The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-08-17

| how he should always love her anQvcher-
ish her memory. Miss Porter believed
it, and her heart was broken-really
broken. She even went SO far as to be
desperately i'll for six weeks, at the
end of which time she came forth again,
pale, subdued and wilted, but with un-
shaken faith in Calverley.
| The faith remained mistaken through
| long months of silence, silence so pro-
found that she thought it must be of the
grave, and decided that he had probably
killed himself. But one day that hap
pened which filed her constant heart
| with hope once more.
Il say" a man said to her casually,
81 saw your friend, ClaytonCalverley.
| down south the other day"
Miss Porter turned white, after the
! most approved fashion of the shilling
| shocker, and clutched at her throat. The
man very naturally wondered what the
| deuce he had got into anyway and
explained in answer to her hoarse en-
treaty that he had been in RandSburg on
| business and had seen the Britisher in
| the street.
Miss Porter asked if he lived there.
"Give it up. | didn't speak to him. and
| he didn't see me. Only he doesn't go
| by the name of ClaytonC alverley down
| there. They call him Myers"
There was the suspicion of twitch
! about the corners of his mouth, but Miss
! Porter could not see that it was funny.
| She could readily understand why he
| had chosen to hide his identity. A name
: like Extraordinarily would naturally
be unwipldly In a rough mining town.
/ Now she was young woman who had
always done exactly as she pleased with
out asking any ones leave-frequently
for the excellent reason that there was no
one about of whom to ask it. Such Was
at present the case. Judge Porter was
away. TO be gone indefinitely. So she
packed her own bag and bought her o.
ticket and took that nights express for
the south, and i'll due time the stage set
her down in the town of Randsburg
| where her appearance-although she w;>
| gowned with what had seemed shabby
simplicity in San Francisco-causcd CON
| siderable excitement and some little lev
! ity.
| The hotel man was very civil, however.
! when she asked where she could find Il
man named Myers. He took her out into
! the street and pointed out Il small, ua,
/ painted house some distance away. THAT
/ there's his shack" he told her. with Il
| distinct note of inquiry in his voice.
| which she chose to ignore, but he's on
day shift, and he won't come up until {
| O'clock"
So she went to her room and threw
| herself on the bunk and waited until q
| O'Clock. 1t began to be borne in upon her
| that she had done IL decidedly bold thing
| even for her, and the way out of it W.,
not altogether apparent. But. then. Cal
4 Il, 81. 4
| O'Clock she went i'll search of him.
1t was very much of shack indeed,
| his place of abode. Her soul yearncd
toward him that she should have lived in
| luxury all these months. the while his
fortunes had been SO low as this. 1t WAS
! also a very untidy woman who opened
the shaky door in answer to her not too
confident knock. an untidy woman and
weary looking. but pretty. withal, and
| young. And the two children who cluns
to her skirt were pretty also. There was
third child. 1t was sitting on Calver.
| leys knee before Il red covered supper
| table, and Calverley was feeding it some
thing. lie sat with the spoon poised and
blank look in his eyes.
a terrible msgiving took hold of Miss
| Porter. With most women it would have
| been n certainty. Giles" she walled.
| losing all presence of mind.
But he kept his. 1t was not the first
trying situation he had lived through.
| though it WAS perhaps the most so. He
rose from his chair and spilled the child.
| His voice rose above its injured howl.
Miss Porter he. exclaimed. How
| charming. How unexpected, Let mt
| present my wife. Mrs. Myers, Miss Por
| ter"
She tried hard to take it well, to accept
her cue from him and turn the tragedy
| of her life into Il society skit after the
manner of women and of the day. But
Ihc failed. When she opened her mouth
| 20 speak. no words would come, and she
:ell forward into Mrs. Myers arms.
Mrs. Myers was very kind to her. She
took her back TO the hotel and stopped
there with her thar night. You should
not he here all alone" she said in her
sweet English voice. And when the girl
started to Sobbin%ly explain she checked
her. Il understand" she said. You
need not tell ne. He had sold n claim
well and he went away to have good
time" She looked ut Miss Porter with
wistful sort of pity and admiration.
"And dare say" she added, that he
mad it"-Ar@Onaut-