El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-17
The One Woman
A short story.

The light from the electric
globes overhead fell full on his wife,
standing on the threshold, drawing on
her long white gloves.
Are you not coming she said
No. 1 am sorry, Beatrice; but l am
100 PuSy. Enjoy yourself but don
oFerdO Ihlngs.. VIII you be late!
She shrugged her shoulders, and
wondered for a brief moment whether
ne realized how very lovely she was
Don't sit up for me, IN any case,
she said i really don't know when 1
shall be in. Good night.
The door closed. There was a muir
muir Of voices in the hall, the click Of
the hall door, impatient stamping OK
horses feet on the frosty gravel then
the muffled rumble OF wheels, and 81
lence.
The fire cracked cheerfuKy, and
presently Grimston shut away his pa
pers and put away is untiring pen lie
. switched off the light, and then sat
down in the pleasant shadows, dream
ing, lulled by the silence which ell
folded him. Suddenly ne was aroused
b. that most prOsaic Of sOunds-a post
mans knock.
Grimston, man Of letters, celebrity.
though he would not admit it, and the
author Of some OF the most famous
books and plays OF his time, switched
on the light again with q sign, as the
man came in with a SalVer piled with
letters Thank heaven, this was the last
post!
evidently invitations for his wife
Ietters-from editors and jpblish-
ers-au these were quickly put
scanned. and then he turned TO the
letter he had left to the last-a small,
white envelope, inscribed in delicate
hand, the opening OF Which seemed to
SOOtb him in some strange fashion. lie
settled himself down again in his big
armchair and began TO read the one
mol oh nh oh he. L..
contained, and as re read. his face
cleared. the shadows were wiped away
from his eyes.
There was d small bundle of letters
in the same delicate hand securely
locked away from all prying eyes in
his bureau, and only GrimstOn himself
knew what comfort and help they had
been to him during the past year or
more. They mad given him the sym
pathy, the understanding affection. the
guidance and help which ne had hoped
10 find in his wife-and missed. Why
and now re had missed them in her he
could not tell, possibly all the fault had
rot been on her side She was as much
to be pitied, perhaps, as himself.
An accident had started tlis strange
correspondence. Looking back, he Won
dered how he mad lived without it. yet
scarcely year had passed since that
manuscript OF his had been returned by
the writer Of these letters. \ woman,
ne had guessed from the first. though
only initials had been signed to the
y
been returned to her by a magazine in
error. lie never understood why the
writer had interested him from the first
and how from that little note had
sprung into being a friendship by let
ter They had never met He only
knew her to be a woman Of rare refine
ment and culture. woman who re-
Sponded INN ed1dtely to his every mood
a woman with whom he could be him
self-nOt a creature OF veneer and out
ward polish and iHsincerity-
Nra# Hfn.r# ha hl.a In . rr-1.N
SWerved from his allegiance TO his wife
he had loved her dearly in the first
halcyon days Of their marriage, and the
steady, almost imperceptible, drifting
apart had been-whose FAULT He could
not tell, but the bitterness of the es-
arrangement had been with them both
for SO long that it seemed almost i'm
possible to bridge the gulf
Now his face cleared as he read and
reread the letter which the last post
had brought him. How well she IN
derstOOd him, this woman he had never
seen, whose name he did not know! He
had written to her-at her club-Only
the day before, and their letters had
crossed. Tomorrow might bring him
another uissive, and ne wondered. with
rather a sad smile, what its tone would
be For ne had told her something of
the work which he had made--or some
thl~-S rad maoc-1f his married life.
He had shown her in q few reticent
V-vl - now deeply he had lOved-nay,
sin lCved-his beautiful wife, and he
ter, almost asked her what he could do
to right matters. Surely, II anyone
could help him, she could.
How his head achedi He put out one
hand and switched off the too brilliant
light Then only the dancing flames Of
the fire lighted the charming room,
and the kindly shadows EMBODIED him
All was very quiet
He did not know how long he had
been sitting there, when the door
opened and someone hurried in. The
light was hurriedly switched on, and he
heayed himself out Of his deep chair.
w hats the natter he asked
He recognized in the stranger a man
who lived a few doors from them The
mans face was rather white; he looked
anywhere but at the great man of let
tiers, and some incOherent words fell
from his lips
''Confound it man." said Grimston
angrily. can't you speak cut? What
do you want?'
accident" said the other quietly. The
horses bolteG- it's a horrible affair,
They'll tell you about il at the hospital
came to fetch you. There's no time
to be lost If you wish too Sc her
alive." :
To see her alive, Beatrice-the
beautiful Mrs. GrimstOn, as they called
her always! No time 10 lose II he
wished TO see her alivel And il was
of his Beatrice the man was speaking
He must be madl He never knew how
off IN a waiting motor to find himself
a little later in the quiet place-a pri-
vate Ward-WheTe they had taken Be
atrice. She lay so still and white, only
there was blood on the banda ges that
bound her beautiful head.
He knelt beside her. and she put out
her hands to him tenderly-
Jim she said, has ii all come right
at laSt2 It's not too late. thank heaF-
en-. to tell you how much I've loved you
all the time. We never told each other,
did We2 We didn't understand. per
haps; and you were so far away from
me I seemed to be quite alone; but
I could never forget all we had been to
each other once Could your
4 could never forget" said a hOarse
voice He supposed it was his own.
And she smiled.
We were always happy then, weren't
We. jim? I've wondered sometimes
where the fault lay / think il was be-
cause you hid yourself from me; and,
seeing that. I did the same. 1t was a
horrible mistake. But it's too late to
do better now. It's getting dark, jim
I can't see your face Are you holding
my hands tight2 Don't let me go
A hoarse cry broke from his lips.
the n
Dreaming said a light. cool voice
GrimstOn sat up with a start. The
light fell full on Beatrice as she stood
before him, a smile on her beautiful
face The clock on the mantelsheif
chimed the hour of midnight