The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-04-27


deed come to me. and, startling coinci-
dence, | was at this moment I'm the
very house where this picture hung,
and. more startling fact yet, the golden
ball needed to interpret its meaning
was round my neck. for with such jeal.
ousy was this family trinket always
guarded by its owner Why, then, not
test their combined effect2 | certainly
needed help from some quarter New.
or would William allow inc to be mar.
ried to another while he lived. He
would yet appear. and | should need
this great assistunce-great enough to
be transmitted from father to son-as
/ none of the Moores had needed 1t yet
| though what II was did not know and
! did not even try TO guess.
yet when got to the room did not
! drag out the tiligree ball at once nor
even take more than one fearful side
long look Mt the picture. In drawing
off my glove | had seen his ring-the
ring you had once asked about. 1t
! was such cheap affair. the only one
! he could get In that obscure little town
| where we were married. | lied when
you asked me II II was family jewel,
lied but did not take 1t off, perhaps be.
cause 1t chung so tightly. as II in re.
membrnnce of the vows II symbolized
But now the very sight OF II gave me
fright. With his ring on my finger !
could not defy him and swear his claim
to be false--the dream of man mad.
dened by his experiences in the Klon-
dixie, 1t must come Off. Then perhaps
] should feel myself free woman.
But II would not come Off. | struggled
with 1t and tugged in vain; then be.
thought me of using nail file TO sever
II. This | did, grinding and grinding
at 1t till the ring finally broke. and
could wrench II off and cast 1t away
out Of sight and, as l hoped, out Of
my memory also. I breathed easier
when rid OF this token yet choked with
terror whenever a step approached the
door. was clad in my bridal dress,
nut not in my bridal veil or ornaments,
and naturally Cora and then my maid
camc TO ssist me. But | would not
10; them n. was set upon testing the
sccra. G" the fillgree ball.
Tho o)ntcnts of the ball turned out
to he " snail magnifying glass and the
picture n maze of written words. |
did not declpher 1t all; did not de-
cipher the half I did not need to. A
spirit OF dlvnation was given me in
that awful hour which enabled me to
grasp It's full meaning from the few
sentences | did pick out And that
meaning! 1t was horrible inconceiv-
able. Murder was taught, but murder
from distance, and by an act too sim.
pie to awake rcvulslon. A step into the
empty closet yawning so near, an effort
with drawer, id Do not ask me
to recall it. did not shuddcr when
the moment came and | stood there
Then | was cold as marble. Yet
shall surely take my life before you
see me again, and in that old house,
If 1t IS despair l feel, then despair will
take me there. If 1t Is repentance, then
repentance will suffice to drive me to
the one explntion possible TO me-to
perish where | caused an innocent man
to perish and so relieve you of wife
who was never worthy of you and
whom it would be your duty to de-
nounce IL she let another sun rise upon
her guilt.
"A message was shouted through the
door-the message for which my ears
had been strained In dreadful anticipu-
ton for the last two hours A man
named Pfelifer wanted to see me be.
fore / went down to be married-a
man named Pfeifferl
| nf hn hn tt'hn Ia.
livered this message He showed no
excitement nor any feeling greater
than Impotence at being kept waiting
n minute or so at the door. Then |
glanced beyond him ut the people chat
ting In the hall. No alarm there; moth
ing but very natural surprise that
the bride should keep so big u crowd
waiting. felt that this fixed the
event. He who had sent me this quiet
message was true to himself and to
our old compact. He had not publish.
ed below what would have set the
house In an uproar In moment He
had left his secret to be brenthed into
my ear alone. | could recall the mo-
ment he passed me his word and his
firm look as he said. with his hand
lifted to heaven: You have been good
to me and given me your precious self
while l was poor and nobody. In re-
turn ! swear to keep our marriage a
secret till great success shows me to
be worthy of you or till you with your
. own lips express forgiveness of my
failure and grant me leave to speak
Nothing but death or your permission
shall ever unseal my lips When
heard that he was dead | feared lest
he might have spoken, but now that
had seen him alive l knew that In no
other breast save his, my own and
that of the unknown minister In an al
most unknown town dwelt any knowl-
edge Of the fact which stood between
me and the marriage which all these
people had come here to see. My con-
fdence In his rectitude determined me.
Without conscious emotion without
fear even-the ending Of suspense had
ended all that told the boy to seat
, the gentleman in the library, Then
ITO be continued)