Mexico weekly ledger., 1909-12-30

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the dark, he saw half hidden in the
deep shadows the meager outlines OF
a figure beneath the ragged clothes.
Out of the depth Of the now
muffled night the faint sounds OF
labored breathing could be heard.
For Gods sake, don't leave" 1t
was the voice of a woman. A wom-
an, weak with pain and suffering.
whose thin, ,lisease-wracked frame
was shaken with a tissue tearing
cough which denoted the last stages
of d dread malady. The flame Of
life was Pickering in her frail breast
and would soon be ~extinguished.
Don't let me die alone. 1t won't
be long," was the piteous appeal the
sufferer made as another fit Of cough
ing shook her. Death was indeed
neal and it was evident to Mars
den, familiar as he was with such
scenes, she would soon be out Of
her misery. He drew a broken chair
W Alt bRA1Au0 anu ~ AAI
coat, placed II over the poorly shell
tered form. In the dim light that
came through the window, the lines
of pain that SCARED what had once
been u pretty face, deepened and told
a story repeated every day amid sue
squalor and poverty.
He lighted the stub of a candle
laying on a table and placed 1t upon
the window ledge. He had con-
cluded to remain. The woman was
past medical attention and the few
minutes he spent here could be
spared from his story. His heart
had been e~alloused by years OF
newspaper work around the police
! stations, but there was always a soft
spot in II for a woman in distress.
As he sat beside the bed and look
ed at the face of the dying woman.
he took her hand, and, in his rough
way. attempted to comfort her. The
longer he ~.looked, the more famil-
lar she became until suddenly he
recognized, even beneath the pinch
cd, pale features, the lineaments Of
one he had loved and for whom he
, had been searching so many years.
Dropping to his knees he gath
/. cred the wasted form in his arms
i. and whispered Margaret" The
, woman's eyes opened and she tried
to speak as their fading light glow
/ ed with a ~reawakened love. His
: form stiffened and a sob broke from
q his straining lips, "My God, am
too late?" he half whispered.
The face Of the woman seemed to
(. grow beautiful. The lines that Time
had painted so relentlously disap-
pearo1 and there was again the love
I, of his youth as he had left her
: years before.
How unrelenting time had been
? in its treatment OF her. For a sec
ond a memory OF their last meeting
flashed through his mind and trans
formed the sombrous, chilled room
s 4he sapnlchre Of a young nfe,a glori
\ Gus hopes, into a summer day years
past.
9 She was slender then with a girl
J ish, willowy, lithesome figure and &
atep as LIGHT and airy as d wood
g spite, Her plain gown Of white
could not hide the graceful lines o.
her figure. Her hair was done In
that way which a man admire.
a most. 1t wal brown such as would
have been a tribute to a queen ant
rested easily upon a forehead al
* white as the brow of a virgin.
Ie Two eyes glanced soulfully from
Is depths framed with long l~angouroui
is lashes that coyly hid the look she
10 shyly gave an intruder. Her mouth
Ie was u perfect Cupld's bow and Sc
In sensitive the slightest wave of emo
tion was signaled by a gentle quivel
ID of the cherry red lips. Her skin wal
soft and radiant as the sun-kissed SUI
il face Of a mountain lake while he
Ie whole being was redolent of the in
ID nocence and purity which Gomez
with no knowledge of the worIt
e and its shams.
d The thin hand with its cold, vein
e. lined flesh crept to her throat anS
she painfully drew a locket, hi
locket, to her lips and tried Il
lie kiss it. This awakened him from
his dream. With a wan smile sh,
Ii looked into his face whispering "I'n
lie so glad" Then her form seemed I,
u crumple, and she was dead.
le She was buried Christmas da,
e. from st, Paul's. Every one of tn,
le staff attended the funeral. an,
lt Morse, the managing editor, and Fay
lie Tor, of the City desk, acted as tive
IN of the ~pallbearers. Marsden's Christ
mas had been a sad one, but h,
d had found HER.