El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-03
The Herald's Daily
Short Story

aowever, reached the ears of the rigid
z listener in the other room.
( But you can't do it,, came the an
I swcr in d drawing, family affected
| voice. She's done nothing wrong
! You can't divorce her"
/ Hang you, man. who spoke OF d.
! vorce2 And l don't need you or any
man to defend my wife. 1 know she's
! never done anything wrong But 1
! have 1 married her knowing she
/ didn't care for me, and knowing she'd
miss the excitement, the gaiety of the
! theatrical life she was used to. l
! hated it 1 condemned and deSpised It,
] and wanted to save her from the dan
/ gers OF il. and l used her gratitude
( to me FOR a service l rendered her as
| the means to take her from it and win
! her for myself. Ofcourse, ! got what
1 1 deserved She was bored to death
! with the life offered her; she grew II
/ hate me. and the mOnotony of the eX-
! istence she led as my wife, after the
] gay, careless life she was used to and
! loved. l was fool, and worse, to
have tried the experiment. I meant
I to save her from want and sin. and
nearly drove her to il. She loves you
she told ME so with her own Hps-and
{ If L hadn't come along and persuaded
I her, in q fit of gratitude which she
regretted the moment after. to come
| to me. she would have married you.
Yes, Gay and / were always good
| pals. 1t was bitter blow to me when
she deserted me for a rich man. But
how could ! stand in her way I was
only an artist, dependent on tickle
! public
I know all that, Langdon said
! harshly. breaking in on the affected
voice The thing is, she cares for you
and hates me, and 1 stand in the way
of her happiness. II 1 set her free
VIII you do your part?'
Alice Smith was stil lingering in
the middle of the room, her face the
color Of her muslin apron, and her
hands tightly clenched. What would
the man answer?
Wen, the affected voice had be-
come resentfUI. "luck's been against
me lately. 1 haven't had as good en-
gagements as"
"Oh. you needn't fear the future
from a monetary point" Langdon said
scornfully. L shall see to it that you
both have ample means. But I shall
see the money is settled on her so Sc
curely that no one can make ducks and
brakes OF it
of course, that alters things. Eut
/ don't see how you propose 10 set
her FRI
That's my business" Langdon an
swered preemptorily. i suppose you
are gentleman enough to give me your
word OF honor that you viii never
let her know of this interview be-
tween US"
The sound of a chair being pushed
trance in which she had been standing,
and nOiselessly she glided cut of the
room, and down the corridor to the
houSemaidS pantry. She felt Suffo-
eating and her heart was beating SO
wildly that she felt sick She put '.uI
her hands to try to seize something
to steady herself, for the whole
world was spinning round and round
her when, with a little crash she fell
heavily forward on her face
Alice Smith was assisted TO bed and
attended by -he doctor wh0 was called
in by Mr.. Weston. She mad bruised
and strained herself 4 the faiI an :
her heart was in such q STATE that she
had TO be kept perfectly 'idiJ-
The next morning she slowly got
up and sat up IN her room, Though she
was forbidden u resume her work for
4 day or tVu
'And-and 314. how Will he manager
On. he's S0t his bandaSes of now.
The doctor :Yld hi.h he could take
them Oft as n!EhI. - Re &c 's't
need anyone to wait on him specially.
He's. leaving c9rly tomorrow morn
inS."
I see"
YOU'D better =n back - led when |
you've had yOiIr tcI, and ] Il have your /
supper sent no to --ou
But after her tea. which she drank !
feverishly. though sh> I,V. no. llIhsr.
Alice Smith slowly put on her cap and !
apron 1t was the dinner hour, when
the majority of those staying in the /
hotel would be downstairs in the bril- !
liantly lighted and decorated restaur-
ant.
She slowly walked down the back /
staircase. taking a tight hold on the /
banister. until she reached the third I
floor.
The corridor was quite deserted. and /
family from the dining room floor J
came the strains of the orchestra play (
ing an extract from an opera.
She made her way along the western /
wing until she reached the door OF 1
314.
Quietly Alice moved over to the 1
door. Since she. could not wait, as I
she had hoped. TO look for just one /
thing. because someone was evident /
y in the sitting room she would /
have one last look-only- one.
But an instant later she had pushed !
the door wide open. and, all her I
nervousness and trembling gone, was I
dashinG like d mad thing across the !
room There was a flash and re
port, a low. cry, and a revolver fell /
with 4 clatter to the floor.
There was a burning sensation IN /
her right hand as the bullet grazed /
it before embedding itself in the wall
of the room. She turned to LanSdon /
with blazing eyes.
What were you doing? Oh, how /
dare you-how dare your she cried
'Gayr'
Godfrey Langdon was staring at the
tall, painting figure, his eyes almost
starting out of his leaden face.
Yes. l. Gay. your wife, How dare
yo udo anything so wicked, so awful
as that She pointed with her left
hand, which was trembling pitifully, |
to the smoking revolver on the floor. I
Her right hand she kept hidden be-
hind her back.
Dare is 4 strange word to me!