The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10

| where my sudden entrance scared up a convey Of
stairs but n wdan INV VINO roI a make tmrnn ns
and dclanuy faced me
SHOW me a room" / shouted and they fed be.
ioTo me like rats until following their scant skirts
! FOUND myself standing before clean, but tum-
bled bed. from which the scared occupant had
closet door Here tenderly placed my charge,
anu with one more look at her wan lace, fled
and Tho women, and then cfouchcd close beside
IT, wild with fear lest cry Of horror reach me at
any moment men to Tel, me thai life had fed
though the hole was dark and the women. rum
ming in and out, stumbled against me as they ran.
spllling things over themselves and me- Al
last one of the lot came and stood before me- with
arms akimbo, her face shining with good -natured
scorn Six months from now you'll take things
And the lady how's shc?" cried.
wife gou ga oT rSGd%ms
beneath my bandagcs she laughed and cried:
Why the man is blushipg You better 60 and
at sight for 50 pretty a little runaway Icavs
her 20 me- and brush up. or she'll be more than
There was good sense in this, and crepi down
stairs, and, meeting in the hall my gentleman
| where might obtain at once n bath, a change Of
| clothing and shave
lons AZ h Ssd ssS wS wEs
surly men peer at us through stingy little chnks.
and by and by, half dressed barber stood before
with sleepy blindness far from rcass,ifins
You'll have 10 get oil them rags" he said with
unnecessary rudencsS pointing To my handaecs
and then he stripped them from me with no gentle
| hand, and fell AZ his work.
lie careful Of that jaw" I said heavily: and
then think must have gone TO sleep. for though
remember his asking me snappishly. Which
Jaw ! remember nothing else until sudden
| application of hay rum To n cheek all but freed
| OF skin, brought me Ia myself with moan
Whatever have you had them rags on for?"
covered the evidence Of his brutality with a dab
Of powder. and then my eyes, ,straying about in
glass before me VIA, indeed E' Why in 'I ' %ss
myself again How long had been masquc'
| even my swollen eye though a Thought heayy
nb3u, The upper lid wore only look Of Interesting
| | could hav' sung for Joy. spran- (, MY
feet with such an expression Of artlcss delight
on my lace that the man demanded four times
the usual rate on the spot IT'S too much 10 he
| expected to climb out at this hour and sharpen
| up extra for what one would get al mid day when
! the. trade is driving" he said in excuse Of his
robbery, but ! took him 50 pleasantly tina, he
| quite bestrrcd himself when he got To my hair.
and when mentioned with an attempt AT gayrty
that was without hat or coat, he offered IL drum
up Trend OF his who kept clothing store litio
iaIihc! down ihr street
| oi cSvalty, Hall an hour later ! was com
| plrcly mctsmorrhnScd that the lady who had
| rushed IN upon her, until spoke forth into
! storm 81 inquiries - To the state of the invalid
! Where is she, " I cried for | was burning +,
! display myself before her without my former dis.
mai trapDlngA tU CputsS', | should have re-
| bcr"d how she had learned ~ regard me; thai sl.
