Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-09-15

reach it she had to ascend the front stairs.
Mr.. Gordon had just paused on the
landing, his hand still lightly catching the
handle of the door,
Suddenly the footsteps faltered-stopped.
"Harryl''
"Marie''
The mans heart was in tho Cry.
The little feet flew on as if on wings.
The door reopened, and with the face OF
| one transfixed he again stood before us.
My husband started up.
"What Is the matter?'
am afraid lost my head little, and
to relieve the strain of the situation re-
marked foolishly:
Mr.. Gordon looks as if he had seen a
| ghost instead of such an ordinary person
as the cook"
''The cook!" he repeated. "Mrs Mason,
| it is my wifeP'
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.
George" said, Ego down to your
study directly and wait for me there. Stop
here, Mr. Gordon
went up to Mary's room-a tiny box
Of place, 10 feet by z, but like each of
my girls to have room, however small,
that she can call her own. The girl lay
prone upon the little white bed.
Mary" said, "you must come down
stairs"
She shuddered.
''Is she with himp''
"SheP Whomp' said I. ooh, there has
been some sad Misunderstanding Come
| with me.
led her, unresisting, to the drawing
room door and left her there.
At this point l 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 the marriage the
friendship between the two men continued
to all seeming unimpaired. 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 conjuring Harry to remem
Der the promise of other and happier days
"Can you doubt his guilt Marie, or my
disinterested lover This letter must have
broken all ties between you. Come witt
me, and in the old country we shall to
gether begin 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 1 shall indeed be
gin new life There he can never discov
er me nor persuade me to condone what
this reveals.
She Enclosed the fatal letter without q
word Of explanation in sealed envelope
laid it on his dressing table and left thu
house.
That same evening one of the great Pa
cifie liners sailed with new stewardess
who had turned up at the last moment
soliciting employment just in time to fiji
the place of one who had been taken sud
denly ill.
More than an hour later we went VI
stairs, to find our guest and my cook sit
ting on the big sofa before the drawing
room fire, neither Of them saying mucl
apparently, but the little brown heat
nestling where it should always have beer
and measureless content in both their eyes
Princess.