The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-20
md Cupid She was the rage in Paris for

one Writer .Iney went 10 caro-, ana IN
Egypt Nellie was a princess, too. The
( wooing sunshine, the languorous air, the
| ancient S0itudeS and palm-green yiStaS OF
the ancient city won her She wished for
! a palace in Cairo. The captain summoned
| architects from Europe. He bought land
and stone and carved woods, and the pal
| ace sprung up as if by magic. He took his
wife and baby back to Paris and for
months they bought and planned for the
adornment and furnishing of their Egyp-
! tan palace. They were very happy and
! the captain seemed to grow younger and
| handsomer in the society of his devoted
| wife. His money flowed like water, and
! he was glad because he believed in her.
1t was arranged that Nellie and her moth
er should go to Nice, while Captain De
Lamar remained in Paris to attend to the
| packing of their belongings. So his wife
and Mrs. Sands babe him an revoir one
day. and, taking the baby with them, re-
treated to Nice.
Left alone in his great house in Paris,
the captain was very lonely. He watched
the workmen stripping the walls of rare
! works OF art and stood about, directing
the packers as they slowed in casks and
! cases the rare china, massive tableware
and curios with which, the house was
lavlshly adorned. When the time came to
dismantle his wife's boudoir, the captain
Went to work himself. It seemed a place
too holy for strangers hands He would
bestoW her trinketS, make safe her Senti-
mental treasures and breathe again the
atmoSphereS of her own sweet personality.
He had packed away her books and
WdIuToDeS, Wnen ne IOunO IndI the epOny
escritorire in her room was locked. He
could lind no keys to fit it, and the more
he thought of it the more eager he be-
came to open it.. Within he might find
new evidences of love for him; his old
letters, pictures of him, perhaps a lock
OF his hair. 1t was no doubt the hiding
place of her dearest secrets. Therefore
it was locked. And therefore, he was
still more anxious to have it opened.
He forced the lock and found the draw
ers and pigeon holes filled with old
letters, notes, invitations, meaningless
back nome, programmes OF the opera,
clippings from the newspaper, bits of rib
bon, bills from tradesmen, pictures of the
baby, half-hnShed epiStleS to girl friends
in New York. some of the captains first
letters-and thenI
In the bottom of one drawer there was
a bunch of letters dated at New York and
signed by a man who had been Captain
De LamarS guest at Aix-leS-BainS, a.
business friend. Why should he write to
Nellie? A red spot rose to the captains
forehead as he united the ribbon which
bound these ominouS letters. Why were
they tied with ribbon? The husband
did not hesitate. to read one. two, three,
ala dozen of these hateful letters to his
wife. They were love letters, and the cap
tain seemed to grow old and hateful as
he sat in the dim light reading them. He
did not pause to notice that they told no
story of unfaith in his wife; that they
We're not answers to letters from Nellie;
that the wretched writer was but pleading
his own unworthy and hopeless cause. De
Lamar saw nothing of that. He saw only
villainous terms of endearment directed
by an ungrateful friend to the wife of
his bosom. He began to hate the very
thought of seeing his wife again. If these
letters were not welcome, why had she
not carried the first to him? Why had
she stored them away tenderiy, with a
ribbon about them? The slumbering jeal-
returned with tenfold vigor. He thrust
the letters into his pocket and left the
house. He was furious, desperate, hope
less and convinced. His wife was false.
her favorS upon some younger and hand
somer man. The captain could not wait
until morning to end the horrible situa
ton that was growing upon him. He
hailed a cab, and before midnight had
placed the discriminating letters in his |
lawyers hands, and instructed him to be-
gin divorce proceedings.
The detected husband then determined |
to save for himself at least the innocent !
child. He went to Nice in the morning, |
and yelling his excitement under an as
sumed cheerfulness he went to his wlfe's !
hotel. The hours which he passed there |
seemed interminable until Nellie and her |
mother were ready for their afternoon !
drive They left the baby with her IA !
Their, and the ladies had no sooner dis |
from the scene than Captain De !
Lamar made ready to carry off the child |
The nurse was ordered to dress the niue
one for a walk. The father carried her |
to a cab stand, and in an hour they We're
speeding towards Paris. Mrs. De Lamar
was frantic when she returned to her |
apartment and Nund a letter from her !
husband annourcin g his discovery OF the
tel-tale letters, ana his decision to, seek
divorce. In an agony of grief and shame
she told her mother what had happehea,
that the letters to which her husband re-
ferred had no foundation nor excuse; they
We're the vain protestatlonS OF man VINO
had fallen desperately in love Win ner
for no cause but her wonderful beauty;
she was innocent of any wrong but the
vanity which prompted her to treasure
these empty testimonials to her sway
Why had she not ~hown the first to the
Because he was so Jealous sc. quick
tempered and so rash. She was afraid he
might have lost his temper "a; ana ao caused
But most of all, this fond and foollsh
beauty sorrowed over the loss OF her
baby. She could not part with that dear
evidence of her happiness and virtue. me
ladies FASTENED back to Paris. The weep
Ing wife could not believe that her nus
band would be inexorable. She could eX-
him. She drove directly to the beautiful
home she had left so recently. but it was
locked up and deserted. She called at the
office of her husbands lawyer, but as he
was not there, she left d letter for the
captain Then she went to a hotel and
wrote more lettars-pleading, promising,
fearful letters-begSing him to come and
see her. to let her have her baby, to hear
her cause before he condemned her. But
all her letters came back unopened, and
she saw no more of her husband until
after he had gained a decree of divorce
from her and established his right to the
custody of their child. She made no de-
tense She had not the heart to tell her
secrets to her lawyers. The very, thought
IF going into an open court to hear her
chastity assailed by hired lawyers made
ler feel faint She did not know what
Ter husband meant by his cold refusal to
lear or see her; she only knew that the
world looked very black without even the
lope that some day her pretty baby girl
would learn to believe in her and love her.
There were times when she tried to con-
4nce herself that she no longer loved
Captain De Lamar, but her own loyal
leart gave such, thoughts the lie, and
wen in her bitter loneliness she remained
cal to the implacable father of her child.