The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-12-19

eiety and Of course IL zen 70 the lot o.
the Vanderhoffs TO Introduce him. The
Vanderhoffs had let no celebrity escape
for half a century; they saw him before
the others That was half the reason
for the leadership Of the Vanderhoiis
And so it happened that the lion o
the season, Mr. John Rutherford, was
presented to Mrs. Vernon Mordyke.
why did my lady turn pale2 Why did
she grasp conyulsively at the portieres
for supportg And why did the great
celebrity start, as though he had touched
an electric battery? And why did his
cheeks grow ashen pale beneath his
black whiskers2 All, my readers, the
eyes Of love have a quality not given To
other eyes. To no other person in al the
great assemblage came the slightest sus-
picion that John Rutherford, the great
celebrity that was, was none other than
1 Gerald Fuller, the convict that had been
no. not even Vernon Mordyke, with
whom the great celebrity had chatted for
some minutes--Vernon Mordyke who
j had been the bosom friend of Gerald Ful-
ler
But Edith Mordyke knew him the mo-
ment she set eyes on him, the moment
she felt his presence, and he Knew that
she knew. And SO 1T came to pass, quite
naturally, as John Rutherford was de-
tanned in the city for some months pre-
pairing to go to Central America, that
the two old lovers saw each other often
and that 1t was impossible not TO mu-
tualIy recognize that both knew. There
were mutual explanations and conf
dences very bad thing for a young
married woman, neglected BY her hus-
band to indulge in toward an old lover
and she learned Of her husbands per
hdy to his friend and heard the story q
the long, hard fight the old lover had
. made in new state In the far west tC
rebuild his manhood under new name
Finally the man admitted to himself
that the old love was not dead and fierce
: " proclaimed to his own bosom that b,
owed nothing to the traitor who hal
robbed him OF his reputation and hi
, bride. So eventually there was a scene
! The man was strong the woman onl,
i half unwilling and they found them
selves in each others arms
Ineu LUB olus uAu NAQDAcAAS Watst U
do. He was for flight; willing and anN
) ious to give up all the advantage an
reputation he had gained. TO give up hi
great position and flee to soma far coun
: try and live only IN her smiles. Sh
i not unwilling for herself, but hesitatin
L to drag him down. At last the tim
came when it must be decided.
81 cannot, Gerald, she said, pushin
Il him away. 'Tt is Heaven you offer, bu
Z / cannot, and II did you would despis
: me"
'No, no" he cried, z will love 70
;. always. Come, come away from all thi
pretense and sham. have mean
= enough. Let us go 60 Italy and live an
= love forever
She was in his arms before she kney
q What would have been the end is somt
4 thing upon which every man and woma
: is entitled to guess. Alas for histor,
however, it must remain forever sllel
j for in response to a loud knock at Il
door, she responded and received a me
i sage that Vernon Mordyke had died
= apoplexy a few moments before.
When John Rutherford went to Cel
tra1 America a few weeks later. he toe
= with him a bride whose weeds were stl
y green. OF course society was scanda
y lzed, but the newly welded couple mat
no sign.