The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-10-22
Wrecked
Romance
By ELLA SAUNDERS

xVO1l1dAlNO
By ELLA SAUNDERS
Esther Somers looked at Lever
ing, ut her side, GO Il he were =
stranger.
And the present seemed 30 I'M
real that 1t Obliterated the unreal
past, and for the arst time she
| found herself judging herself with
clarity.
The die Was cast. After Ave
years Of married life she was Ieav-
Ing her husband.
And she thought Of the vain re-
! grets Of those Ave years. and had
| the intense desire that she could
try once more.
1t was too late. Everything had
been arranged. lowering and she
I! were on board the train. bound for,
; Washington on their way south. AZ
that moment Somers was approach
| ing the little town on the local, q
returning cOmmuter. He would re-
| turn to find his home desolate, and
the letter Esther had left for him.
To add to the poignancy, the
train on which Esther and Lever
ing were speeding south passed
within Q hundred yards Of their
home.
! The station from which they had
started-t0 avoid observation-was
! IL miles away. lowering had met
her and motored her over there In
his car. Now they were on their
way, and already the familiar view
Of the home town was coming IN
sight.
Somers was almost due. Per
haps their train would pass him.
And Esther looked at the man
beside her, letting her hand lie
passive in his, and instead of the
deep love she had thought she felt
for him she was conscious of In.
tense revulsion.
lowering had been Somer's hes:
friend. He had grossly betrayed
him. She tried to picture the
scene when her husband got home
and found her letter.
He would be stunned by II. AL
though they had never got along
we'll together, he had not dreamed
his. wife would ever leave him
least OF all with another man. He
would not believe It.
What would he do then? Would
he start in pursuit, to execute a
dramatic, vengeance uron them?
She did not know. She lad never
understood her husband.
But she felt guilty, guilty. and
she looked at lowering beside her
with dismay and disgust and hor.
ror.
Was It too late? Could she not
yet reverse her decision? If she,
had not left that letter behind her
any plausible excuse might have
sufficed for easy-going, unsuspicious
Dick.
Now It was hopeless. Somers
was almost due at the station. That
must be his train whistling.
Suddenly there came Il grinding
Of the brakes. shouts, confusion.
The roof Of the compartment
seemed to be falling in on her.
There was moment of horror
then Esther knew no more.
She awoke to find herself In the
| debris of the wreck. Hands were
raising her. She was lifted to her
feet. She had been momentartly
stunned, but was otherwise unin'
jured. Seeing this, they left her
to attend to the others.
She leaned, sick land dizzy.
against an end of a carriage. What
was that form that they were
carrying out? lowering! Stone
deadi She cast one glance of hor-
ror at the mangled body. and then
! turned away.
:; A train had run into them-the
local, she heard somebody say.
She listened without comprehend
ing, but lifting her eyes, she saw
her home, her own home. hundred
yards away.
The two trains had collided al
most Immediately In front of it.
Some one was touching her arm.
She looked at him vacantly; she
recognized one of the neighbors.
"We've found your husband,
Mrs. Somers," he said. HE Isn't
badly hurt"
He drew her away. She saw
Dick sitting upon stretcher. One
of, his arms had been roughly ban
daged.
"Hello, old girl - he s&luted her.
mot badly damaged!"
And then of sudden she real.
ICED all. It had been Dicks local
with which the express had col.
lided. Levering's death had wiped
out all the past. and Dick mag
ined that she had come down to
find him. No one had seen her
leave the town in Levering's motor.
"We'll take him straight to the
hospital, Mrs. Somers," some ono
was saying.
She Lreathed a prayer of thank.
fitness. There was only the let
ter now, and that could be de-
stroyed. She fell upon her knees
beside her husband.
"Oh, It's so merciful, she
sobbed, I'm glad. Dick.' I'm glad,
glad!"
C. 1879. Western Nswspaper Union.)