The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1904-12-22

ace. 4 I 4 1 =
$500 $500 -
md IN another moment l understood
why. A gentleman was standing in
the doorway, whose face, once seen.
was enough to stop the words on any
mans lips. Miss futile saw this gen
tleman almost as quickly as we did
and sank with an involuntary moan to
her knees.
It WINS Francis Jeffrey come TO look
upon his dead bride. Breathlessly we
awaited his first words. His eye,
which was fixed on the PROSTATE body
of his bride. did not yield up It's secret
When he moved and came to where
she lay and caught his first sight OF
the ribbon and the pistol attached to
It. the most experienced among us were
bnflod ms to the nature of his feelings
and thoughts. one thing alone was
patent to all. lie had no wish TO
touch this woman whom he had so
lately sworn to cherish. His eyes de.
voured her, he shuddered and strOve
several times to speak. and. though
kneeling by her side, lie did not reach
forth his hand nor did he let u tear fall
on the appealing features so pathetic.
ally turned upward as If to meet his
look
Suddenly he leapcd to his feet.
Must she stay hcreT he demanded.
looking about for the person most In
authority.
The captain answered by n question:
How do you account for her being
here at all? What explanation have
you, as her husband. to give for this
strange suicide Of your wifef"
For reply, Mr.. Jeffrey. who was an
exceptionally handsome man. drew
forth small slip Of crumplcd paper.
which he Immediately handed over to
the speaker.
Let her own words explain" said
he. IL found this scrap OF writing in
our upstairs room when | returned
home tonight She must have written
II Just bcfUrc-befOre"
a smothercd grOnn filed up the
break, but IL did not come from his lips.
which were fixed and set. but from
those of the woman who crouched
among us. Did he catch this expires
sion of sorrow from one of whose pres
ence he as yet had given no token Of
recognizing? He did not seem to. His
eye was on the captain. who was slow
ly reading, by the light of lantern
held in n detectives hand, the almost
illegible words which Mr.. Jeffrey had
Just said were his wifc's last commu.
nication.
Will they seem as pathetic to the eye
as they did to the ear in that room OF
awesome memories and present deathf
find that do not love you as I
thought did. ] cannot live. knowing this
TO be so. ! pray God that you may for
give me. VERONICA.
A gasp from the figure In the corner;
then silence. We were glad to hear
the captains voice again.
"a wOman's heart Is great mys.
terry" he remarked, with short glance
at Mr.. Jeffrey.
II was II sentiment we could all echo,
for he to whom she had alluded in
these few lines as one she could not
love was n man whom most women
would consider the embodiment Of all
that was admirable and attractive.
That one woman so regarded him
was apparent to All " ever the heart
spoke in human face II spoke in that
OF Miss futile as she watched her Sis
ters husband, struggling for cOmposure
above the PROSTATE form of her who
but few hours previous had been the
envy Of all the fashionable young wO-
men In Washington. ! found 1t hard
10 fix my attention on the next ques.
ton. inter" ting ana valuable as every
small detail was likely to prove In
case my theory of this crime should
ever come to be locke on as the true
one.
How came yon to search here for
the wife who had written you this
vague and tar from satisfactory fare
WE'LL see no hint in these lines Of
the place where she intended to TAXI
her life"
mo! MOI" Even this strong man
shrank from this idea and showed a
| very natural recoi ny his chances flew
about the III Unened room and finally
rested on the tiresidc over which so re-
pellent u mystery hung In impene.
| trabIe shadow. "She said nothing Of
her intentions nothing! But the man
who came for me told me where she
was to be found. He was waiting at
the door Of my house. He had been on
search for me up and down the town
| We met on the st0op,"
The captain accepted this eXplana'
ton without cavil. was glad he did
But to me the affair showed inconsist'
encirs which secretly felt it to be my
especial duty to unravel.
CHAPTER Y,