Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-01-08

not want beautiful girl 60 treat MIN
as friend of infancy.
"You might suppose, Mrs.
Graves" he told the other woman,
SHAT she had been a toddling child
and l crusty bachelor in whose
pockets she felt for sweetmeats."
Then Esther questioned him in
her deep, sweet voice. Show long
shall you stop here?'
''For fortnight, possibly"
"Where are you stationed now 7"
She knew we'll enough.
SAT Apache. So you can imagine
what treat civilization is to me.
How does it happen that | find you
here ?"
"We are stationed at the Preside.
You must come to see u.s.
81 will,' he answered.
He would have done anything
those red lips might ask him to do.
The receding tide of his love for her
had swept back with mighty force.
Glow beautiful you are, Esther"
he said after a moment.
81 always was.'
''You have no more false modesty
than of yore."
"Why should | have? | didn't
create myself, SO l am rot praising
my own handiwork. And l frankly
admit that if 1 we're to have made
myself, think should have chosen
the present model"
But there is more than mere beau
ty of feature, now.o
.Character, suppose-which |
lacked as child. It is odd that
character, even if it is bad, can SO
improve face.
Then she turned her head and be-
slowed the light Of her countenance
on the civilian beside her, whose in.
fatuation was obvious.
Every man in the post and tue
city will hate you with deadly
hatred, If Miss Gorschkov happens
to take fancy 10 you Tor old sake's
sake" Mrs. Graves warned him.
"Even her fancy would be cheap
~ purchased at that COST
"Perhaps. A woman of her beau
ty is not born into the world once in
cycle, certainly
And Miss Gorscbkov was pleased
to fancy him. She advertised the
fact. She was not one to fear any
means that would gain her ends.
She threw away her pride, and came
at his call. She forgave him the
past, and met him more than half
way.
But Dudley was too much in love
to despise or mistrust her for this.
He applied for two months leave
of absence and spent every available
moment of it with her.
Mrs. Graves, in her quality of a
school chum of his mothers, and an
old friend Of himself, warned him.
"Esther has done this same thing be.
fore, James. Take care. She is as
beautiful as Cleopatra, and there are
many who say she is as bad--at
heart. Make love to her, if you
choose, Caesar, but let your wife be
a woman who is above suspicion
Dudley never spoke to her again.
And he continued his fanatical cult
of his goddess.
His leave came to an end, and he
went back to Apache. He who had
been light mocker and pbiloso-
pher of life saw the bottom drop cut
of his universe when he had to go
from her.
She wrote to him twice day, for
time, then once day, then once
week, and finally the mail orderly
handed him letter from Esther that
was almost verbatim copy of the
one he had sent to her six years be.
fore even TO the closing phrase:
I'm time you will drink OF the wa,
ters of Lethe and will forget me as
utterly as deserve to be forgot.
ten.n
A light of memory broke harsh
and crude, through the rosy clouds
that bad enwrapped him. But be
said 10 himself that justice had been
meted out to him, stern and untem-
pcred. And he made no appeal.
Something more than a twelve
month later, Esther Gorschkov sat
at dinner beside the man whom she
was then playing fast and loose, who
would rot be warned by the many
whose bodies were strewn upon the
shores where this Cythera Lad trod.
"You promised, you know lie
said 10 her, that you would snswer
my question tonight
what qnesa. -