The Argosy, October 1906 — page 204: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

574 wrong. That is : why z came to you. ceuld not stay alone—dic anether moment. Vou may well think it strange that a total stranger should encroach upon you in this manner.” “Not at all,” I said. hastily ; 3; “ though we have never met, we have, and shall have, much in commen here.” IT must appeal to you to listen patiently, and help me a little if yeu can. great perplexity — great trouble, I may well say—which my mind cannot grasp. There is a mystery, something super- natural—I don’t knew just what.” The prospect of such a tale pleased me, I must confess, though I felt keen pity for the evident distress of my caller. “You have guessed who I am and evi-. dently have never heard of me before, which is natural eneugh; for I am no- body in particular. “Three weeks ago my wife died very suddenly. meant to me.’ The look of utter hopelessness and — pain in the man’s face cut me like a knife. I spoke as kindly as I could of my keen regret. “Yes,” he continued, scarcely a night’s warning. I stood the strain until they carried her away, and then every fiber in my body- seemed to snap. The docter sent me to Bermuda, but when I reached there a cablegram summoned me back to attend to impor- tant business. “JF could. not bear the thought -of going to Montclair, for the house had been closed; so f have lived for-several _- Then I tearned of a ~ days at a hotel. vacant apartment here, for I have heard of the house often, and I sent. to Mont- clair for séme of my furniture, boeks,. and pictures. 1 could not go to our— our——”’ He paused, his mind seeming to stray I can't tell Sie quite what it ‘ she died with + s “THE ARGOSY, - I am in- - | into Re: Spat L oe “the house came into. os you can im- among the images in the firelight—_— images, probably, of the woman who had shared his life, and who seemed to- have taken with her, in death, all its joy—aye, almost all of the life itself. - J] had found, in these same lights and shadows, so much of peace and happi- ness, A strange thing, this firelight, which shows so ayy phases of life, all = ~ the-scales of joey aad pain, in . the same evening. I hastily jotted down in my memory that this- would | make a capital essay. “To- day? | “my ghee. pentane rousing himself suddenly, “I found that I must go heme—to the house, I mean. _ I planned to go in the Sey but “7 feel that I must tell you something. - d, ar OC before I rested. the eieelt on 8 Teg — Migeeace will 2 ride was not true,’ my sed: said; be there!?~ The t rial of worse than anythi The wind howled reu ae the windows: while to the ‘house, ‘trying ene of © myself,” he went on. op windewe sue ‘that n her usual oe ee agine my bewilderment, and the a tush of joy, as ee Shinin; the” ioe owindow. 2 | “Vour wife!” I cried Z “Yes. Listen! My 4 = re as = Ses = oe where a ‘stood ae see my wife plainly. She had been reading a book, but as the step “came neater, she — stopped, listened an instant, and. then went to the door. - i knew Suey line” of