Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-19
THE CAPTAINS SURPRISE.


flushed checks. would they hleath Z.
Would the laugh witner hideoh"iN
from those red lips, or would 'h'S
still smile as they asked him IN re
tiance. why did YOU come back 80
soon? You knew all women were
alike You might nav
| guessed
That sent the man to his feet. AS
| though the words had actually been
spoken He knew now that he had Z"
90 back and Kill the man, there. be-
fore her. Nothing else would do. H"
remembered the revolver he carried,
and slipped his hand behind him ana
drew il, and. crouching. moved noise
| lessly. with CLASSY staring eyes, ana
! cold. dropped jaw Of death masking
Il living hate. and the burning
| uuenchless thirst for vengeance. hack
over the grass to the window \
slight. familiar. clinking sound came
to him as he drew near. His eyes
were dazZled by the light and color
which streamed from the heart of that
homely little dwelling. He leaned
forward. holding his breath. and with
the revolver ready. And then he made
the great. the astounding. the over
| whelming discovery that there We're
three persons in the room. seated
round a table drinking tea; that one
Of them was the dark young man
whom he. Jameson Cairns. had in
tended to Kill. and that the other two
were his wife, Isabel. And then he
knew that he was mad. and laughed
ont wildly: and there was an eXClama-
| ton in voice he had once loved, an
uprising from the table and footsteps
in the little hail. and his wife was ont
| in the garden. upon his breast. and
welcoming him with soft. hurried
cries Of JOY before Jameson Cairns
could hide away the revolver.
"Oh. Jem,' She cried, II knew :
was YOU Something told me That
YOU would be back before tomorrow
And now, come in and let me show
/ you something. Jem'"
| she took her husband by the unre-
! sisting hand and led him into the
warm. bright. fragrant little cottage
! parlor. Jcm Cairns had had no IRE
viuus experiences Of emotions at all
resembling those he had just -;pn"
| through He hastily concealed the re-
volver with which he had meant to
! shoot the dark young man. when IN"
/ dark young man got NJ with vel
| coming smile ana an outstrctcacG
! t:tud.
! 1T is Mr.. Coulson. said Isabel!
! ''who is engaged To my sister. H."
! brought her down here Yesterday. rnI
| Will come down again tn take her
| back when her visit Is over. And
| this is Winifrrd" She went on. with a
/ littlt. chuck lc Of delight at Jem's ap-
/ parent beW-ildelment in tn" presence Of
a replica Of herself You n"yc-
guessed that We We're twins ala you r"
| Never" said Jameson Cairns. Iie
/ held out his hand To the other ISABEL
the Isabel with the flushed checks
and the smiling red lips. and she
/ looked up al the tail. haggard man in
sudden voudermcnt ana surprise AZ
| finding him 50 much older than She
| had expected.
! Is he ANYTHING like what you had
/ imagined he would be-" Isabel ASKED.
i'll her vifely pride Ana the sill ln-
/ swerod. a little dubiouslv:
/ "Oh. yes, But. Belle-you never
/ told me that he had white hair"
| Because he hasn't" cried Isabel
| Indignantly. Then her eyes went to
| her HUSBAND ana She uttered a cry OF
| CONSERVATION ana alarm.
What is it," asked Jameson
! Cairns The warmth and the light
and the relief were thawing the ice
\ from about his heart.
| Eut he looked III the little cottage
| chimney glass as he uttered the
words. and knew that the snow upon
his head would never be melted.-The
| Sketch.