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

w IA L I1OO OI lL l. llus
1t is a dangerous thing to tamper with
the self esteem Of woman If you hurt a
mans pride, he will probably go off and
sulk for greater or less time, or it may
be, If the case is very bad that he will
even kill himself But woman will have
revenge. You may think she has forgot
ten, you may fancy she Is ilnpotent, but
there is this much Of the oriental in every
woman-that she can wait Break her
heart, and she will still let it be in the dust
for you to trample upon, and she will find
the pain pleasant Yet beware how you so
much as scratch her pride From the
wound will trickle stream of poison that
may flow slowly, but will reach you in the
end.
James Dudley's case went to prove this.
Very few knew why he came to the end
he did, but this was the way of it:
When he was very young and just out
from the Point, he was sent to a post miles
from anywhere, and there he became en-
gagged to marry the 14-year-old daughter
Of Major Gorschkov. She was beautiful
beyond the dreams of art-far too gor-
geous for a mere little girl. She should have
been historical. Such as Semiranis or
tho queen of Sheba or Zenobia must have
been she was Therefore it was natural
enough that Dudley should have thought
himself in love with her. But he was
clever fellow, with Il very fair share of
brains, and she was an average child who
was not old enough to return his love, but
was nightly pleased in an innocent fash
at iy,on ho
gave her.
At the end of a year Dudley was ordered
away Absence opened his eyes to the fact
that beauty alone was not enough to make
him happy in his wife. And he wrote to
Esther and asked her to release him, and
to her parents he sent an explanation of his
conduct. The mail orderly put both let
tiers into Esthers hands, She read her
own first She was 16 years old now and
very proud. She had also grown to care in
vague sort of way for the memory of the
lover of her childhood. The letter cut her
through the Russian down to the Tartar,
and she hated the man who, she chose to
think, had humbed her She tore it and
the one to her father into small pieces
There was one sentence in the former that
she did not understand. The lieutenant
had said, lin time you will drink of the
waters of Lethe and forget me as utterly
as deserve to be forgotten"
A few days later she told her father that
she was not going to marry James Dudley.
"Does he know itp" asked the major.
Eyes"
"What is your reasonp'
Nothing in particular. simply don't
want to. ("
Perhaps that won't satisfy him. How
ever, it is just as WELL l never supposed
childish affair Of the sort would amount
to much. You are old enough to act for
yourself now"
In truth, Major Gorschkov had ambi-
tions that scared above mere lieutenant
for his. superb daughter Esther was
thankful to escape SO easily. Presently she
asked, Papa what does it mean to drink
Of the waters Of L-e-t-h-epo
The major explained
"Oh," she said, II see" And her long
eyes narrowed cruelty.
Now it might have happened in civil life
that Dudley and Esther Gorschkov would
never meet again, but partings can only
be temporary in the service. Some years
later Lieutenant Dudley walked into
San Francisco theater one night after the
curtain had goneup The house was dark,
and he kept his eyes on the stage. At the
close of the act he looked about him, and
the first thing he saw was woman whose
beauty startled him. And then he realized
that she was the one he might have mar
ried She was in box with an older
woman whom he knew. Dudley was seized
with a nervous dread of meeting those
wonderful dark gray eyes. He would go
at once before he should do SO. But as he
rose the older woman saw him and smiled
and beckoned to an empty chair beside
her There was nothing for it now but to
go to the box. He was cold with fear Of
tho low browed, black haired, black
gowned girl with the magnificent neck
and shoulders
She would not have forgotten him. He
knew that, and he doubted If she would
tiful he might have felt less culpable, for
such Is the nature of man. She smiled
when they met with the regally Indifferent
smile that had been hers even in childhood
"Oh, knew MIR. Dudley years ago."
she said II was little girl and was very
fond Of him because he used to buy me
suffers store candy and ribbons"
II that was her view of the past Dudley
resented It, A man does not want q beau
tiful girl to trent him as an old friend of
infancy
"You might suppose, Mrs. Graves, he
told the other woman, THAT she had been
q toddling child and a crusty bachelor in
whose pockets she fclt for sweetmeats.
II shall suppose nothing at all just at
present. will observe for time and
draw my conclusions of the past from the
future Sit down here and talk over those
candy and ribbon days. One of my men
disappointed me at the last moment. You
can more than take his place If you will
consent II had known you were here,
! should have sent for you. When did you
conner"
AT noon brought some prisoners for
Alcatraz meant to call on you tomor-
row."
Then Esther questioned him In her deep,
sweet voice, How long shall you stop
herep''
For fortnight possibly.
where are you stationed nowp" She
knew we'll enough.
AT Apache. So you can imagine what
. treat civilization ID to me- How does 1t
happen that find you here?'
We are stationed at the Preside. You
must come to zoe us "
~ will !" be answered. He would hays J