The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-27

verified her understanding Of It, she
stil} cauld not sse what 1t vaA .,
For Efnest was her husbands mar
lfied man. Why. therefaps, should any
woman-Spanish or otherwise-wgits
him. calling him her dearest Ernes-
to,"3"the light of her SOUL" cher be-
loved" begging that he would come to
her, IN Vera Cruz, and that she was.
AS always, his novia-his sweetheart,
Anita" It came to her dully-for the
heat had made her stupid, as she
thought to herself-that Robb had
sometimes murmured this same name
ip his dreams, There had been all
those months, too, In Vera Cruz before
he had returned to marry her, Per-
haps he had then known this woman
Anita! But even II ne had, why should
he leave his wife now to go to her
what claim or right could she have!
Meanwhile her head aehed, and she
felt very queer and stupid. Perhaps
she had hest lie down for a while and
not think about 1t. Not that she was
suRerins; It was strange to .fesl 80
calm about 1t. Any other weman ON
discovering that her husband was false
and cared no longer, would faint and
weep and cry. She couldn't. Tears
were impossible. She would lie down
and try to sleep. ne.
Much later that afternoon the sun.
going down in a gorgeous blaze of COL
or such as one sees only in the tropics,
flung crimson and yellow streaks into
the quiet room, with its pretty furnish
inss. One yellow blaze fell across the
lounge and changed Mrs. Robb's hair
from brown to gold, and fiickered un-
certainly on her white brow. But she
never stirred-the heat and the shock
had SO combined to stupefy her that
she could not but sleep. But she nur-
INJURED uneasily in her sleep, and still
one small brown hand--sunburned and
roushened from the hacienda life
clenched tightly tho soiled scrap Of pa
per-the letter from Anita!
Without doubt. Mrs. Robb asleep
was almost as pretty as Mrs. Robb
awake So Robb had often said, in the
attempt to tease her; SO evidently now
thought a most peculiar insect that
was making its way, with a great dis
play Of curious, snaky docking feelers,
down the wall from the matched roof
Of the hacienda. You couldn't call It
q spider, for 1t was three times the size
of spider, and most extraordinarily
marked on each part of It that wasn't
egs. About as big as the Mexican Sill
yer dollar, 1t was black and red and
III hair-covered. 1t wiggled itself
Ilong slowly, now and then gathering
tseh together In small, black hairy
lunch.
Mrs. Robb, as sho lay on her lounge,
Ittraeted the attention OF the thing.
whatever 1t was. And yet not SO much
dFs. Robb as yellow shining orna-
nent that lay at the base of her throat.
nd which the low-necked wrapper
lainly let show. 1t was only a tiny
old locket, containing Robb's picture,
hitch Mrs. Robb wore night and day
ut OF sight under her bodice. OF
purse the thing Oh the wall could not
now this; but 1t did want to investi-
ate for itself.
An uncomfortable tickling on her
eek aroused Dorothy; half asleep, and
linking that Robb had returned, she
1t up her hand and brushed at what
'er 1t was-doubtiess Robb with a
raw. In reply there was a curious
IS, and singing, frightful pain
at was all. It woke her thoroughly,
ID she tried to sit up. But her head ,
rs still aching badly and she sup
sed 1t was a specially vicious fly. :
AWAY, what did it matter? Even il :
was anything poisonous, Rohb :
'uldnt care. Nobody cared. What
u the use to live? With miserable
ID, for the pain on the vital point of
throat was unbearable and sent a
ange thrills through her, she E
aightened herself out on the lounge, e
knowing and not caring what it d
ant. I,
She was dead when Robb came home 0
e that night. The huge and deadly a
der was eurled up on her breast, and W
note from Anita was still tightly ii
d In one hand. And, from her con- al
sed face. she had suffered very m
oh. fo