The Washington times., 1913-08-29

at once I'll die right here IN my trdShs;
I'll stand until my wounds open ano
Here tits, Marse Phil: Fer Gawd
sake, sub, set down an. tex nit easy an
I'll tell you ev'rything."
He fished out of his pocket note
soiled and worn from his carriage OF II.
He had not dared to allow II to leave
''Td glib hit to you long go. Marse
Phil ef / hadn't swo'n an cross my
bress dat wouldn't tell you twell you
was gwine to be TUX away fum heah.
| / done promise Miss 'Adny, sub. an as
rse a gent nuns Niger couldn't brek
my word"
He. rambled on incoherently, but
Philips mind was elsewhere he heIo
the note in his open hand. II was PROOF
positive. Ariadne had been there Tne
questions surged through his heart
again. When had she Gomez How
long had she stayed? Where had she
gone? Why had she not waited Tor
him? Why had Kathleen concealed her
presence from him? He was almost an
cry with her as he thought Of these
| things with her letter unopened In ms
palm. He had been 50 shocked by the
| whole affair that he felt he must nave
SOME little time to recover himsen pc
| fore he read the note. Some premom-
| tion of its contents had come to him.
| This letter would explain his failure 10
hear from her, her silence. He knew
: now that she could. IL she had CHOSEN,
have communicated with him In some
way. The fact that she had Deen
there proved her capacities. What did
] IL mean? He tore open the note ana
read it. And this is what IT said:
Phil heard that you were left on
that hill at Gettysburg. l managed 70
Tbe ~. President Of the United States aided
me TO get here, I found you l found
more than you. i have learned the
truth at last You do not love me, you
! have never loved me. You married me
to please my grandfather, ano peeausG
| in my innocence and my ignorance l
showed you how much cared for you"
| NAV God help mellow much l stili
| caret / know that you have always
loved Kathleen Manning, that was
Kathleen Kirkwood. understand
| to me. / have no blame for you or for
Mrs. Manning She begged me to stay
/ with you, but ] could not. nave
waited until 1 knew that you would get
better, and now / must go. 1 no longer
| believe In your love; you have none Tor
me, but / still trust your honor. Kath-
! leen is now a married woman. the wife
| of your friend. You will not forget IL
Nor will she. i am sorry for you both'
| for ] understand what il is TO love with
out hope. May God have mercy on US
all! / am your wife and until death
sewers us i must remain so, but when
| / leave you here ] go out of your life
| forever When you get back to Rich
mond i shah not be there. II VIII be
! useless for you TO seek me. You will
| remember me and II shall never for
get you. My heart goes out TO you
Oh. II you could only have loved me
as YOU loved. this other woman how
happy / would have striven TO make
you. / have watched over you In your
deIIrium and have heard you call her
Tr1Nr,
| little Ariadne, poor little Ariadne.' l
cannot write any more, Philip. God
knows / love you still; l always have. /
always shall! That's all; but goOd-by.
and may God bless you. For the last
time ! sign myself, YOUR WIFE,
So that explained IT.; And yet not all
of IL. There was an allusion all through
the letter to the fact that Kathleen re-
ciprocated the passion Artadne believed
he still cherished for her. Yet Kath-
leen had told him herself that she was
married, and happily. and he was beUil
dered He put his hand to his head as
IN dream. His mind wandered. What
II they all had been playing at cross
purposes? Did kathleen love him? Did
she love George Manning? Did he.
Philip, love Kathleen? Did he love
Ariadne? What was the end of this
mysterious knot OF human fate in which
the threads of their lives had been so
entangIed?
JefI, ne SAID at iast, you hnO"
something of this. Your mistress
was here and has gone? Why?"
"Marse Phil, Ise feared to tell you.
suh''
''Sueak Tell me just what you think
Anything will be a help now"
We'll sub, l was in yo' room. wen
Miss 'Adny cum. / mought as well
mex a clean brest of it, sub. 1 done
wrong" The faithful negro hesitated.
What did you do?''
Il done tole Miss 'Adny how much
you keer fer her, sub.
That was right"
Vas, such, but l done tole her dat
you look at her face in de liz locket an
/ toIe her you TEX hit out an kiss hit"
Jeff. Jeffr' exclaimed Philip.
Vas. sub, / knowed twas wrong
arter de yuther lady show Miss 'Adny
who was in dat lockit."
Did she do that?" groaned philip.
'Yas. sub, Miss 'Adny done see de
Iockit on yo bres' when she bend ober
you. but she amt look in hit
God bless her faithful, noble gentle
-heart!" cried Grafton.
But de yuther lady she done open Sit
an poke hit In Miss 'Adny's face. sub
Der dey stood an you a-dyin.' sub. One
was red wild rage an cryin an Miss
'Adny she was white an stret an still,
only her eyes was a-blazin', such, an
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