Show l MS arm W t K 0 g MY POOR WIFE 1 I 1 3 BY I 1 J P SMITH 1 I 1 3 Q J 14 V P 4 4 4 ac 1 I 4 r XV continued I 1 my ity dear boy wait a moment just a momena moment pleaded my uncle his hi hand grasp luc itiC my arm ill e will give you all the particular particulars we have gleaned dont don t be afraid unfortunately up to the present we we have no reliable clue to your wife hereabouts more than the letter baa ban probably given you but we hope there theres her lat the bat ah abo always weara wears in the garden it looka looks all wet and muddy she the must have dropped it in the grass give it to me give it to root met finlay what on earth have you jingling there atit look looks 1 I dont know hat bat it la Is do you recognize it mr lir dennys Den nya 1 he an holdge hol dve up a block of bruised braised metal from frota which hune bung a light rusted chain entangled in a rag of blue ribbon that rubbish no at first in the shade there I 1 thought it looked not unlike a steel girdle chatelaine my wife arone wears we one that IJ I 1 fought her at the palal royal last spring I 1 I 1 don t know what put it into my h head ead give me the hat where here was wa it found anwer answer me answer met are you all a truck dumb then they told me two to or three of them taking up one another nervously that the hat bat was wa plind up the morning before by the children of the grange orange lodge in a bed of rushes down the river that the chain and tuanyi ut of metal had been found twisted round the big wheel of the 3 mill and that it was recognized by carter my maid aa an part of at the chatelaine she un wore the day she disappeared you you wish me to understand tand that my wife went down the hier under the mill machinery like the girl long ago you you want me to believe hat great heaven my sty dear by vy no no As long as the th e la Is no further confirmation of ut course we v e roust must hope for the best but but ou see unfortunately the night aa as dark and the river unusually swo in n it Is so dangerous down by that broken bridge so easy to miss ones a footing in the the 1 I eay may catch him catch him oh poor fellow be he a fallin fallings gt I 1 saw their facea crowding round me the room seemed to heave convulsively and then I 1 remembered nothing more for many weeks ci MITER xa XVI I 1 one cold gusty evening in october seven seen years after the pen had fallen from paul dennys band hand two women wearing the garb of the good sisters of Nara nasareth reth ended their way across the luttio country churchyard of col worth and stood silently before a white whits marble cross bearing the following inscription a crip tiou sacred to the memory of helen the beloved wife of paul dennys 0 of f codworth Col worth who died of at july 18 7 aged 19 11 I 1 it stood a t w yard yardis away from the huge stone monument under which ge generations ne rations of at Denny ses slept the reeds and rushes from the river flowing close by rustling mournfully around it making the spot so dismal and ghost Y that the elder sister a woman of a vigorous and unimaginative disposition shuddered involuntarily and exclaimed half halt pettishly to her silent companion U well ell sister Is our journey at an end endl Is this the ID pot apat we wa have traveled over two bundred miles to visit I 1 oar lea I 1 wanted to know it this helu jennys ennys was burled buried here and I 1 find lie Is I 1 am ready to go back now slit agatha when you wish she to pick a spray of ivy grow ing round the cross held it in her band hand irresolutely tar r a moment then hung flung it into the river and heavily away I 1 to no watt ait a moment and rest yourself you look quite exhausted don t fit sit on the grass child do you wish to get your death of cold sit here on the slab beside inc me cried sister agatha laying a motherly mothr ly band hand on her companion a shoulder she obeyed tossing back her heavy crape veil and lifted a an listless face to the low murky sky poor helen she sighed presently iab with a weak laugh they haven t given gien her a verv very arv bed haie they they might have moved her a bille farther een though it were only her memory there sister slater agatha made reply but read aloud the inscription comment ing softly aged kinteen that as young to bid good by to earthly happiness was nas this helen a relation any one you ived sister stater Clothilde Cloth tlde 9 I 1 knew her all her life lite hough though ehe she died young in years she as old in sorrow and yet she as beloved I 1 so the tou stan tays so the stone says gays oh ob later burst out the boing nun wit a adden id A den bitter cry a 0 all the lie