The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-08
The Cloud That Passed.


five parts.)
As he saw his wife sink back faintinl
into her corner, George Lamont was seize
with a sudden terror. He had never seel
her faint before. and he was helplessly ig
| norant as TO what ought TO be done. D
! course, he did the worst thing possible
raising up the unconscious figure Of HI!
wife, he seated himself in the corner of tbs
! carriage, and laid her head upon his shoul
der. Stunned and stupefied as he was
he did not hear the directions called out t.
him by the large German in miscellane-
Gus confusion of language:
"Neider, neider-a bas Ia tete-la tesla
giuI''
Then the large German arose. and cross
| ing the compartment, he took the uncon-
scious Priscilla from her husbands arms,
and laid her along the seat, gently, but
| with an air of scientific precision.
| The head must low laid be-" he said,
as he searched among his possessions, and
produced a smelling bottle and a brandy
| flask. These he made use Of with such
good effect that. in few minutes, George
| had the joy of seeing his wife once more
| open her eyes and cast languid, bew.l-
dered look round the compartment.
''She hat need 10 eat" said the large Ger
| man, as he again rumaged in his bag, pro-
! ducing thence a small tin of meat extract
and a bone spoon. She hat too long
starved. You must her TO eat give when
| We to Orbetello come, where We halt of
| twenty minutes hat will
Priscilla thanked him in feeble voice,
| as she swallowed the somewhat unpala;a-
| bic spoonful which he held to her lips. As
| for George, he sank back IN his seat, over
whelmed with sudden bitter sense of re-
morse and humiliation awakened by the
Germans last remark. He had starved his
| wffe-he who had solemnly promised to love
and cherish her! AS IN a flash of revela-
ton, he seemed to see all at once how
selfish he had been in his absorption in his
little beasts" how little thought ne had
gwen to the vows which ne had made, the
duties which he had taken upon him ten
years before.
When Orbetello was reached he sprang TO
his feet with an air of purpose and re-
solve, which TO any one who had lived
a less narrow and impractical life than he
would have appeared strangely above the
occasion. With unwonted tenderness, ne
helped Priscilla to alight, and, placing his
arm around her, supported her TO the res
taurant, where he found a seat for her at
the long table in the center of the room.
The table was laid out with knives and
forks and servietteS, and bore in the CEN
ter large card with the words "Pranzo,
tire Ire" DINNER, three francs): but George
Gid not notice that, or, If he did, he attach
ed no meaning to it. He fought his way
through the crowd. who appeared TO be
shouting a. the pitch of their voices in
every language of Europe, to the buffet,
his whole mind and soul concentrated on
his errand. Remembering the advice Of
the Frenchman, he managed, after a strug-
gle with the language, to secure chicken
in white paper parcel. and this he bore
in triumph TO his wife.
There he exclaimed in breathless ex-
element, as he lad the precious parcel on
the table before her. II am afraid you
will have to be very quick, dear, as there
is not much time
As Priscilla opened the parcel, and was
looking in hopeless, bewildered way, not
knowing very well what to do with it, a
waiter. seeing the symmetry OF his dinner
table destroyed by that uns:ghtly object
suddenly snatched it UP and bore il away
For an instant or two George stood gazing
at the man, speeches. and aghast. Then
he suddenly gathered himself together-he
could not stand by and see the cup DASH
ed from the lips of his half-starved wife
for the third tme. With a white and |
tragic-looking face, in which there ives
withal an air of resolution, he hurried after |
the man, and laid a nervous frantic grasp |
every word of Italian which he had learned |
from his dialogue-book
Bought that" he roared into the wait |
er's ears in a voice that shook with emo |
tion-"Bought that,''
The large German, who had witnessed |
the little scene, came to the rescue and ex-
planned that the man was only carving |
the parcel to a s.de-table. The German Il
was, and not her husband, who after all |
took care that Pr!scilla's wants were at
tended to, ordering plate and knife and |
fork TO be brought for her to the side
table, and seeing that she had all that she
required AS for George he had fed out
into the night in an agony of shame and
and as he strobe up and
down the Platform with fever;sh steps. he
was having it out with himself-fghting
his way through the darkness of humilia-
ton TO that bitterest of ones own faults
and weaknesses.
His wife, who had no clue TO his state of
mind, was somewhat hurt at his desert;on |
OF her. AS her physical needs were salts
he'd, and her strength in some measure |
to her. a sense of soreness and
bitterness stole over her. 1t was hard 10
think that Ii was to strangers rather than
10 her own husband, that she was indebted
Tor what little attention to her comforts
she had that day received. Faithful wife
though she was. when she once more found
1ersetf IN her corner rafting along through
ne deepening gloom, the contrast between |
Nnat was and what ought to be would !
keep forcing itself on her mind, and Wis
ons of the Ideal Man. who is the objec.
II every true woman's secret worship,
would keep rising before her-the man who
strong and brave, yet tender, large
hearted, broad-minded, prepared to meet
very danger and difficulty that may arise |
'he gave little sigh, and then turned |
Ter eyes from the window, through which |
he had been looking out on the night. to- |
wards her husband sitting huddled toxeth-
L In his corner, his whole figure limp and
rooping, his face looking haggard and
van in the feeble light OF the Pickering
amp overhead. And, as she looked. psty |
woke within her-pity which wise Provi- |
ence has made TO take the place in the | ,
carts OF women of that admiration which.
ave in few cases, II is denied them 10 |
eel \ sudden rush of tenderness swept
yer her. blotting out all recollection of her
tile grievances, all perception of her hus-
and's faults. He might not be ideal but
: was real, which, after all was. perhaps :
etter; ne was hers, and he was suffer I
lg. ;
George" she said, affectionately. lean
e across the carriage towards him. | Z.
George. you look very tired; put I'D your
aet here and she made a space en- the
at beside her. needless OF the supercilious |
oks of the Frenchmsn.
But George only shook his head mourn Il
lily. Again Priscilla leaned across the a
srrisge, and this time she took her hus- +
and's hand in both her own. while the