Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-10-20
THE THIRD POPLAR.


The day was cold. THE gray sky
promised the first December snow. Be-
tween one row and another Of her en-
broidery Adriana thought what felicity
it was to sit in the warmth of this sew
ing room. In this elegant nest, prepared
by her Enrico, she realized all the love
that he had sworn for her.
The new apartment, full of bright
ness and charm, was her own. She was
at last Enrico's wife, the absolute queen
over this enchanting kingdom. She rose
from her seat, moved her feet over the
downy carpet, undertook pilgrimage
through this miniature world, which
had always been her dream and was
now her dearest reality. This solitary
journey had new attractions for her;
these possessions appeared to her like a
prize. AS she went from one room to
another she came upon one where En-
rico wrote and studied. 1t was the first
time, after two months of marriage,
that she had set foot in this elegant
room, which had an original look from
| it's artistic disorder. She entered here,
her heart touched. He was away from
home and was ignorant of what she was
thinking about him. No one, where he
was, could speak of her, but she felt his
presence in every minute particular,
from the delicate perfume of the cigar
clinging to the furniture even to the sill
yer paper cutter between the pages of a
book lying on the writing desk Against
the wall, behind the sofa on which she
was sitting, hung shield of plush,
crossed by a band of rose eolored silk.
On this band she had embroidered
spray of fo1getmenots. She had given
this to him when they were engaged,
and he had stuck their two photographs
in it. She stood moment to look at it,
rose on the tips of her toes and kissed
his with her red lips. In the stove the
fire slumbered What delicious atmos-
phere this room had She seated her.
self in the armchair in Enricos place
and read with curiosity the titles of the
books scattered on the mahogany writ
ing desk. They were the masterpieces
of modern literature.
Here and there many sheets were to
be seen covered with minute and ele-
CANT wrlting-his own writing. How
readily she recognized the long SEN
tences in which he had written his pro-
testations of love. She glanced at sheet
which contained few lines in the form
of a note. There were three or four
erasures. To whom could her Enrico
write? She would find out in minute.
She read:
"Adored Amelia:
1.-THE blessed hour is finally reached
when l can whisper in your ears the most
passionate words. My wife has no sus-
picion. Tomorrow, Friday at in the aft
ernoon, l will meet you at the public gar
dens. l will be waiting under the third
poplar tree to the left for you to come.
Farewell now. For me eternity COM
mences from today 1t will finish tomor-
row with your first kiss to your
WHO KNOWS?"
AdIiana had finished reading it the
second time, but kept on reading, hold
ing her breath, pale as corpse, with
her eyes fixed on the internal note,
which she crumpled in her rigid hands.
Poor child A srasmodic sob came from
her throat She threw herself on the
sofa i'll terrible fit of desperation. In
her youthful mind, maddened with
grief, she made the most dreadful reso-
lutions, but this was the one that came
uppermost:
To fly to her mother and weep weep
forever on her bosom until death should
release her.
Suddenly she Gained herself. She
read the horrid note attentiveIy and let
these words escape her:
Tomorrow, Friday, at 4 O'Clock,
poplar to the left but today is
Friday Y it is half past 8, but
then, there is barely time to go out and
learn the worst of my torture x and
fly"
The gray clouds sifted down the
snow. Adriana walked along under it's
icy caress. She was fatigued. The gar
dens were far off. The people Fastening
by turned to look at her. She saw only
the interminable street. Painting, wet
she finally reached the gardens. She
entered-the third poplar to the left
was there. In front of the accursed tree
a few bushes shivered in the wind. She
hid behind one of them and waited with
death in her heart.
Now the perspiration froze on her
skin. The piercing cold made her shiv-
er. The snow fell faster and faster, and
soon the bare branches, the trunks, the
few leaves and the street were covered
with it, but Adriana did not notice the
snow nor pay any heed to her weari-
ness. Her beautiful blue eyes were fixed
on the third poplar to the left and she
blessed the abundant snow and the furi-
GUS wind which permitted her to be
there, quite alone, at the downfall Of
her love.
Ftur O'Clock sounded, but she saw no