Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1907-11-30 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

CII&PTEE XYTT A FATALITY.  As we know, the Imp had always condemned falsehood unconditionally. In her eyes, a he was i. npardonable. Always having strictly been truthful herself, both in the letter and in the spirit, it cut her deeply to the heart that her husband should have come to her with a falsehood. Perhaps any other crime would have been less heinous. In the face of thi3, she felt it was both contemptible and. degrading to herself that her heart could still beat warmly for one who had been guilty 'of such a crime. The Imp felt that to forgive her husband would show a pitiable weakness on her part.. No. She must not be weak enough to overlook such a transgression, however much her heart might plead for him who had fallen so short of the standard she had r,et up. Her faith in him was dead, however much she might be foolish enough to love him. And then her mind flew back to the early days of their love. One occasion in particular she remembered so well. They had stood by the open casement, and he had said, "You are so young and so lovely, you were meant for marriage." And then she had said to him, "Oh, yes, I always intended to marry. I could never have existed as an oil maid."  And then he had laughed so heartily, and told her she was the most frank and truthful girl he had ever met. Her frankness and love of truth, as he had often told her, was the quality which at tracted him most, yet he was to be the first to wound her to the quick by falsehood. Oh, it was indeed hard. She could not forgive, could not for. get, the terrible wrong he had dons her. Jessie talked and reasoned, but it was all to no rt-Tpose, The Imp would neither listen to reason nor persuasion. .  But at last Jessie managed to extort a promise from her that she would do nothing rash. The Imp also promised her friend that she would make no attempt on her life, as in that first awful moment. So Jessie left, trusting to time and sense to show her her folly. In the meantime she would go for Robert, and they would seek Laurance Payne and send him home to his wife; he, and he alone, was the one to bring about a reconciliation in this ease.  After Jessie had left, the Imp sat nursing lieT grievance far into the night, and yet her husband did not come. At first she was too deeply humihated and too sore to allow a thought for him to enter her mind. Her own wrong and her own sufferings engrossed her attention, to the exclueon of all else. But as the hours passed, and he did not come, fear for his safety began to take the place of anger. That had become of him? What was keeping him at this hour? She forgot now that she had told him she never wished to see his face again. She rose and walked over to the dressing table to look at her watch—it wanted five minutes to two. Her heart sank with erudden fear and dread.  Somehow her confidence in him began to return again as her fears grew. She no longer thought of him as seeking the company of Nancy White. Instead, her mind was full of anxiety for his safety. What if he had been hurt in some way? It was so unlike him to stay away like this. Although he had been very angry with her, she felt now that he could not stay away from her whilst he knew she must be suffering. Something must have happened. He must have been hurt, murdered perhaps, by some ruffian, and all this time she had been thinking of herself. Oh, why did he not come? She could not endure this suspense. Sho would go and seek him. And then suddenly she raised her head and listened. What was all that commotion on the stairs, That tramping of feet and sound of strange man's voices? Her heart grew cold as she listened. Instinctively she seemed to understand 'what they were coming to tell her. She darted to the door and wrenched open the handle.. An ambulance stretcher, policemen, and doctors were already in the hall. And what lay beneath that white sheet/ "What is it? What has happened?" she asked hoarsely, trying to steady herself against the bannisters. "Ho was knocked down and run over by a fireen7ino, ma'am!" someone said pitifully, as they silently- and reanectfulls stood amide to let, harped&