WEST SHORE.
that he knew every young lady of nny prominence in Poindexter; then, if you aro tho sensible fellow I think
the place. When I had described my heroine to him, you aro, you will put her out of your thought at once
he thoughtfully shook his head. and forever.'
" ' I don't know a girl in Leavenworth that comes " ' More easily said than time,' was my thought;
anywhere near that description,' he said. 'Tho lady but aloud I only said: '(So on; tell mo what you
you met must have been a stranger, and probably took meant about her not knowing whether she i a wife or
the next stage for part's unknown.' a widow.'
" That was to me a most depressing view of tho " ' Tho talo is noon told,' said Stanley. ' Six years
situation, and my hopes went several degrees lower. ago, when a mere child of seventeen, Helen Marsh
" It was several weeks after this conversation that married a handsome- scoundrel named Poindexter.
Stanley prevailed upon me to accept an invitation to lie only lived with her a few months, during which
attend a dancing party at tho residence of a leading timo it becamo known that ho was a professional gam-
citizen of the town. We arrived late, and dancing bier, a deserter from the Union army, and a bounty
had already begun; so wo stationed ourselves in an jumper. Suddenly, without a word of explanation or
alcove and watched tho dancers, while Stanley enter- farewell to his young wife, ho disappeared from the
tained me with bits of gossipy information relating to town and tho country so effectually that no trace of
various persons present. hia whereabouts has ever been discovered, except a
" 1 That little lady dancing with Captain Patton is vaguo rumor of his having joined a party of emigrants
Miss Villars,' he was saying. ' Her father owns half bound for tho far west, who were afterward said to
the river steamers between here and St. Uiis, and-' have been massacred by Indians somewhere on ho
Just at that point I caught his arm with a clutch plains. That rumor, however, has never been regarded
that made him wince 118 Wl'n fuUIM,w, aml f,,r H'x long yvM
Stanley,' I said, in suppressed excitement, I dexter has not known whether she were wife or widow.
t Ti! i ' 11 iH ft t(,rril,, m'lm lo 1,0 in; ,M,t Hh" up
Ion' I went on hurriedly, 'talking with an elderly, don't wonder you are hard hit, but, my poor U w
X ing man. She is dreld in some thin, there is but one way in wh.ch you can ever hope to
black U and her beautiful hair glints in tho ga, Jftfi
Ug -Kss my soull' ho said. ' As I'm a si, ' Jo lay l,fore her incontrovertible evidence of
ner, you'vn raving all this ! C orce ' '
dexter's wifel You cal led her a girl you nd ha ,
threw me off the track. I never thought of Helen des U a r
Poindexter. She U, certainly the ban Jomest woman
in town, and not over twenty-three, but ( (i, SlftI, njK,lt
' Ton Poinded , I repeated, n.echa -a , ftnxi(((W , hU
while a horrible impulse came upon me to fid Ion not I
Poindexter, whoever or wherever ho might be, ami m. ( ( f
strangle the life out of him. V(j (h wilh l1(,r; but I have
-Well said Stanley, nobody kno. i ml 7 S1(! , ,,t gne through th Ii r.r.
whether she is his wife or h.s widow. She herself my Uou w afu.r ,,y ,,, tlinM
doesn't know.' , , . mn. yt.t ho ha stood firm, and has held
' Stanley,' I gasped, ' are you cray? W hat, in onoj ,7 my
1. ...,'n nnnm An VOll t) ICU 0 ? . . ... 1. ... i,..l,,mi villi ft Til rich cnoimh to
llt'UVt'll D iiuniv, " j
,ven's name, do you mean? f , ull,.HM yM aro rich enough to
Kt.nlnv turned and ginned at mn, then slipped 7 Mndcxter's grave.'
his hand through my arm. Himi,tiling told mo that Stanley a advice was
Come out, Elvers,' ho Mid; you are attra. ting ( ft JU Jt; mMi
attention.' , . tmM ft ,,, ehw-aome inward m awter and tr,..ger than
He drew me away from the crowd, across a ,. 1- , lo (.u.n Ndatrr, and before
corridor, into a quiet, little smoking rem, at the mo- pn,lna (
ment untenanted. , h( ,IU,1 h,ld her hand for an Instant In m.ne, had
- Now,' said he, sit down and h J , an of kr volct,f ail(l ,ft,, her
I'll tell you, in a few words, all I know aoouv