The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-01-15

ed for him, had left her. Something
gone for a short time or, forever? The
uncertainty was agonizing. Returning
to the desk. she looked among the pa
pers spread out upon it for some writ
ten word from him. There was moth
ing but the documents pertaining to
her little fortune, and none II hose
was missing.
The day passed and Howard did not
appear. The next morning brought the
postman. but 10 letter from her lover.
A week. a month went by and the mys-
terry was unsolved.
Meanwhile Genevieve's mother had
made n Hypothetical explanation in the
hope of drawing her daughters mind
from her trouble by ending the sus-
pense. She said that Howard had en-
tered upon the match loving another
sweetheart and had disappeared with
out an explanation because he hnd not
the courage to make one. Genevievc
was not i'm the least moved by this
theory. She believed that there was
er's disappearance which when eX-
planned would show that lie had not
acted unworthily.
A year passed. during which Gene
We've hoped either for Towards return
or at least solution of the mystery
of his desertion of her. The postman
never left letter at the house that
she did not receive it with rapidly
beating heart. The doorbell never rang
but that she hoped Howard was about
to enter. There was never a mans
footstep OIL the floor above or below
her but what she said TO herself, lis it
he?"
Genevieve was not satisfied that
Howard had not left some word or
token for her that she had failed either
to find or 10 recognize. Again and
again she went through the desk. pried
into every crack. hoping to find a slip
of paper that had with the predisposi-
ton OF inaDimate things to hide fallen
under cover. Nothing was discovered
by these searches. But Genevieve in
her hunt did something she had never
done before-she examined those pa
pers which had come to her after her
aunt's death that did not pertain to the
legacy.
BY this she made startling discov-
ery-her aunt had been secretly mar
ing several letters beginning Dearest
Genevieve" and ending Your loving
husband" Then suddenly there rush
ed in upon the girls brain an explana-
ton Of the mystery Howard had hap
pened upon these letters.
What was more natural than that he
should suppose he had discovered Sc
cret duplicating the girl he loved? She
had sent him to look upon the evidence
of her little fortune without being
aware that this evidence of marriage
Of one whose name she bore was among
the papers. What was to be expected
at such a. discovery? Either that he
would return to upbraid her or flee
from her. The latter course was what
she believed. from her knowledge of
him, lie would he the more likely to
take.
And now what should she do? She
did not believe that this secret mar
rage had ever been impaired to her
mother and she determined not to i'm
part it now. But Howard! How could
she fin1 him TO disabuse him of the
mistake he had made? Alas. he might
have gone TO the other side of the
globe; lie might have succeeded In ban
ishing her from Ills mind; he might
have another love-a wife
1t did not require n long while for
Genevieve to make UP her mind that
she was powerless to reach him.
Another year and still another anoth-
er passed. neither Of which was any
more comfortable than the first. Indeed.
when the desertion occurred there were
occasional flashes Of anger. which
helped Genevieve temporarily to change
from grief to anger; now there was the
sensation that she stood t..
a false position, yet was powerless tC
explain.
ObtI SHc ltCclNtu uu CIV Ell
ope addressed in Howard'e handwrit
ing. She tore it open and withdrew
check payable to her order for $500.
But there was nothing more.
Hope sprang within her. Howard.
despite bis fancied discovery, still loved
her. Why he had sent this money she
did not know. She made every effort
to discover his location from the bank
on which the check was drawn. but
failed. Then she asked the bank to re-
turn it to the maker. This it agreed
TO do, and another six months passed
with no further news from the missing
man.
One day a telegram came from How
ard: Il am III. Come to me-
He had broken down ut last. Fol
lowing the address at the head Of the
telegram she took a train and the next
day reached the city wherein she was
to find the man who had left her sew.
eral years before She found him in Il
hospital and on reaching his bedside
threw herself down beside him and
folded him in her arms.
Have ! been wrong?' he asked.