The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-08-16
Her Husbands Widow By EDMUND b zlzTRcN
Declining Her ndtoEsy He 5
aYNoPsia.

SYNOPSIS.
Leslie Morne, . governess. falls n
love with . British sergeant, who
saves her from insult.
Steele marries Leslie and takes
rooms for her. Leslie learns from
some old letters Of her mothers that
she 10 the daughter Of man Of title.
She loves Steele. but soon becomes
bitterly discontinued. She begins to
realize that their marriage was mis-
take. Steele ID ordered to Egypt and
leslie stays behind.
BY Edmund 3. D'Auverans.
CHAPTER w.
To that she demurred. "Oh, do you
want to. much? I'd rather stay at
home with you. don't care much for
music halls"
well, all right" He seemed q tri-
lie surprised at her indifference to the
form OF entertainment he had suggest
ed. They were finding out every day
now little differences of taste and
point of view. "All right" he re-
peated cheerfully, Tets go down to
the scott" She knew he meant the
tea, and took her place opposite him.
She paused as he proceeded to un-
buckle his belt. II wish you wouldn't
do that" she said pettishly. II hate
to see you with your tunic unbuttoned.
It looks 50 slovenly.''
He flushed deeply all over his fair
face and muttered some words of ex-
cuse. 1t was the first time she had
ventured on any correction of his per.
sonal habits. Presently she caught
him up In the midst Of narrating some
episode of barrack room life for his
persistent use of the phrase mot
half"
You know how these words annoy
me-" she cried, biting her underlip in
vexation. you need not talk like
that"
well. I've got into the wa OF 1t
again." he said. with trace Of sulki.
ness; "I'm sorry. don't pretend to
be gentleman-at least not what
you seem to mean by gentleman"
But 1t was her mothers love story
and not her own which possessed her
thoughts next day. She found herself
returning again and again to those
letters and brooding half bitterly. half
complacently over the mystery Of her
origin.
She was interrupted in the midst of
these reflections by the arrival OF
Victor, accompanied evidently by two
other men. She fled into her bed
room. He followed her and explain
ed that he had thought Sergeant
O'Rourke, one of the witnesses at
their marriage, and DINGHY, the band
master sergeant.
The non-commissioned officers re-
ceived her little awkwardly and with
exaggerated ceremony. She gave her
hand Imply. Victor told them Of her
headache, and they began to plague
her with expressions of sympathy.
"You had better give US a tune,
DINGHY" said Victor, evidently anxi.
Gus to efface the memory of his clown.
ishness. He glanced at his wife and
blushed. as he was very prone to do.
The Bandmaster Further
Annoys vietor's Wife.
The bandmaster, seating himself at
the crazy piano, ratified off popular
air. O'Rourke, without an invitation,
stood by him and trolled forth the
chorus in stentorian but not unme-
lodius voice. Leslie though the song
the most stupid and vulgar she had
ever heard. In reality, it was harm.
less and jolly enough. She clutched
her husbands arm.
II really must go to bed" she whis-
pered. Il feel horribly sick"
All three men at once manifested
their concern. With difficulty she got
away from them at last and flung
herself on the bed Victor knelt be-
side her, prodigal of regrets and SYM
patty.
"Oh. do go away" she entreated
petulantly. II shall be better alone.
Go out and enjoy yourself with them.
Do 60. want you to have good
time.
Very reluctantly he went, and she
did not hear his voice as the three
men filed downstairs with much jing-
ling of spurs, laughter and snatches
of song.
why couldn't we have gone on as
we were? she asked herself. HE
could have met me every other day.
The romance would have lasted that
way for years." and now she thought
it was wearing thin. To adopt the plan
he proposed would be to slaughter
their love there and then. She must
do something. she said to herself des-
pearately.
She acted on the resolve and found
a congenial If poorly paid position in
bookshop, and Victor encouraged
her in her work, when he saw how
much she enjoyed it.
Then came an unexpected order to
his regiment to go to Egypt.
"Of course 1 want you to go with
me-" he said sharply. Did you sup
pose l wanted to leave you behind?"
She got up from the chair, and
drawing aside the blind stared blank
ly into the dimly lit street. Her lips
we're quivering. and she made a ire
mendous effort not to cry. Her read
ing left her in no doubt as to the kind
Of "lonley hole" at which they would
be stationed.
She pictured the isolation-perhaps
on the edge of the desert-the hor-
rors of an Egyptian summer, for of
course he would not be entitled to the
long leave of an officer.
She felt that he was watching her
Don't you want to go?" he asked
wonderingly.