The morning times., 1896-04-19

dlIEC tOtldy dsiu thC hoJo
OF Victoria. While women are loving and
meu hating no civilization will kill human
nature
Agatha Clarke had been out all day shop
ping. Many women have done that before.
But aboutthis shoppingthere wassomething
that distinguished it from the common
round OF household purchases. and gilded
even busters and glass cloths, clothes
pegs ana skcwers, with halo OF interest.
In week she was to be married. There
were all sorts of Odds and ends and triTles
still wanting, and by 4 O'Clock body and
mind were tired and worn On reaching
nome she threw herself into the easiest
OF easy chairs with sigh OF relief.
Nearly finished, Agatha?' ber mother
asked, handing her Il cup OF tea.
VERY nearly, i 90 believe, mother mine
At any rate, am sick 10 death OF dish
cloths and suucepans. / never want to see
one again. Alas, my repose is short-lived.
/ have TO meet Edward at 4.30, at the
house. 10 choose "a color for the dra wing
room frieZe.'
''Bc back III time for dinner. child, and
bring Edward. too"
''Good-by, Inotherkins; this day week
sha'n't / be gloriousIy wretched? 1t will
all he over. Ted aud / will be back in
time, never fear
Edward Earquarson and Agatha Clarke
~
had only been away from each other for
two years ever since they could remember,
and that was while he was travelling IN
the South to- give him experience and edu-
cation. Before he had left for that trip
lie had asked Agatha To be his wife, but
she was proud and wise, and preferred TO
let him go unretteretl TO see the women and
sights of other lands. When he came back
fe was i'm the same mind, and this time so
was Agatha Since then all had been as
happy as marriage bell. and today week
they werc to hear their own marriage
bells.
AT O'Clock Agatha came back alone,
looking ycxed and worried. In truth she
was decidedly put out. he had been kept
waiting foraD hour and a half for her lover
and after all ne had not come. Waiting Tor
any one is sufficiently irritating, but walt
ing for d lover is beyond everything annoy
ing
where's Edward, dear?" Mrs. Clarke
asked. knowing by Intuition that something
was wrong.
..He didn't come; suppose he was kept at
his office. | know they were expecting a
ship in today-perhaps it came this after
noon"
Women always excuse the men they love
TO other people. They reserve the right OF
beng angry with them.
But when dinner had passed, the evening
gone, and morning came and there was no
sign. anger gave way to alarm. Her father
promised TO call at Mr.. FarquaTson's office
and send word to Agatha from there. When
the telegram came it said: Not here am
making inquiries
The next day came and the inquiries
brought no return. Edwards father only
knew that hr had left TO Join agatha ON that
afternoon. Finding he did not return he
supposed his son was sta wing on at Iynesiue,
L No. ..F1a4 1~FAln
one could cast any light on IT, The AFFAIR
was put into the hands OF detectives ana ad-
vcrtisements i'll the papers.
ThedressmakerS were ordered to stop the
wtrIding finery. The worEmen left the
I drs wing-roon :rieZe untouched and the we'd
! ding was put off. The day that was to have
I been the wedding day came and went. Just
| like every other day. except that Agatha
! got paIer and paIer and in the early evening
/ went 10 her room. For many days she Ia :
! tossing in restless deiirium in the clutches
| OF fever. Her mother came down ON the
evening OF the sixth day md said 10 her hus-
! band:
/ Charlie / think you hah better see
! Agatha tonight. She may not be Win Us
} In the morning
/ so the father went up and took the hot
! hand and put his hand on the burning
! forcnead and listened to the irarticulate
| mutterings, and stayed with the doctor
| and the nurse within call through the
| night.
/ But when the morning came life and not
! death was in the house Agatha was sleep
| ing and in all proba biIity saved. When at
| last she CINE once more down STAIRS II
| was a very pale, thin edition OF the old
| laughing bride. WStChful eyes and thought
! ful hearts had caused everything which
! could suggest her wedding 10 be put out
| of the way. The morning papers. Which
/ notice =" ANY
| one knowing anything OF the wEereab bouts
| OF Edward Faruua rSOn is ca rneStly requested
| to communicate with T. E. F Farqua rSon,
mouth were kept out OF the house.
| Nearly two months had gone since that
afternoon when Agatha Clarke had been
| shopping, aud tue town had round another
subject for general talk. Indeed, the dis
appearance had been altogether very IN
satisfactory matter for gossip, for where
so few details nad come 10 light here could
| not be much fresh interest Everyone had
his or her particular theory of the dlSap-
| pcarance Some did not hesitate TO say tuat
| Mr. Farquarson, jr., had clearly wished TO
| vanish for reasons OF his own; perhaps ne
! found he was tirei OF Agatha Clarke, after
all Others hIuted there was another wO-
! man in the case But to all how he could
! so cIeyerly have managed total vanish
ing was auinSolubIe problem What A gatha
herself thought no one knew, and indeed
there was little TO know All that she
| could think was that her lover had gone,
Beyond that there was nothing to think.
She only wondered if all her days would
| go on as these days, ani ifanythins would
ever be clear.
At last one day something was clear
The morning post brought thin. COM
mon looking envelope addressed IN ram
bling, curious hand TO Miss A Clarke. Tue
stamp and pOstmark were foreign Inside
was a tiny scrap of dirty, crumple1 paper
The sight ofthe handwriting made Agatha
heart beat fast. 1t was Edward ;, ana Tue
few penciled words were:
Il am alive and always yours Ell
Not much, but enough to make dead hopes
!ive-enough to change the current OF hei
thoughts and set the fathers inquirlng into
the postmark. 1t was deciphered as IrOT
Italy but no one could make ont more. IL
a week came more light.
The summer evening was long ana SOFT
hours when day was s0ftened into glory
Agatha was lying on long basket couch
which had been put close TO the French
windows opening onto the lawn. Light was
melting into darkness and thought Into
reverie. when in through the window out
! of the garden stepped figure, rough
! uncouth and gaunt- Agatha looked WITH
fear-strucK, open eyes. until the voice Sald
Agatha Then, with such leap as
she had not given Tor many sad week, she
was i'm her lover arms. And into the twt
light and the silence we, the romance
seeking public, will not intrude Ii was
later, when lamps were brought and -thi
father and mother had come in, that th'
tale was told. the tale which makes thF
tale possible. II was when the lights cam
that they saw he was dressed in the ciothe
of foreign saiIor-bright-rel shirt,
SLOUGH hat, and rough coat. They sa
around him, and lie sat by Agatha's side
holding her hand, as if afraid he woui'
somehow be spirited away again.