.
er's once vainglorious illusions to the
man before him flashed across Brant's
mind, but it left now only q smile or
his lips He felt he had already be-
come a part of the irresponsible COM
edy of life around him. Why should
he resist or examine its ethics toe
closely? He offered his arm to Susy
Z they descended the stairs; but instead
OF pausing in the supper room, she
simply passed through it with a sig.
nificant pressure of his arm, and draw.
ing aside a muslin curtain, stepped
into the moonlight conservatory. Be
hind the curtain there vas a small
rustic settee; without releasing hi!
arm, she sat down, so that when hi
dropped beside her their hands me
and mutually claSped.
! Now, Kla'uns," she said, with {
Slight comfortable SILVER as she seat
ed herself beside him, cts a little Xix,
old Robes, isn't it? Tell me. And t.
think it's five years ago. But, Kla' uns
what's the matter? You are changed,
she said, looking at his dark face il
the moonlight, cor you have something
to tell me-"
q have"
and it's something dreadful,
know" she said, wrinkling hel. brow
with a pretty terror. Couldn't yol
pretend you had told 1t TO me and lie
US go on just the same? Couldn't you
kIa'uns? Tell me-"
81 am afraid 1 couldn't" he sal
with a sad smile.
"Is it about yourself, Kla'uns? Yo
know" she went on with Cheerful
rapidity, 81 know everything abou
you'll always did, you knoW-and
don't care and never did care, and j
don't and never did make the slight
, est difference to me. SO don't tell j
and waste time, Kla'uns'
, Its not about me-but about m
wife" he said slowly.
Her expression changed Slightly
, ooh, her, she said after a pause
, Then, half resignedly, go OF
. Kla'uns.'
He began. He had dozen times RI
: hearsed to himself his miserable stor,
: always feeling it keen1y, and eve
!, fearing that he nigh be carried ava
; by emotion or morbid sentiment i
: telling it to another, but to his astor
:, ishment he found himself telling
. practically, calmly, almost CYNICAL
to his old playmate, depressing til
, half devotion and even tenderness thu
, had governed him from the time ths
mis- wife, disguised as a mulatto WI
!. man, had secretly watched him in h
Office, to the hour that he had passe
her through the lines. He withheld
e only the incident of Miss Faulkner
completely and sacrifice.
And she got Away-after havin
kicked you OUT of your plac
K 10, rryc old Gil tx-ha,, Il, =,