Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-12-14

done anything those red lips might ask
him to do. The receding tide OF his love
for her had swept back with a mighty
force.
How beautiful you are, Esther" he
said after a moment
II always was"
"You have no more false modesty than
of yore. F."
''Why should I have? didn't make
myself, so I'm not praising my own handi
work, and frankly admit that il ! were
to have made myself ! think l should
have chosen my present model. -
But there is more than mere beauty of
feature now.
Character, | suppose-which / lacked
as child 1t is odd that character, even
If it happens to be bad, can SO improve
face"
Then she turned her head and bestowed
the light Of her countenance on the civilian
beside her, whose infatuation was obvious.
EVERY man in the post and the city
will hate you with deadly hatred if Mis-
Gorschkov happens to take fancy to you
for old sake's sake" Mrs. Graves warned
him.
Even her fancy would be cheaply pur
chased at that cost.
perhaps. woman Of her beauty is
not born into the world once in cycle
certainly"
And Miss Gorschkov was pleased to
fancy him. She advertised the fact She
was not one to fear any means that would
gain her ends She threw away her pride
and came at his call She forgave him the
past and met him more than half way.
But Dudley was too much in love to de
spise or mistrust her for this He applied
for two months leave and spent every
available moment of it with her. Mrs.
Graves in her quality of school chum OF
his mothers and an old friend of himself
warned him Esther has done this same
thing before, James Take care. She is
as beautiful as Cleopatra, and there arc
many who say she is as bad--at heart.
Make love to her if you choose Caesar, but
let your wife be a woman who is above
suspicion.
Dudley never spoke to her again, and
he continued his fanatical cult OF his god
dess
His leave came to an end, and he went
back to Apache. He who had been light
mocker and philosopher of life saw the
bottom drop out of his universe when he
had to 60 from her. She wrote to him
twice day for time, then once day,
then once week, and finally the mail or
derby handed him letter from Esther that
was almost verbatim copy Of the one he
had sent to her six years before, even to the
closing phrase, sin time you will drink OF
the waters of Lethe and will forget me as
utterly as deserve to be forgotten"
Htrb nf 10
crude through the rosy clouds that had
enwrapped him. But he said to himself
that justice had been melted out to him
stern and untempered, and he made no ap
peal.
Something more than a twelvemonth
later Esther Gorschkov sat at dinner be-
side the man whom she was then playing
fast and loose, who would not be warned
by the fate of the many whose bodies were
strewn upon the shores where this Cythera
had trod.
"You promised, you know" he said to
her, THAT you would answer my question
tonight"
What question:
'fDon' banter, please. I am in earnest.
"You appear to be, and everybody can
see it too. Go on and eat and look as
though you were discussing the dynamite
gun or something"
II will do whatever you choose if you
will tell me if you will marry me.
sob! Is that what you I.ean? couldn' t
remember whether it was you or Mr.. Clay
ton who had asked me- Maybe it was both
Of you. But can't see why you should
bother about that sort of thing at dinner
Why don't you wait until the dance? 1t
would be SO much better form. Fancy
saying NO to a man and then putting a
piece of harmless little lamb in ones
mouth.
''Are you going to say Mop"
Gracious but we are insistent! How
should know what | am going to sayf
Go on and cat and stop hanging on my
words or won't answer you at all 1t is
so fearfully conspicuous.
Even in his suspense the man could not
but return. whence this new found dis
like to being conspicuous"
Miss Gorschkov smiled slowly and start
ed to answer, but voice from across the
table stopped her.
what is it, Captain Lawrence2" she
asked.
"Haveyou heard of Lieutenant Dudley's
death?"
'No. Is he dead?"
''He died at Apache week ago"
"Im SO sorry. But, frankly, I don't
think dinner table the place for funeral
notices" she rebuked him. He disliked
her, and she saw the purpose of his am
nouncement. Her dead white skin could
turn no whittier, and her smiling red lips
were painted.
''Cold hearted devill' the captain NUT
tered as she turned back to the man at her
side
So you want me to marry your / will
But want you to understand why. 1t is
because have just been told that the only
man have ever loved or ever will love is
dead. Do you want me-knowing that?"
Even knowing that-yes
Very we'll.
She spoke across the table again Soap
tain Lawrence, do you happen to know
how Mr.. Dudley diedp We might as we'll
have the coroner's verdict since you have
given us tho other notices.
He died Of drink" he told her merci-
lessly.
II never knew that he drank"
He never did until he went back from
here year ago He took to 1t furiously
after that and would have been dismissed
II he had not died probably. Can you ac-
count for itp"
Miss Gorschkov smiled Perhaps he
fancied he was quafing the waters of
Lethe" she said.-Gwendolen Overton in
Argonaut.
No Sunday In the Klondike.
vounC man named Heater who left