The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-03-02
Miss Fteem an

earnestly to Mr.. Jeffrey. aud secondly
at the carriage door Just before the
bridal party rode away 1t was Mrs.
Jeffrey who was talking to him then,
and ! wondered to see him look so
| pleased when everybody In and about
the house was pale as ashes"
"Do you know the name of that
| boyF' carclcssly inquired.
His namci oh. no. He is one of
RauCher's waitcrs-the curly haired
one. You see him everywhere, but |
don't know his name. DO you flntter
| yourself that lie can tell you anything
that other people don't know? Why,
| II hc knew the least thing that wasn't
| In everybOdy's mouth you would have
heard from him long ago. Those men
are the greatest gossipS In town.
wonder what she thought of herself
| "and so proud to he Of any impOr-
! lance" This wnS true enough. though
did not admit it ut the time. and
when the interview was closed and
went away I have no doubt she con.
sidered me quite the most heavy per-
son she had ever met But this did
not disturb me. The little facts she
had stated were new to me, and. re.
pcating my former method. | was al.
ready busy arranging them in my
mind. Witness the result:
First.-Thc ceremony of marriage
between Francis Jeffrey and Veronica
Moore was fully thrcc.quarters of an
hour late.
Second. This was owing to the ca.
price of the bride, who would not have
any one in the room with her. not even
her maid.
Third.-The bridal bouquet did not
| figure in the ceremony. In the furry
of the moment II was forgotten or pur-
| poscly left behind by the bride AS
this bouquet was undoubtedly the gift
| of Mr.. Jeffrey, the fact may be signln.
| cant.
Fourth. She received message Of
a somewhat pcrcmptUry character be.
! fore going below. From whom? Her
bridcgroomf 1t would so appear from
| the character of the message.
Fifth-Thc messenger showed great
establishment ut the reply he was given
TO carry back. Yet he has not been
! known TO mention the matter. why?
| When every one talked he was silent
| Through whose influence? This was
something TO find out.
Sixth. Though at the time the bene.
diction was pronounced every one was
in state of alarm except the bride, it
was noticed that she gave an involun-
tary reCOll when her bridegroom stoop-
ed for the customary kiss. Why?
Were the lines Of her last farewell
! true then. and did she experience at
that moment n sudden realization OF
her lack of love?
Seventh.-She did not go again up
stairs, but very soon fled from the
house with the rest of the bridal party.
Petty facts all, but possibly more
significant than appeared. | made up
my mind to find the boy who brought
the bouquet and also the one who car.
ried back her message.
But here surprise IL not a check
awaited me. The florists boy had left
his place. and no one could tell where
he had gone. Neither could find the
curly haired waiter at Raucher's. He
had left also, but 1t was to Join the vol
unteers at San Antonio.
Was there meaning In this coinci-
dence? | resolved to know. Visiting
the former haunts OF both boys, fail.
ed to come upon any evidence of an
understanding between them or of
their having shown any special inter
est In the Jeffrey tragedy. Both seem.
ed to have been strangely retcent in
regard TO II, the florists boy showing
stupidity and the waiter such satisfac-
ton In his prospective soldering that
no other topic was deemed worthy his
attention. The latter had sister, and
she could not say enough OF the de-
light her brother had shown ut the
prospect OF riding horse again and
of fighting in such good company. He
had had some experience as cowboy
before coming to Washington. and
from the moment war was declared
had expressed his intention of joining
the recruits for Cuba as soon as he
could see her so provided for that his
death would not rob her of proper sup.
|
did not know. Three weeks before he
had been in despair over the faint pros,
pect of doing what he wished. Then
suddenly and without any explanation
of how the change had come about, he
had rushed in upon her with the news
that he was going to enlist in a com.
pany made up of broncho busters and
rough riders from the west, that she
need not worry about herself or about
him, for he had just put $500 to
her account in bank, and that as for
himself he possessed charmed life
and was immune, as she well knew
and need fear bullets no more than
the fever BY this he meant that he
had had yellow fever years before in
Louisiana and that ball which had
once been fired at him had gone clean
through his body without taking his
life.
"What was the date of the evening
on which he told you he had placed
money In bank for your