The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-15
The eGarden Of Lies
By Justus Miles Forman
By Justus Miles Forman

to Colonel Won Altdorf, that nothing more
was known OF him. that he must have been
obscurely buricI with the others: and l
brought ner this news blur ting it out bad
ly with no comment-she looked up at me
for an instant and her lips quivered.
Now God rest his soul. Mr.. Creighlon.
said she. God give him in the next world
what ne never found in this, peace and
happiness!'
Il think he found certain happiness.
madame" said l, sadly. 1T was in scrV-
ing you. making sacrifices for you. fight
ing for You. Peace of soul he might rot
find. Aye. God grant it to him where lie
is now! Still l think he found happiness
all lie dared to hope for
God rest his SOUL said the Princess
Eleanor again very low
1t was upon one Of these days When W.
sat under the great trees where the pflh-
cess chair was placed each morning Tor
her-she would never sit upon the ola
stone bench. nor. if she could help 1t.
pass near it--that saw. coming down
one of the paths from the house, Co!onel
Won Alt;lorf and MISS Jessica Manner
ing. Miss MannerinS appeared TO ne
much absorbed in tho splenuor5 OF a very
| handsome ring set with sapphire be-
| tween two diamonds. This ring enclr-
cled the third finger of her left hand, and
Miss Mannering held the hand out before
tie murmurs of delight, the flashes evoked
from the stones by the sunlight that fill
| tered thru the leaves high overhead. The
| murmurs of delight she occasionally varied
| by little snatches Of song-of a senti-
! mental character-and honesty compels
me to add that her right hand rested con
| fidingly upon the manly shoulder of Colo
! mel Won AltdOrf whose smile-Wreathe
countenance presented that picture of ut
| ter imbecility commonly portrayed by
middle-a men in like circumstances.
| They did not sec US until they had
| come very near, then d SmOthered laugh
| from the Princess Eleanor brought then
suddenly and cruelty to the bitter reali'
ties of life. Miss Jessca Mannering gave
a little cry of dismay, and the hand tina
had rested upon Colonel Won Altdorf's
shoulder was Withdrawn with some haste
while the other one, the one bearing the
very handsome ring upon its third finger
sought prompt retreat behind her back
AS for Colonel Won Altdorf, his expansive
smile froze swiftly into a look Of the mos
alarming horror
and took her into her arms, laughing still
and kissed her great many times, AM
cried
You silly little goose! did you sup
pose we hadn't known all about it 70
weeks? People in your state of mind al
ways seem to think every one else is blin
, and deaf Oh. Jess. Jess, darling, yo
must be SO happy. It's only insulting Q
me to hope you'll always be so!'' An
!, being women. with women's strange ways
, they Wept a little upon each other
, shOulders-by way of exhibiting thei
pleasure-while 1 was pumping at vO
. Altdorf's arms. and demanding how h
had ever dared to do it,
But after the lovers had gone ava,
with their smiles and their glad eye:
, down among the trees and shrubs, tn
| Princess Eleanor sat for a long time wit
her hands over her face, and her lir
quivered a little when she bade me adie,
Poor lady! her desolate plight must hay
come ''in upon her most sorely when ST.
say the happy love light in other eyes
AS for me, back once more in the studi
T stood staring helplessly at the tab
where the afternoon mail lay spread. ar
rubbed my eyes and stared again. thinl
ing I must be a little mad, and took
turn up and down the room froWnl
fiercely at the strange trick that my ey
4 were playing me. For this letter, in tt
\ gray square envelop with a Servian STAN
\ would seem to be addressed in a quee
Spra Wiling, unlovely hand that I knew
| l knew my own OF course. said I, ne
1 vOusly. it was only a trick that my ey
i played me. The thing was manifestly ir
l possible, yeti forced myself out of t.
I fit of mingled fear and dread and-som
thing else. I called semblance
l steadiness to shaking hands and to
j open the square gray envelop. I took O
4 look at the letters heading, and then
Il dropped into q chair that stood by t
table and laid my head down upon n
arms and fell to sobbing like any woma
! But this is what I read, when after