St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-12-11
1NGToN TAMMANY PARISH La, SATURDAY, II,

How beautiful you arr, Esther" he
said. SiIer . moment
II alwAsa was"
~You have no more false 1nodesfxl
than Of yore." -
sWhy should hnve7 I 6idat ~ !
myself, 90 TIM not prAisfne my 81;
handiwork. And I frankly admit TIT
If 1 were 10 have made myself. Ithinkf 4
should have chosen my present mooeEv
but there is more than mere beap3E
of feature, now."
Character, suppose - which I.
lacked as q child. It = odd that char
acter, even il it happens to be bad can'
so improve 4 face"
Then she TURNED her head and be-
slowed the light of her comtenanceo or
the civilian beside her, whose infatua-
tion was obvious.
Every man in the post and the city
viii hate you with Z deadly hatred. II
Miss GorsChkov happens to take . fancy
to Won for old salke's cake" Mrs. Graves
warred him.
even her fancy would Be cheaply
purchased At thaf cost"
"perhaps. A woman of her beauty
Ia not born into the world once in q
cycle, certainly.'
And Miss Gorxchkov was pleaeed to
fancy him. She advertised the fact.
She was mot one 70 feAr any means that
would xaln her ends. She threw AWAY
her pride and came at his call. She for
g.va him The nast and met. him more
than half way.
But Dudley was too much 10 love 10
despise or mistrust her for this. He ap-
piled Tor two-months' leave and spent
every available moment Of it with her.
Mrs. Graves, in her quality Of a school.
chum OF his mothers and m old friend
of himself, warned him. "ESther has
done this same thing before, James.
Take tare. She Is as beautiful as Cleo
patra, and there are many who say she
| is as bad-at heart. Make love to her.
| II you choose, Caesar, hut let your wife
| be d woman who d Above suspicioh."
Dudley never spoke to her again. And
he continued his fahatical cult Of his
goddess.
His leave came to an end. and he went
back to Apache. he who had been q
light fnocker and . philosopher Of life,
saw the bottom drop out Of his universe
when he had to go from her. She wrote
to him twice a day, for = time. then
once dag, then once week, and finally
the mail orderly handed him letter
from Esther that was Utmost YER
batim copy Of the one he had sent to her
six years before. even to the closing
phrase. "In time you will drink of the
waters Of Lethe aud viii forget me as
utterly ae I deserve to be forgotten"
A light OF memory broke, harsh and
crude. through the rosy clouds that hnt
enwrapped him. But he said to him
self that justice had been meted out Il
him, stern and untempered. And h
made no appeal.
Something more than txelvemonts
later, Esther Gorschkov sat at dinner
beside the man whom she was thef
playing fast and lcoee, who would not
be warned by the fate of the many
whose bodies were strewn upon th'
shores where this Cythera had trod.
"You promised, you know" he sait
to her, shat you would answer my ques
ton tonight"
"What question:"
Don't banter, please. am Il
earnest"
"You appear to be. And every
body can see it, too. Go on and eat
and look as though you were discussing
the dynamite gun or something.
Il will do whatever you choose. If yo'
will tell me II you will marry me"
'Oh! is that what you mean?
couldn't remember whether it was 70,
or Mr.. Clayton who had asked me. May
be it was both Of you. But l can't SCI
why YOU should bother about that sor
Of thing at dinner. Why don't you wai
until the dance. It would be so mucl
better form. Fancy saying mo- to =
q man and then putting piece Of harm
less little lamb In ones mouth"
"Are you going to say no."
Gracious! but we are insistent. How
should I know what nm going to say;
Go on and eat, and stop hanging on my
words, or I won't answer you at all. Il
is SO fearfully conspicuous.
Even in his suspense, the man could
not but return. whence this new
found dislike to being conspicuous?"
Miss Gorschkov smiled slowly and
started to answer. but voice from
across the table stopped her.
''What is it, Capt. Lawrence?" shl
| asked.
'Have you heard Of Lieut.. Dudley,
death?''
"No. Is he dead?"
He died at Apache week ago."
I'm SO sorry; but, frankly, dom
think q dinner-table the place for fu
neral notices." she rebuked him. IL
disliked her, and she saw the purpose o
his announcement. Her dead-whit
skin could turn no whittier, and her smil
ing red lips were painted.
'tColl-hcarted devil. !" the captain NUT
tered, ms she turned back to the man a
her side.
$50 you want me to marry you?
will. But I want you to understan,
why. 1t is because I have just bee
told that the only man have ever love,
or ever will love is dead. Do you wan
me-knowing that?"
Even knowing that-ycs."
Every well."
| She spoke across the table again
@Capt. Lawrence. do you happen I
know how Mr.. Dudley died: : We nigh
as well have the coroner's verdict, sine