lies or recorded in til t world of lies there are none tout I 1 say gayso so shameful so bare faced a as 9 those that defile the graveyards of t our landl I 1 hush flush hush bush my dear si I 1 reproved the elder in a shocked voice pray pray compose yourself you do not know hat you are myirl bow how unbecoming let me speak let me speak now it ill do me good and I 1 will be silent after tier that tor for the rest of my life let me tell you the story of at the beloved wife who lies here it will do me tocie very well my dear if it it 1 ease your mind I 1 ill listen she the answered soothingly lacking at her co companion with keau anxious glance ita its not a long story and a common place one enough shethar abe She that helen lived up in the red bouse house the chimney of which YO you YOA A can see smoking among the trees and she believed herself beloved as that cross asserts sho she was but in a very short time she he 11 f 0 found out her m let ko found oat out her husband had omy only married her out ot at pique and disappointment that he loved another woman fairer than ehe she her let rival came to atay stay in the hous house with her the wife site waa wait tried tortured maddened to despair and ind one day she be disappeared appeared dl from tram her home leaving a letter saying ahe she hd lipid lone gone ner to return no trace was vise found of her but after a few das da suM indent elent evidene evidence was had bad to lead her husband to bellere that she he bad had been drowned in that river howing flowing there under the wall all and her body ground to pieces in SOMO mill machinery halt a mile urther further down what a horrible etoral poor soul poor I 1 was as it proved to be accidental or or otherwise that no one will know until the day all things will be made known they lav lave not judged her harshly here let not ua us do otherwise and the husband hua band bleyert Blet ert I 1 lle kiethe liethe abe etory story ay says went raving raying about the countr seeking her at first an as if it he had loit lost the treasure of his hi life and five months after her death married her rival five months mon thaT five Irive month they live i cry iery happily together now surrounded rounded eur with their child children ten that a the va whole hole story and it nde ends in the style with ith a happy marriage man lane ou see tow now let ua us go or we vie ahall shall miss ml our train mth nith a glance toward the sister agatha put h r arm within her companion companions and walked quickly and silently allent ly through the long wet et grata gross over the old bridge above the mill to the station halt a mile away when they arrived there the up train was slowly moving away from the platform and to their dismayed inquiries the station master informed them there would not be another until 1 15 it wa was then only atilt half past lw L four your dreary hour hours stretched bet re them to be got rid of how slater sister agatha who vibo had bad been up the three preceding nights nursing the sick and who had a week of bard work before her prior to her departure for new necea lea land where she he her companion and three other nuns were going to found a convent lost no time in making up her mind how to dispose of the time before them seating herself in lit a re tired corner of the waiting room she fell into a 4 heavy sleep after having urged her companion to follow her example clothilde tried to do so to but it was in vain sleep would nu nit come visions of at past days past happiness hope and borrow sorrow coated floated before her she had loved before she left the world in her ears when nhen the last train from town ton arrived the quiet station became a seen scene of bustle and excitement porters guards passengers bitted flitted hurriedly by doors were slammed but sister agatha slept placidly through it all and her companion drawing her thick veil over her hideous funnel shaped bonnet shrank farther into her corner comer two or three travelers tra velere invaded the room tor for a moment then hurried out and the train slowly moved on clothilde bad had just pushed aside her stifling veil when the door opened again and a plump hand sparkling with diamonds tarus tv a children hastily in a gay vibrating voice that sent the blood rushing to the nuns white hite face ace calling out children atty there until nurse comes to etch fetch you don t attempt to leave this room percy take care of your sister do you hear bear I 1 don t be afraid clasy I 1 11 take care of you said the boy a beautiful child of about five ath golden golder curls falling over his tact fact the room Is dark but ho