The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-02

Son0n y ~ lad 10 ascsu6 the ffons ste1fa
M. Gordon had just paused on the
landing. ks hspd stili lightly catching the
handle Of the door.
Suddenly the foosstepaf altsred-stoopsd.
"Harryi'' r-
"MaRiel"
The mans heart was In the CRY.
The little feet few on ns II on wings.
The door reopened, and with the face Of
one transflxed he again stood before u.s.
Ny husband started up.
"What is the Ihattsrr
am afraid lost my head little, and
TO relieve the strain Of the situation re-
marked foolishly:
"Mr. Gordon looks as II he had seen
ghost instead of such an ordinary person
O. the cook"
"The oook" be repeated. "Mrs. Mason,
1t Is my wife!"
George found his voice first.
"But thought you said you had lost
your wife,
A new light broke upon me.
Yes, "lost," but found"
do not generally speak to my husband
in tone Of authority, but on this COCA
sion did. t..
George" said, Ego down to your
study directly and wait for me there. Stop
here, Mr. Gordon"
Invent up to Mary's room-a tiny box
OF o place, 10 feet by 2, but like each Of
my girls to have room, however small,
that she can cnll her own. The girl lay
prone upon the little white bed.
MARY said, you must come down
stairs."
She shuddered.
us she with himf"
"SheP Whomp" said l. "Oh, there mas
been some sad Misunderstanding Como
with me-"
led her, unresisting, to the drawing
room door and left her there.
At this point may as we'll tell you the
story which we gathered In detached bits
later on.
In her maiden days In that distant COL
ony Marie Steven had two lovers, friends
of one another and bearing the same
Christian name. There was, however, in
her mind no question Of choice between
them. For her Harry Gordon was and al
ways had been the only man in the world.
For some time after tho marriage the
friendship between the two men continued
to all seeming unimpsired. Then ugly
whispers In regard to Gordon's business
and personal affairs began to float about.
These had, Of course, originated solely in
the fertile brain Of his respectable name
sake, and by him it was duly arranged
that they should reach the ears OF the
young wife. Perhaps from dread Of
hearing them confirmed by his own lips
she from day to day delayed repeating
them to her husband. Wild suspicious
tore her heart and left her with no rock of
firm faith to which to cling In the crisis
that was fast coming.
Sitting alone one afternoon Marie was
surprised by the entrance Of her husbands
friend. He placed In her hand the letter
of woman signing herself "Your desert
ed wife" and oonjuring Harry to remem-
Der the promise OF other and happier days.
"Can you doubt his guilt, Marie, or my
disinterested love? This letter must have
broken all ties between you. Como with
me, and In the old country we shall to.
getiler begin II new and happier life.
Marie spoke no word. Looking at him
as one who saw him not, she glided from
the room.
Yet not for one moment could she doubt
her husbands guilt.
EYES, to the old country shall go, but
alone, with no meaner man, Not Lance
lot, nor another There shall indeed be-
gin new life. There he can never discov.
er me nor persuade me to condone what
this reveals"
She inclosed the fatal letter without a
word of explanation in sealed envelope,
laid it on his dressing table and left the
house.
That same evening one of the great Pa
ciflo liners sailed with new stewardess,
who had turned up at the last moment,
soliciting employment just In time to fill
the place Of one who had been taken sud-
denly i'll.
More than an hour later we went up
stairs, to find our guest and my cook sit
ting on the big sofa before the drawing
room fire, neither of them saying much
apparently, but the little brown head
nesting where 1t should always have been
and neasureless content in both their eyes.
Dali.