Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-12-13
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He opened the door with jerk, laugh
ing shortly.
"Goodby, he said again, and fingered
an instant on the threshold, looking at
the girl by the window. Her back was
toward him. He could see only the trim
slight figure, the shapely little head, on
which the sunlight fell softly.
But she did not turn or speak again.
The scent of the primroses and violets
the sweetness Of the fresh spring air, made
him feel physically sick.
He turned sharply away.
The door shut with an impatient bang
Betty heard his steps go quickly down
stairs. She still drummed upon the win
dow pane, but her breath came and went
quickly.
She heard him cross the hail. and her
fingers stopped their petulant tapping
She turned and made half movement to-
ward the door, then stopped and stamped
her foot the angry color flaming over her
face
II won't call him back, +" she said aloud,
He is sure to come of himself,
She heard the front door shut with a
heavy clang, and her heart gave little
frightened leap. She had not thought he
would take her at her word and really go
like that! WE'LL if he chose to go he could
She was certainly not going to stoop to re-
call him She would decidedly not be the
first to make advances toward peace.
Thank goodness, she had a certain amount
of proper pride! All this she said to her
self as she took up book and read one
page carefully over and over again with
out understanding a single word Of it,
while the April sunshine poured into the
room and made glory of the daffodils.
Three days later Tom Hardwick stood
on the deck of the great steamer that bore
him swiftly away from England, carrying
with him heart that ached intolerably
and the memory Of small figure with
flushed, angry face and rebellious eyes.
And Betty saw the announcement of
his going and, hardening her heart and
encouraging her pride, talked and laughed
and TESTED in q strange mood Of excite
ment and fiirted outrageously with Dick
Mayne and tried to demonstrate to her
own satisfaction that she was a thorough
ly sensible, up to date and independent
woman.
1t was June.
The afternoon was sultry and Cypress
i've Great gray clouds, ominously tipped
with red, hung over London, and the at
mosphere was one of tired stiffness
Betty, at a pianoforte recital in Erard's
rooms, was thankful to be seated immedi-
ately under one Of the windows, where q
breath Of air now and again blew in upon
her.
Every window was open, and the street
sounds without mingled curiously some
times with the music inside the room.
"All a-blowin-all a-blowin," in a
mans strident voice, struck strangely in
upon the andante of the Brahms sonata,
and momentarily drowned the notes.
Between the occasional street cries there
was silence in the road, except for slow
passing cab or the whistling of boy
1t seemed as though the sultry air had
quieted the customary noises of the Lon
don street.
The Brahms sonata was over. A little
sigh Of relief went through the room at
its ending. 1t was too hot to concentrate
ones attention on anything of sonata
length.
The little performer had struck the first
notes of nooturne Of Chopin when fresh
cry without, shrill and clear, made some
of the audience jump and others smile.
"Extry special Extry specialp' A
man ran down the street You could hear
his quick, pattering steps us he WENT and
his voice grew first hoarse, then clear
again, as he shouted: Extry special Ex-
try special!'
The Chopin was drowned. A frown
T,1a eli
lence supervened, but Betty smiled as her
ears caught the sound of another hoarse
voice in the distance, "Extry special"
This voice said more as we'll, but it was
inaudible as yet, and the noctugne came to
its end uninterrupted.
A mazurka followed. Therippling notes
came tripping out softly and lightly, when
all at once under the very windows of the
room the disturbing shout rose:
''Extry special! Extry special Treach-
cry of tribes in India. Captain Tom Hard
wick killed.
The mans footsteps passed, the shout
was repeated lower down the street, each
word clearly audible above the ripping,
tripping music.
Betty rose to her feet.
She did not speak. She did not look to-
right or left. Her neighbors stared at
her, but the girl did not notice their sur
prise.
Very, very quietly she moved from her
place. She even smiled as she asked coJr
teously for leave to pass the other seats.
People made way for her directly. They
thought she was ill-her face that had
been flushed and sparkling, had grown all
at once SO white and still.
Down in the entrance hall man asked
if he could call her carriage for her or
cab. She smiled again.
'sNo, thank you! Twill walk " she said.
She stepped out upon the pavement into
the sultry, thundery afternoon.
| She walked quickly, threading her way
through the crowded streets with swift
steps.
| There was no conscious thought in her
mind. Only over and over again two SEN
fences hammered at her heart with mad
dening repetition.
:" did not call him back---I did not call
him back! Too late-too late"
When she reached her fathers house,
she walked up stairs to the drawing room.
1t struck her like blow as she looked
round the room and noted that its aspect
was so exactly what it had been on the
I day Tom and she had quarreled. She had
| not thought Of 1t in the same way in all
these past weeks.
Only she remembered the scent Of the
flowers was different There had been vio-
let's and primroses here then. Now there
were roses-roses and carnations
Her mother looked up in surprise.
"Why, Bettyl" she said. "And alonep'
Eyes, the girl answered, and her voice
was still perfectly quiet.
She took rose from vase and pulled
1T to pieces nervously.
Yes. They are crying in the streets that
Tom-is killed. We quarreled the last
| time | saw him. and-now-he is dead