are what a you re name tell me quick quick I 1 must knowl I 1 the little fellow started back threw his arm around bis his sister as he stared awe a ft struck into the white nce and burning ees of a woman in a long black cloak toa towering ering over him a woman oman he had never seen before yet whom he be knew perfectly on the mo ment the ehlt witch of carving ballf 3 cave who sucked the blood of crang children that nurse told them about when they were ere naughty 1 I am percy edward den nya nys of tb and his Is my sister edith cicely Deri dennys nYs ana oh aime ed the child his bands hands lisped entreatingly it if you will let us off this time we e will never never be naughty again never stick pins into reggie or get ait oit of at our cots in the night or I 1 hush flush hush bush I 1 am not going to touch you go away away into that corner near the d door 00 r don t to me don t look at me again and you are sate safe gogo go go they went ment and helen listen der who was supposed to bale hae beba seten aei en years ago sank back into her seat and nail covered her face with her hands in a pulon of despair and torn storm revolt almost as a fierce as that which swept her the morning she tried to take her husband a life cl presently the door opened again and a portly nurse laden with ith a gorgeous ly clad baby waddled addled in speedily sp dlly fol 01 ol loed lowed by the owner oner of the gay voice votes and med md fingers namely mrs denny dennys of codworth Col worth a stately well conditioned lady on whose lovely ti it coming face not the faintest trace of chame remorse regret lingered a face that was the embodiment of supreme self alt satisfaction and proa pros pertly helen looked into it long and deeply with hanry eyes then turned to the wall when hen a aboor enow of hot tears dimmed her sight eight 1 I tell you halpin the box 16 1 somewhere in the station the its port alls Is saw it t being lifted out of ne as last train and I 1 wont won t leave the station until it Is found I 1 really never 1 met auch such a helpless and stupid woman unbearable cried UM mr aa a you it li is dennys stamping her root 1 hullo 1 u ll 11 0 1 clulo 1 u 1 0 w wife ite MR h balse a t the b e atom 1 tolee 1 1 I I T O 0 ed d man i obe abo about u t in interpol t 0 r p or what half you re nurry nursery my bonnet box tm cisle ellis I 1 is MISS fag in mr dennys decays an and d I 1 am telling 1111 pin that I 1 won t 11 leave the until it Is to forthcoming I 1 11 n or have the blip hi tory ot of my emerald brac bracelet clet repealed repeated soothing sooth lot mr lir denna denns made a half halt half bantering reply at the slime time filing seizing his hi little girl be lie perched her on his hi shoulder the child clunk clung to him fearfully her eyes billed upon the dark figure which nobody seem ea to tc notice helen a 2 lips in moved ovad in incoherent ter prayer her h haada a ads pressed to her eye eyes help me help belp me 0 heaven lle avent I 1 she ah pro pral ea I 1 ob do not desert roe me after acen years struggle don t let my rice be all in vain I 1 have suf buffered ered I 1 have dl oh ob for pity a 8 aake belp help me roe now glow or I 1 II 11 I 1 rula ruin ruin him I 1 love paul paul it you love your wife your children your happy home go go quick before my strength reneth at lemes eada me before I 1 look at YOU before I 1 look at you again M ghe she leaned forward rocking herself to and fro tn in the fever of temptation coining feally until a iome ome one touch ed her upraised arm and her baud f fell ell instinctively editha haaland war wit standing beside her speaking ink to her I 1 beg your pardon madam there la in a parcel under your seat would you allow me to ree see it it li it the one we are looking for no it la Is not thank I 1 am corry sorry for disturbing you he ile moved away aay not a gleam a ot recognition reci tion lon in his hi face and she he I 1 bokel after him dumbly her band hands lying on he lap at first ahe she cou coul I 1 I 1 not sec see him plain ly for a red mist shrouded her eyes but it passed away and he stood cla before her a tran in the prime of life lite stal stalwart sart and sha eh apel Pelf with a handsome free me fro aroa sunny face ea as remore and rare care ad t r adith a 9 own a man whom the world orld used well who bad had obeyed her last request in the spirit as well viell as the letter changed oh so little changed since the summer days long ago aae ale watched him died on iler lips the tumult in he bet her goi got imong men mena IL little fuller in the tody lody and redder in face but other otherwise unchanged dl to be contin iea iedy |