El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-30
The Jewels OF The Dead
The Herald's Daily
Short Story

cared for what the world would say.
We merely wanted to preserve our
self respect until the day came when
nothing could keep US apart
1T would take me two years to be
come Independent. You know your
self that in two years L was TO have
had an important diplomatic post ana
Odette and 1 had decided to wait that
long. When the day came 1 was to
have claimed openly the woman loved
# would have been easy enough FOR
her to get a divorce Tor statutory rea-
sons, as you yourself are We'll aware
and we were to go together to Russia
where the post as secretary of legation
had been promised me.
ALAS. our dream was never to be
realized.
I was with her then. The change in
her features. the almost metallic luster
Of her eyes scared me. You treated
her indisposittOn in a sighting man
ner that made me furious, you &C
cused her OF acting a part and, TO en-
phasize your indifference, you went TO
your club.
81 shall never forget the expression
of anguish and despair in Odette's eyes
as she looked at me She took my
hand and said: I don't know what g
the matter with him. 1t is strange,
severe illness. I feel Let US pray that
it shall not be too serious, Tor Wnat
would then become of US both%
it as a very virulent case Of typhus.
You were so taken up with your bust
ness, so afraid Of cOntagiOn, that you
left her to the care of nurse and
never went near her room.
q bribed the nurse and spent many
hours at her bedside. Thus I saw her
die with a last smile on her lips for
me. I closed her eyes. kissed her cold
forehead and rushed out like mad
man.
'Ten years, sir. ten yearsi And still
this memory hurts me as much today
as if she had died only yesterday.
i ran away haunted by one awful
thought, that her dead body belonged
to you. I would have given my life
to have been permitted to bury her in
some quiet. peaceful country cemetery
I but she was YOURS and YOU decided 10
bury her in a splendid mausOleum IN
one Of our fashionable necrOpOlises in
the center of the noisy city.
You DID even worse.
The day before the funeral I en-
tered the bed chamber to look at my
belo5ed dead the last time.
You had done things we'll She
WSS to have a funeral that society
" Juld long talk about. A few friend'
were kneeling at the side Of the COT
lin Two nuns were praying.
- went up to her and looked at my
beloved Odette, as beautiful as ever in
death, but profaned in a way that har-
monized well with your Yulgarity OF
mind.
In her ears you had put two enorm-
OUT sOlitaires. which she had never
WORN. Around her throat was a neck
lacb Of priceless pearls. the necklace
shd hated, and her fingers were COW
ered with diamond. emerald and ruby
rinRs
All these Jewels made my Odettt
I look like some pagan idol. I could not
beaF the sight and went away.
at the door a fOotman in black liv-
cry whispered into nv ear a sentence
I he had learned by heart and which he
hadi been ordered to repeat to every
= ole leaving the death chamber: TT
sis deep sorrow. NJ. Benejacque has de-
cided that all madame Benejacoue';
1ew4ls are to be buried with her, be-
cause she was so fond of them
Il was too much. sir. and I decided
] them and there to prevent your vanity