The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-29

IT
membered that Mrs. Conant disap
pedred one evening in March OF las
year 1t was freely rumored that hel
marriage with Lloyd B. Conant re-
suited in much unhappiness. stories
were not wanting TO the effect that nj:
cruelty toward his wife had more thaI
once taken the form of physical ABUSE
After her departure full oottie OF
tlncture of acOnite. a deadly poison
was found in a small medicine cabinet
in her bedroom. This might have beer
an indication that she meditated SUI
tcide- 1t is supposed that she aban-
doned such an intention if she pos
sessed it, and left her home instead
Mrs. Conant slowly dropped the paper
and sat on hcair. claspinS her hands
tightly.
Let me think-o Goblet me
thlnk, she whispered ! took the
bottle with me I threw it out
Of the window of the train. !
there was another bottle in the
cabinet there were two, side by
side-the aconite-and the valerian that
| took when 1 could not sleep. :
If they found the aconite bottle full,
why-but, he is alive, of COURSE gave
MN only harmless dose of waterman
] am not murderess in fact.
Ralph. 10 God, don't let this be
a dream,''
She went into the part of the house
! that she rented from the old Peruvian
! man and his wife. shut the door, ana
walked up and down her room swiftly
land feverishly for half an hour. Mer-
| RAMS photograph stood in frame on
"A table. She picked il up. looked at 1t
with a smile of exquisite tenderness.
| and-drOpped four tears on ii. And
1 Merriam only twenty rods away. Then
| she stood still for ten minutes. locking
/ into space She looked into space
( through slowly opening door. On her
! side of the>door was the building mate
| rial. for castle of ROmance-love. an
| Already of waving palms. a lullaby Of
waves on the shore OF haven of rest.
I respite. peace. a lotus land of dreamy
ease and security-a life of poetry and
! hearts ease and refuge. Romanticist
VIII you tell me what Mrs. Conant saw
on the other side of the door? You
cannot?-that is, you viii not? Very
well: then listen.
She saw herself go into a department
store and buy five spOols of silk thread
and three yards of Bingham to make
an apron for the cook. shall 1 charge
/ It. ma'am?" asked the clerk. AS she
walked out a lady whom she met greet
ed her cordially. "Oh. where did you
get the pattern for those sleeves, dear
!
4 policeman helped her across the street
and touched his helmet Any callers?"
she asked the maid when she reached
home. Mrs. WaldrOn," answered the
maid, and the two Misses JenkinsOn,"
Very Well" she said. You may bring
me cup of tea. Maggie
Mrs. COnant went to the door and
called Angela. the old Peruvian wO-
man. IF Mateo is there, send him to
| M hol oh
and old but efficient, came
rs there a steamer or a vessel of
any kind leaving this coast tonight Or
| tomorrow that l can get passage on?"
she asked
MateO considered.
AT Punta Reina. thirty miles down
the coast. sonora" he answered. there
is a small steamer loading with Gin
chona and dyewoods She sails for
San Francisco tomorrow at sunrise. So
says my brother. who arrived in his
sloop today. passing by Punta Reina."
You must take me in that sloop to
that steamer tonight. Will you do
that?"
Perhaps Mateo shrugged a sug-
gestive shoulder. Mrs. COnant took
handful of money from a drawer and
gave it to him.
point of land below the town." she or
dered. Get sailors. and be ready to
sail at o'clock. In half an hour bring
a cart partly filed with straw into the
patio here, and take my trunk to the
sloOp. There is more money yet. Now,
hurry"
For one time MateO walked away
without shutting his feet.
Angela cried Mrs. Conant almost
| fiercely, come and help me pack I
am going away. Out with this trunk.
My clothes first. Stir yourself. Those
dark dresses first. Hurry"
| Once while packing, a brief shadow
of the lotus dream came back to her
! She held Merriam's picture to her heart
| with one hand, while she threw a pair
of shoes into the trunk with her other.
! At O'Clock Mateo returned and re
ported the sloOp ready. He and his
brother lifted the trunk into the cart
covered it with straw and conveyed ii
| to the point of embarkation. From
there they transferred it on board in
the sleeps dory. Then Mateo returned
for additional orders.
Mrs. Conant was ready. She had set
| tied all business matters with Angela,
and was impatiently waiting. She wore
long. loose black silk buster that she
often walked about in when the even
ings were chilly. On her head was a
small round hat. and over il the april
cot-colOred mantilla-
Dusk had quickly followed the short
| twilight. MateO led her by dark and
grass-gTOwn streets toward the point
behind which the sloop was anchored
| On turning a corner they beheld the
Hotel Orina. del Mar three streets away
lnebulously aglow with its array of ker-
osene lamps.
Mrs. Conant paused, with streaming
eyes. 4 must. l must see him once
before 1 co. she murmured in anguish
But even then she did not falter in her
decision. Quickly she invented plan
by which she might speak to him, and
yet make her departure without his
knowing. She would walk past the no
tel, ask some one to call him out. and
talk few moments on some trivial ex-
cuse, leaving him expecting to see her
at her home at :.
She unpinned her hat and gave it To
Mateo. Keep this, and wait here till
l come" she ordered. Then she draped
the mantilla over her head as she
usually did when walking after sunset
and went straight to the Orilla del Mar.