Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-17
HEART OF THE SUNSET
By REX BEACH
Copyright. 1915. bv Harper & Brothers

'''''''"
| out OF sight turned from the window she
| round that Dave had collapsed upon
| chair and was sleeping. his limbs relaxed,
his body sagging
Poor fellow, he's done up" Father
| q Malley exclaimed
Yves he hasn't slept for DAYS" she whIs.
| pered. Help me" with tho assistance
| OF Dolores they succeeded IN lifting Dave
| TO tho bed. but he half reused himself.
| Lie down, dear" Alaire told him. CLOSE
now"
Somebody has to keep watch" he NUT.
| tered thickly and tried to fight OF his
| fatigue. Hut he was like drunken man.
I'm not sleepy; III stand guard" tho
| priest volunteered. and diSrcgardirg fur.
| ther protest, he helped Alaire remove Dawes
| coat
Seeing that the bed was nothing moro
| than board platform covered with straw
| mating Alairc folded the garment for
| pillow; she did SO a handful OF soiled
frayed letters spilled out upon the floor
| REST now, while you have n chance"
she begged OF her husband, Just for n
little while"
"AlI right" he agreed, call me In-an
| hour. Couldn't sleep--wasn't time" He
| shook on his WEAKNESS and smiled at his
| wife, while his eyes filmed with somo emo
ton. There is something l ought to tell
| you, butt can't now-not now. Too
| sleepy His head dropped again; she
| forced him back: he stretched himself out
| with a sigh, and was asleep almost in
| stantly.
Alairc motoned the others out OF the
| room, then stood looking down at the man
! into whose keeping she had given her life.
| AS she looked her face became radiant.
| Dave was unkempt, unshaven dirty but
to her he was of a godike beauty. and the
| knowledge that he was hers to comfort and
| guard was strangely thrilling Her love for
| Ed. even that first love of her Girlhood. had
been nothing like this How could 1t have
| been like this? she asked herself. How
! could she have loved deeply when Mt the
time. her own nature lacked depth2 EHper-
| ience had broadened her. and suffering had
uncovered depths in her being which moth
ing else had had the power to uncover.
STOPPING, she kissed Dave softly. then let
her cheek rest against his. Her man Her
man She found herself whispering the
words
Her eyes were wet, but there was a smile
upon her lips when she gathered up the
letters which had dropped from her hus-
bands pocket. She wondered, with a little
Jealous twinge, who could he writing to
him. II seemed to her that she owned him
now, and that she could not bear to share
him with any other. She studied the in
scriptions with a frown. noticing as she did
so that several OF the envelopes were un-
opened-elther Dave was careless about
such things or elSo he had had no leisure
in which to read his mail one letter was
longer and heavier than the rest and it's
covering. sweat-stained and worn at tho
edges, came apart In her hands, exposing
several pages OF typewriting in tho Spanish
language, The opening words challenged her
attention.
In the name OF God, Amen.
Alaire read. Involuntarly her eye fol-
lowed the next line:
htgN
ment that l. Maria Josefa Law, OF this
Vicinity
Alaire started Who, she asked herself
was Maria Josefa Law? Dave had no
sisters: no female relatives whatever, so
far as she knew She glanced at the sleeping |
man and then back at the writing,
finding myself seriously IN in bed hut
with sound judgment, full memory and
understanding, believing in the ineffabe
mysteries OF the Holy Trinity; three
distinct persons In one God, in essence.
and In the other mysteries acknowl-
edged by our Mother, the Church
SO This was a wll--ons OF those queer |
Spanish documents OF which Alaire had |
hsard-but who was Maria Josefa Law? |
Alaire scanned the sheets curlously. and on |
the reverse side OF the last one discovered
a few lines, also In Spanish, but scrawled |
in pencil. They read:
My dear nephew-Hers is the copy
OF your mothers will that ! told you
about At the time OF her death she
was not possessed Of the property men
toned herein, and the original docu-
msnt was never fled for record, but
came 10 me along with certain family
possessions OF small value IL seems to
contain the information you desire
Yrs aff'ly.
FRANc1sco RAMIREZ.
The will OF Dawes mother! Then Maria
Josefa Law was that poor woman regarding
whose tragic end Judge Ellsworth had
spoken 80 peculiarly. AlaiTe felt not a lit
tie curiosity to know more about the mother
OF the man whose name she had taken.
Accordingly after a moment of debate with
herself she sat down 10 translate the in
strument Surely Dave would not object II
she occupied herself thus while he slept
The document had evidently been drawn
in the striotest form, doubtless by some To-
cal priest, for II ran;
First l commend my soul TO the su-
prems Being who from nothing formed 1t,
and my body / order returned 20 earth
and which as soon as Il shall become a
corpse Il Is my wish shall be shrOuded with
a blue habit in resemblance TO those used
by the monks OF our SerRphlo Father, St
Francis; to be inferred with high mass.
without pomp-
Alalrs muSed with a certain revsrent
pleasure that Dawes mother had been = de-
yout woman.
second. declare to have. in the posses
sion Of my husband. Franklin Law, three
horses, with splendid equipment OF saddles
and brides. which are 10 be sold and the
proceeds applied 70 masses Tor the benefit
of my soul I so declare. that II may ap-
pear
Third. l declare TO owe 70 Mrs GuiIIelmo
Perez about twenty dollars, 70 Be ascer-
aimed ~ what she may have noted Ia her
,ook OF accounts 80 2 declare. that this
Iabt nay be paid as haga orderad
FQuf21. p Just reaaneraliea Ter de