The Washington bee., 1911-08-12
A Ring at
The DoorbeIl
Bv LOUISE IDA ROSS

T.
October evening before a blazing wood
fre-they had not yet lighted the fur
nace-and the room was aglOw and
redolent with the pleasant odOr of
burning wood. The children had been
romping, Mr.. Trevor carrying Bennie
pigaback and Willie on all fours. but
their mother had now taken them all,
including the girls. mp TO bed, tucked
them in, kissed them good night and
had returned with her sewing. which
she was doing by the big lamp on the
table, while Mr.. Trevor read a maga-
zine.
There was ring at the bell.
Now, for many years here was some
thing in the ring Of his doorbeI that
cast a sober look over Samuel Trevor s
face. But to explain the reason for
this it is necessary to 90 back to the
time when he was a very young man.
When he was but eighteen his IA
ther, who was a lumber merchant
sent his son to a lumber camp that he
might learn the business which would
one day be his, from the beginning
There is danger to all persons Of that
age Of ineXptrience and recklessness
that they may make 8 mesalliance, and
on that account it is a bad plan to take
them away from young girls Of their
own social circle and place them
among their interiors. And where
would a young man Of refinement find
people more his interiors than in a
lumber camp? Among the girls there
was Madge Hopkins. the daughter of
a lumberman, several years older than
Trevor, who lured him into indiscre-
tiOns with her, then threatened him
with vengeance if he refused to marry
her. He did so, but Immediately left
the camp
An effort was made to annul the
marriage, but it was unsuccessful.
Then the woman offered to refrain
from troubling her husband if his IA
ther would support her. Remittances
were sent regularly for a season. when
suddenly Il newspaper was received
containing a notice Of her death. No
doubt was felt of the truth Of the no
tice when several years had passed
and, no remittances having been sent,
no demand was made for them.
Twelve years after the conclusion
Of this episode Samuel Trevor married
Agatha Beach. He told her all about
it before being engaged to her, not ex-
pressing a doubt that his first wife
was dead. You may be sure Of that"
said Agatha, cor she would be draw
ing the Iifeblood out of you" Never
theless Trevor, having had nothing
but the death notice to prove to him
Madge Hopkins demise, never felt alb
solutely sure And that was the rea-
son why a certain dread was con-
nected with the ringing Of his door
bell.
A maid in a neat uniform of black
and white went to the door, and
the wife and husband heard a wOm-
ans coarse voice ask for Mr.. Trevor
Then, without waiting to be announced,
the caller brushed past the maid and
into the sitting roO~'.
Hello, Samr' she said.
Trevor put his hands to his face and
trembled 1t was Madge Hopkins
and, judging from her appearance, she
had been growing coarser with every
year.
Mrs. Trevor ran to her husband and
put her arms about him as if to
shield him from the blow.
"Y' needn't be afraid O. me-" said
the woman, IF you'll give me some
thin to live on"
"Why did l receive that notice Of
your death?" faltered Trevor.
81 amt got nothin' to do with that
amt got nothin' to live. on. Send
them remittances that was dropped
and I'll let Y alone"
Mammal cried the oldest daughter,
a girl of ten, from above. whats the
matter"
Leave your address and CO." said
Trevor, eager to get the woman out
of the house before the children should
learn who she was.
The address was given, and the wo-
man went away. Then after a silence
Mr., Trevor said:
Don't worry on my accOu at, dearie.
My position is not pleasant, but what
is 1t compared with the interest Of
you and the children? Be cOmforted.
We will keep the secret. Send the re-
mittances regularly and no one will
be the wiser"
But Mrs. Trevor had no intention of
letting the matter rest where it was.
A shrewd woman, she believed that
there had been some weak spot in
Madge Hopkins record which was ac-
countable for the spurious death no
tice and the failure to claim the re-
mittanceS.
1t was but week after this, when
Trevor came home one evening from
business, that his wife received him
/ with a radiant countenance that boded
good news. Taking him to a room
where the children would not hear
and closing the door, she said:
IT'S all right. l put a detective on
/ her track, and he has been here this
| afternoon to report. The woman has
never been Madge Hopkins since you
| have known her. She was secretly
married before you met her to a lum-
/ Der shover-whateve that is-and, he