The citizen., 1901-03-08


His easy, unswept hearth he lends
From Labrador to Guadaloupe,
Till ebowed out by sloven friends,
He camps at suferance on the stoop.
'"The Spanish is bad, but the senti-
ment's all there"
Some one ought to put a stop to it."
Don't you he the some one, then. Let
her work out her own-salvation. II she
is in love with him, she'll do as she likes,
If she isn't, it won't matter"
There was presently no doubt about
her being in love with him. She
was frank in most things. was Miss Por-
ter. There was but one matter in which
she could bring herself to dissemble and
only then because Calverlcy impressed
the great necessity for it upon her. lie
explained that though he loved her 10
madness and must Tiarry her, there were
sometimes reasons which Americans
could not understand why it was best for
Engllshmen who were friends of the
prince, and so very well connected as he
was. To keep their marriages secret for a
time.
The girl from the French convent might
have seen through that. But Miss Por-
ter believed it. Anyway. the notion of an
elOpement rather appealed to her Cali
fornlan love Of the picturesque Upon
the day set she went over across the bay
with light heart and made her way to
the scquestered spot where h& was 70
meet her and take her to the church. He
was not there. She waited, but he did
not come.
AT sunset she recroSsed the bay alone, a
sadder but not yet a wiser girl. Such were
her Judgment and knowledge of the world
that she thought Calverley must have
met with some horrible accident.
y note which she found at the house
explained otherwise. 1t was uii about
circumstances over which he had CON
trol and sudden financial reyersvs and
how he should always love her ana cher
lsh her memory. Miss Porter believed
1t, and her heart was broken-rcally
broken. She even went so far as to he
| 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 unshaken through
long months of silence. Il 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 filled her constant heart
with hope once more,
81 say" a man said to her casually.
81 saw your friend, Clayton-C Calverlcy.
down south the other day"
Miss Porter turned white, after the
most approved fashion of the shilling
shocker, and cutchcd 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 ne lived there.
Give it up. | didn't speak to him. and
he didn't see me. Only he doesn't 90
by the name of Clayton-C -Calgcrley down
there They call him Myers"
There was the 1eni ,ion twitch
about the corners OF his mouti. jut Miss
Porter could not see that it was funny.
She could readily understand why he
had chosen to hide his identity. name
| like Clayton Calverey would naturally
be unwicldly in Il rough mining town.
Now she was young woman who had
/ always done exactly as she pleased with.
/ cut asking any ones lcave-frcqucntly
/ for the excellent reason that there was no
] a.
| at present the ease. Judge Porter was
away, to be gone indefinitely So she
/ packed her own bag and bought her or
ticket and took that nights express for
! the south, and in due time the stage sci
! her down in the town of Randsbur-.
where her although She was
gowned with what had seemed shabby
/ simplicity in San Francisco-caused con
u ,i., y,it
| ity.
lhe hotel man was very civil however
when she asked where she could find a
man named Myers. He took her out into
the street and pointed out small. un-
painted house some distance away, THAT
! there's his shack" he told her, with =
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 throw
! herself on the bunk and waited until 6
O'Clock. 1t began to be borne in upon her
that she had done decidedly bold thing
even for her, and the way out of it was
not altogether apparent. But. then, Cal
Verley would show her that. and at q
! o'clock she went in search of him.
II was very LHucu OF snack indeed,
his place OF abode. Her soul yearned
| 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 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 clung
| TO her skirt were pretty also. There was
third child. 1t was sitting on Calver-
ley's knee before red covered supper
table. and Calverley was feeding it some
thing. He sat with the spoon poised and
a blank look in his eyes.
A terrible misgiving took hold OF Miss
Porter With most women it would have
been 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 me
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 society skit after the
manner Of women and of the day. But
she failed. When she opened her mouth
TO speak, no words would come, and she
fell forward into Mrs. Myers arms.
Mrs. Myers was very kind to her. She
took her back to the hotel and stopped
-sAN