El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-26
= One Woman's Story =
By Virginia Terhune Van de Water
CHAPTER MI.


attention was called to the fact thai
/ Gordon Craig was still thinking of her
A letter was readdressed to her from
/ Middlebrook, where it had been sent
with instructions on the envelope Il
1 forward it to the correct address At
/ the village post office Mary had left
4 her mOtherinlaw's street and number,
| thinking even as she did so that this
| was an unnecessary precaution, as she
knew of nobody who would be likely
| to write to her. Craig, remembering
/ that MiddlebrOok had been her home,
/ had written to her there in the hope
| of thus reaching her in New York. He
asked if he might be allowed to call
upon her. She replied, giving no ad-
| dress, saying that just now she was In
! great trouble and must ask him to
! respect her desire for seclusion.
Meanwhile, the legal proceedings
necessary for her to obtain her divorce
were taking their usual leisurely
course. Through them all the dishOn-
ored wife had the fear that Bert would
yet claim his child. She remembered
his pride in an apparent love for the
little fellow and could not believe that
he would relinquish him without a
fight. Her mothinlaw sought to reaS-
sure her on this point
Don't worry about that. Mary" she
his child was born, and the man he is
now, are two different things. He don't
want the burden of the boys support
you may be sure Of that"
Mary tried to follow this sage ad-
vice, but though her reason told her
that the older woman was probably
right, her maternal fears made cow
ard of her and she felt uneasy when
she way away from her boy.
The two women had long confer
= 60
1t was finally decided that Mary was
to go out to MiddlebrOok, break up the
home there, and sell her furniture for
what she could get for it. Then she
would go to work. With much trepida
ton she began practicing stenography
again, asking her mOtherinlaw to read
items to her from the daily paper that
she might take them down in short
hand She was sure that the knack of
typeWriting would return to her as
soon as she was again in front of ma
chine, even though she might be a bit
slow at ii at first. To her delight she
found that, after a few nights of prac-
tice, she was able to take her mother
inlaws dictatiOn quickly and easily.
At all events. she told herself, she now
had a way of making living for her
self and her child Mrs. Fletcher ST.,
was to keep house and look after the
baby, while the younger woman went
to her daily work. But the next thing
was to get the work. She did not ap-
preciate that her pale face and nervous
manner would tell against her just
now, but as last her motherinlaw sug-
gested that this might be the case.
You're all upset and unsettled,
Mary she said, and you will be until
this divorce matter is settled and you
have sold all your furniture Besides
what would be the use of looking for
situation when you couldn't take il IN
til you finish breakin' up out in Mid
dIebrook2''
But" said Mary, that will take only
couple of days, and want to know
what I can count on"
The other woman shook her head.
do the first task first" she advised
GO out to the country tomorrow, and
stay there until you get rid o'your
things. It may take a week-wel.
then, take a week. Then you'll know
where you're at -
Considering the. matter sanely and
soberly. Mary knew that she had
shrunk from doing this very thing. MID
dlebrook held terrifying and sad mem
cries for her. Still, they must be faced
A week later she closed behind her
the door of the little country cottage
for the last time. She had had a pub
lie auction of all her household effects,
and these had gone, as is always the
case on such occasions, for about one
tenth of what they were worth. But
such heavy trouble had come OF late
thought Of the money received only as
something with which to buV food for
her child until she could obtain work.
A kind hearted neighbor with whom
she had but a speaking acquaintance,
suspected her distress and came in to
help her on this last day and went so
for as the railroad station with her.
Mary was grateful for this attention,
yet she 1onged to be alone At last
she boarded her train and sat lost in
thought until she reached Jersey City.
She took a crosstoWn surface car at
the ferry and the man sitting next to
her got out at Ninth avenue, leaving an
evening paper on the seat. Listlessly,
Mary picked it up and glanced over It.
Suddenly short paragraph in the low
er corner of one sheet caught her eye.
1t was dated Philadelphia, and at a
glance Mary took in the contents. It
told how a man, probably intoxicated,
had become confused crossing the
tracks of the Reading railway, and had
stepped right in fornt of an express
train. He was killed instantly. Let
tiers in his pockets and the name on
his clothing showed that he was Her
bert Fletcher, once of New York re-
Gently of Philadelphia His body was
identified later by the woman with
whom he was living.
Horror held Mary spel1bound as she
cad and reread the item. The car had
carried her down to the East Twenty
third setreet ferry before she noticed
her surroundings. Still dazed she
walked back to the avenue on which
she lived and climbed the stairs to the
flat which was now her only home
Half way up the stairs she heard a door
above her opened, and her childs laugh
rang out clear and happy. and, as she
listened, her heart gave a leap of grail
tude. Her child was now hers, and hers
only, Then with a great throb of pity
she remembered the elderly woman to
whom the news that meant the Wife's
release from bondage would mean an
other stab from the son who had al
most broken her heart. The younger
woman knew that, no matter what a
son does, the true mother love can new
er die And she prayed for wisdom and
strength to comfort the disgraced and
bereaved mother to whom this latest
blow could not bring the peace and