| was weak, tired and IN situation Of the utmost
dtucacN ana in manner | did, hut how without
raising fatal SUSPICIOUS, could rriuS' g. enter
when the attendant pointed - the parpr and SAID
| my bride was IN thrr" ! n.lsht. however. have
! gone Ia more slowly; might have followed up my
| umid knock, which brought a smnthcrcd chuCAle
| from behind me, with loss speed: but AZ 1t was
| Was inside the door, and On ~ knees beside the
| chair in which she sat, ppu;lg out a stream Of
| inquiries, regrets and congratulations before /
! noticed that she was not listening t. me hui had
herself ~
beast. and was regarding me IN a palliI horror
which struck me T. the heart
| w ny tOn you know me-" | cried in pty
! and r-proach al which her face turned crimson,
/ then, went down upon the arm OF her chair. aud
she burst into tears with such an abandonment
| of grief that was beside myself
| "Oh. fnrgiv" me. forgive me-" cried though
was not conscious pl having sinnrl against her
! But she only shro!, her head and bad,' me- leave
! her, and, IS could not do that dropped into
hSr which was ali cauid Sc in hcpirss ~ m, n@
| unt gradually, about An inch oi irr Nhi.r fore
! head hSan e. show itself above the handkerchief
she WAS cluhhing, and desperate voice said
| I'll NV could you hc - young 50 awfully young
and all that It's JUS, Just ton dreadful Tor any
| thing
! 4 know IT," said meeky though did not
,hink 4, 50 dreadful - all But you know all this
you understand that will leave you nov, il
, you prefer IT,
| There was silence, then she reached her hand
| cautiously toward me, sui, with her face concealed
! behind the handkerchief
Il am not angry with you, she said, timidly.
And " you had been pll, you know. come o. think
| about IL you c0udnt nave go, about ~: perhaps
/ it's best this way after all
/ Perhaps u l., ] murmurcd gravcly. barely
| touching the dainty fingers. then laying them
| discrccty down again again, while my traitor.
| my brain And then, L. rcass,irr her for cared
! little enough about II myself, began - talk 10
{ hcrgf her business complications, artiuAy arous-
/ ms IN her IN" resentment against her uncle III
! which had caught glimpse. and -. little by
| ltlr, winning her t. look at me- and trus, me AZ
sat down back from her, not trusting myself in
the least, and very much fearing that some hasty
! word or action might drop az ain the veil which
seemed lifting from between her soul and mine
.9h, how San ! ever thank you enough" she
suppose Sh~ added hastily that III" "p pft"l,s
! must b. all right being in the church and all
that but then you know they have to b. ~ queer,
that II doesn't seem 10 matter whether they are or
not not. one doesn't care much. you know.
| Well, they would not ley Us alone. ~ we had
| some breakfast the usual thing, | suppose, for
remember being asked whether would take
cream in my coffee and declining II, then wonder.
! right color; and something about being asked II
| the steak suited me. and that answered dr,amily
| Little could be expected 81 one sitting down in
| family fashion with bushing girl. who kept
EVER s. s ,bsrsi him when
faI,er"d out littl" womahiy prohcrs OF dclicacies
that led him 70 pile his untouched plate with in
\ carriage wa got for us by some one and
paid out more money almost my last, Then we
| were directed "a a downtown law office arrived
| Inherently early, and were received by jantor
| much out Of temper from an encounter with the
| furnace and was snubbcd by him and frowned
| upon and when the lawyer came left my com
| Janirn IN the reception room, and went into the
| inner oHlc. with him. wishing dcvoutly that I
might have sought my brothcr.in laws advice as
| 10 the kind 81 help 10 employ in my delicate bus-
ness, yet not daring 10 venture near him val
| ued my liberty
| Too utterly faded to Use my ordinary tact |
| did not deCcntly prepare the poor man While
| pelted him with my wild statements. he sat far
| forward upon the edge OF his Office chair. with
one eye upon The window beside him, making
| ready, felt, for that moment whcnlrny lunacy
| should break loose and he mus, leap for his life
| But, though clumsy Ia the verge Of brutality
was firm with him, and nothing he could say
| shook my confidence in my reason. or the reality
| Of what had happened So gradually, he left Or
| his fcvcTsh attention 10 the window and began
| 10 really heed me. But when ] reached that
strange morning wedding, lac sprang 10 hs feet
\ and Snatchcd the papers pertaining To the cere-
mUny from me, much a. one would seize loaded
| revolver from the hands Of a child
! Our names he took down. and then my com
| panion must be brought in and questioned and
| when he had cross-cXamned her until the ioe Of
| my boot fairly tngrd, he bundled us both out OF
the Office, telling us when 10 call again all the time
muttering To himself as though his nervous nys.
| tm had sustained n severe shock.