The New Penelope, and Other Stories and PoemsVictor, Frances Fuller
General
The New Penelope, and Other Stories and Poems
Victor, Frances Fuller
Northwest Coast of North America -- Social life and customs; Pacific Coast (U.S.) -- Social life and customs
What happened afterward I learned from Mrs. Mason and the evening
papers. Miss Jorgensen, dressed in deep black, with her face veiled,
entered the carriage, directing the driver to take her to the houses of
some of her pupils. At the corner of the street, a gentleman, who proved
to be our day-boarder, got upon the box with the driver, and remained
there while Miss Jorgensen made her calls. Finding him constantly there,
and becoming suspicious, she ordered the carriage home, and gave
directions to have it return an hour later to take her down town for
some shopping. At the time set, the carriage was in attendance, and
conveyed her to one of the principal stores in the city. After
re-entering the carriage, and giving her directions, our day-boarder
once more mounted the box, though unobserved by her, and was conveyed
with herself to the hiding-place of Mr. Hurst, contriving, by getting
down before the door was opened, to elude her observation.
Another carriage, containing officers of the police, was following in
the wake of this one, and drew up when Miss Jorgensen had entered the
house where Hurst was concealed. After waiting long enough to make it
certain that the person sought was within, the officers entered to
search and capture.
At the moment they entered Hurst's apartment, he was saying, with much
emotion, "If I can only reach China in safety, a way will be opened for
me--"
"Hush!" cried Miss Jorgensen, seeing the door opened, and by whom.
"All is over!" exclaimed Hurst. "I will never be taken to prison!" And,
drawing a revolver, he deliberately shot himself through the head.
Miss Jorgensen was brought back to Mrs. Mason's in a fainting condition,
and was ill for weeks afterward. That same evening our day-boarder
called, and while settling his board with Mrs. Mason, acknowledged that
he belonged to the detective police, and had for months been "working
up" the case of a bank-robber and forger who had escaped from one of the
eastern cities, and been lost to observation for a year and a half.
And we further learned in the same way, and ultimately from the lady
herself, that Miss Jorgensen was a myth, and that the little French
teacher was Madame ----, who had suffered, and toiled, and risked
everything for her unworthy husband, and who deserved rather to be
congratulated than condoled with upon his loss.
It is now a year since all this happened, and it is the common gossip of
our boarding-house that Mr. Quivey is devoted to the little dark-eyed
widow; and although Miss Flower still refers to "E. E." and "I. I.,"
nobody seems to be in the least disturbed by the allusion. When I say to
Quivey, "Make haste slowly, my dear fellow;" he returns: "Never fear, my
friend; I shall know when the time comes to speak."
SAM RICE'S ROMANCE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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