The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-18

from childhood. He had advised her as
she fancied brother might. He was
some years his senior and she had COM
fided to him many of her hopes and am
billions, those Of any young girl. Blush
ingly she had told him of her first pro-
posal. He had cautioned her against ac-
cepting 1t with what seemed to her I'M
necessary vehemence. She could not un-
derstand quite why he considered her
young sutton, rising lawyer in the viii
lage, so Objectionable.
Finally, in inveighing against him, John
Reed had become enthusiastic about the
young womans charms.
"You are filter for higher position"
he had said, than to be the wife of a
country lawyer. A woman Of your ca
pacity and brain should live in the world,
should have the luxuries Of a great city.
Ah If you could only be in San Fran
ciscor
Thus was planted the first seed of dis
content in the heart of pretty Frances
Laurence. She refused the young lawyer
and the suitors that followed after him.
She was waiting for a town man. At
last, by such silver-tongued oratory as
John Reed could command, it is said that
he induced the young girl, whom he had
known from childhood, to leave Mill VAL
ley for San Francisco.
He had fallen in love with her. He
vowed that their secret should remain
| inTTolate forever, that the blessings of
companionship should be theirs though
he was unable to proclaim himself her
husband.
He used the old, time honored argu-
ments, he the man of the world, she the
unsophisticated girl who had never been
out of Mill Valley.
What no one knows, can harm no
one,'' he said. 81 cannot live without
you. We are made for each other Will
you let the unfortunate incident of my
marriage with another, mistake accom-
plished long before I ever met you,
shadow my whole life?"
Together they decided that there should
be no scandal, no publicity. They would
live only for each other, secretly quietly.
Therefore. one day some seven years
back, young couple suddenly invaded
certain ne:ghborhood in San Francisco,
and installed themselves there in small
apartment. Over the door bell appeared
/ the name of De Garcia The man was
/ tall dark, distinguished looking. The
woman was petite, sad-eyed and ex-
tremely reserved. She were out but little,
! and seemed to have no friends. Her
ne:ghbors watched her with the same in
| terest that they might accord to any
| newcomer. She was always well dressed
| and seemed 10 be cared for luxuriously.
1t was remarkable that her young hus
band was frequently absent for long
! periods.
One day some six years ago the young
! Mrs de Garcia appeared at the window
! with bundle of white Graded in her
arms and look upon her face not entire
i ly happy. Her eyes retained their sadness.
Before her baby was year old the
young mother, grown paler and more wan
| looking disappeared from the neighbor-
hood She moved to another, where she
now lives. There she passed for a couple
/ of years as a widow, the devoted mother
of little Elvira Alicia de Garcia. Occa-
| sionally tall, dark man came to see her
and brought presents to the little girl,
| who seemed to love him. AS time went
| on he came more and more rarely, and
| another an Englishman named Wood,
| came more and more frequently.
There was no gossip, because Mrs. de
| Garcia had with her always the sister
| with whom she now lives.
| The young Englshman became persist
ent in his wooing. For the second time
| in her life the woman was in love. This
| time she was offered marriage.
| Once more she confided her prospects
! to John Reed. whose alias was De Gar
| cia stormy scene was the result. Tie
| man who was the father of her child
| begged and implored her not to sever the
| tie that had bound them together for so
| long. But the woman had grown tired,
| she was in love with another her position
was unbearable, the secret oppressed her.
eff it should ever come out she said
continually, 1T would kill me-"
For the sake of her child, for her own
| peace of mind, she finally became the wife
of C. Wood. From that moment, in
| 1856, De Garcia disappeared out of the life
| of the little Elvira and her mother. He
| appeared again only quite recently.
| Mr. Wood was good husband and kind
| father, and for short time his wife was
| happy 1t was his death, couple of
| years ago, that plunged her once more
| into sadness.
| She became absorbed then in her little
| girl She was all that she had left in the
| world. She guarded her as a treasure
| that any one, every one, might want to
/ steal. She never permitted her to go out
| alone. She explained to her that she
| must never speak to any one else, espe-
cially to any man, unless her mamma
| was by.
She who was now known as Mrs Fran
ces Cora Wood lived in perpetual dread
lest her little girl should be kidnapped by
| increase with the years of his separa ton.
Throughout the neighborhood where she
| has lived so long Mrs. Wood was called
! mysterious and charming.
| ''While she was Mrs. de Garcia" re-
marked a neighbor since the publication
of John Reeds will, I'VE liked her, and
| when she married again we liked her
Just as well, and when her second hug
49,