The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-31
Copyright BY Lee & Shepard. Boston, Mass.


parted lips she eagerly watched the
turn in the street which he might, or
might not, have passed. All! there
he was, just he left her, walking
briskly With sigh Of relief Con-
staEce was about to turn away when
{. woman stepped out from the hotel
door, and coming quickly, down the
sters, approached her husband. What
could che want of him, she stranger
or was 1t some one else down the
street she was coming to greet? No,
it was Mr.. Hamilton. Constance was
breath,ess now with interest and curl
osuy. 60
The woman was evidently a strar-
ger in Grovedale, young and pretty, If
the distance did not lend undue en-
chantment, and she greeted her hus-
band as If she knew him well-better
than her husband knew her, for he
stepped back a pace or two as tho
surprised or not well pleased. There
appeared to be but few words be-
tween them, and then the woman
with slower steps returned to the ho-
tel, and Mr.. Hamilton turned the cor
ner, but not until his wife, remem-
bering her object in coming to the
tower, shrank back until he was out
Of sight.
The fulhlment of her design did not,
however, seem to have given Mrs.
Hamilton unmitigated satisfaction.
for she sank into a seat beside the
telescope while her thoughts flew
backward to the beginning Of her
married life, slowly reviewing the
years until now-years Of mystery,
every one of them. Its entity i'm
pressed her at this moment as never
before. =, -. ...u 49,. 49,
Eight years ago when a girl of 70
she married Vane Hamilton. How
we'll she recollected the first time she
met him! She, the niece OF the
wealthy. mill-owner Mr.. Carter, who
soon to have an interest in the same
business, tho he did not know it then.
She remembered that the young
people Of the; village had planned to
climb one of the Peaks, the ostensible
object: being blueberries, but the real
one frollc;s and the newcomers were
invited. Mr.. Hamilton was, undoubt-
edly the handsomest man Of the
party, while Constance Carter was
undeniably the prettiest girl. Being
both: strangers and unacquainted with
village matters, they naturally dr1fted
apart from the others, and in the
course Of the day came to know much
more of each other than the rest.
Constance learned that he came
from Central New York, that he was
an only son, and his mother a widow.
Il suspect there was never a. more
devoted couple than mother and t.
he said, laughing, as he shipped the
heads Of the thistles with his climb
ing-staff, and she replied: y p
L don't wonder atyour devotion. I
saw your mother at church last Sun;
day. She was in the Ellis pew, was
she not?" :. -. :. -s....ss
YES he said, his face lighting up
with pleasure, apparently, at. her
praise of his mother.
hR2nt1fn1 n0i1l<."1ifn hoi r"
and yet she does not look old, said
Constance, recalling to mind the ele-
CANT, dark-robed, slender lady who
presented so great q contrast to fussy
Mrs. Ellis. , ~~."... ~.
Mother is only 46, but she has
and then they talked of other things.
In a year from their first meeting
they were. married. but this was six
months after Vane's mother died, SO
Constance never suffered Jealousy or
estrangement as sometimes happens
on account Of a mother-in-la 5 and
she always remembered the sad, gen
tie woman who might, had she, lived,
been real mother to her.
= Nane's mysterious journeys began
the spring after their marriage. and
they took place always In May. How
we'll she recollected her own chagrtn
at not being invited to accompany
him; she, almost bride, to be left
while he went alone on his trip! .,.r,
Worst of all, he never told her
where he was going, nor his object
IN going, and from that time until now
1t had been a mystery. Among the
toWnspeople they were looked upon
as business trips to Boston, but she
herself knew that he went elsewhere.
And he stayed from home two weeks
Once he left her quite Ill, though out
Of danger, the physician assured him.
Another time she asked him to take
her with him and he refused. Always
there was an air. of secrecy, a grave
abstraction, an intangible difference
in his manner, as If called about an
irksome business.
|. Meanwhile Clare and Perley. were
added to their home, and they had
been happy thru the eight years Of
their married life despite the mystery
of his yearly trips. For she trusted
him. She was sure that he loved her;
but each time as: the middle of May
approached, she grew nervous, and in
Various indirect ways tried to hinder
his going. = .>., -
This year he was manifestly far
from Well, notwithstanding his decla-
ration that he was as strong as a
horse" He was more nervous and ir-
ritable, besides being very absent
AiAAiloeu az e1lueS. Eli1eIl,: DIS she HaO
reminded him, his sleep was broken
by dreams and mutterings. Sometimes
he seemed to be struggling with heavy
loads. of money or Of lumber, and
always ready to be overwhelmed. Then
again it was with ruff1ans he seemed
to struggle; and last night he >whis-
pered a Woman's name, "Lenora-
Nora--a> pretty name!" That was all
he said, but 1t was a, strange name to
Constance. Perhaps it was the name
Of some one he used to know.
Well, there was one fact manifest,
thought Constance, rising, Vane is not
we'll, and he ought not" to have gone
away. AS for that woman, pshaw!
Doubtless Vane was pointed out to her
by some one at the hotel as promi-
nent citizen who could tell her any,
thing she might wish to know regard
Ing the place, and SO. she went out and
spoke to him. Her husband answered
the question, passed on. and that was
all there was Sof the matter. AS for
the. mysterious trips, she would not
think of them. She trusted her hus--
band thoroly, had always done so, and
should continue to do so. She only
wished he had not thought best to
go away when it looked SO much like
RAIN 49,
Just at that moment the sun burst
out. The most unbelieving could not
call the weather into question, but
still the cloud sat on Mrs. Hamilton's
brow. Some women she whispered,
for she was quite alone, would sus-
pect. their husbands of wrong doing,
to go away as Vane does every year
so mysteriously' and then she went
slowly downstairs to her own room,