Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-09-04
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FAILING LOVE.

&" Your face has lost something, Helen
What is It r.
Tucre Was look o. cou crn i'll the speakers
nqnirrng e!rs.
" Tct wears of sunShne-fruitfGl years
IIelen, should give the heart Mi ubuniant store
Of cora uuI VINE Your hives are full ut
huuny"
The shade feI! deeper on Heen's face.
II AN paned at this" said the FREUD
Your letters have Dol betrayed the existence
OF secret trouble"
" was guarded"
Guarded !"
You kr9w," answered Helen, rai!ying
herself, and affecting lighter state OF mind,
that every house has It's skeleton "
R+aI or imaginary Most OF these skelo
tons are but shadows"
Niue is real"
The two friends met now for the first time
in tel wears, looked at each other in strange
way The Iightness Of tone had died out IN
the Sentence-" Mine is real"
g" The best of husbands, good children at
home like this Where ands the skeleton
! can see no place for SO unseemly an In
trIier.'
Aud yet, Margaret, the intruder is here,
grnniug at ire all the while, aud growing
more and more ghastly."
Dear friend, how you aifl:ct me y
Helen Ashby's face bad become pale in this
rciereuce TO u hidden sorrow which had ney.
er found voice before.
1t almost kills rne to it, Margaret
but Mrs Aahby checked the Se!teuce ere
il found utterauce
" Bot What Trust me HeIen. Con gives
wisdom to love Through my love He may
send healing to your soul. Let me look down
into this haunted heart chamber let me see
the ugly skeleton =;
am not loved as | once was, Margaret!
There was cold shver iu Mrs. Ashby',
voice
Not so loved, Helen "
Not loved by my husband" Tears fel
silently over Mrs Ashby'S face.
You are under Il dark deluscn."
No. Love has been steadily failing 70!
several years-slowly, almost imperceptlby
bHt surely | Shudder at The contrast when
measure its height and depth, its length and
breahth to day, and then think how lmmeas
urabe it seemed ten years ago !"
am panied beyond expression, dear
friend Surely you are in a dream My
brief observation of your husband. since
came, reveals nothing like GOODNESS or aliena
ton. lie is kind, gentle and tranquil. A
watched his counteuance last night, while he
talked and dwet on the Stntimenes that fell
from his lips | could not help saying, " he is
last growing to the stature Of maD-that is,
Of al angel u This could not be, if he were
getting cold toward the wife of his bosom"
Oh, he is good, and tue, and excellent =
answered Mrs Ashby. A purer, better mau
does not live reverence, | idoIlzo him i
Tie stands in ny sight the embodiment of hu
man perfection But all the " bile | am con
clous of an increasing distance between US
We are not SO close together as we were one
l"o, three, four or five years ago My friend
thIS is terrible Is it to 90 on-this widen
lhg OF the space between uS-untll he vanish
eS out Of sight, and | am left shVering alone
IN universe of darkness Give me annhi
IatIon rather ~
This was the skeleton in Mrs Ashby's house
w Phah;om OF the imagination, but :ea
Sare'on. The friend sat long before replying
"uat Helen now said brought into hight
S''he things casually noted since her arrival
some things which had been felt as iuharmo
"'ouS Let US briefly refer to them: An awk-
ward or confused servant spilled some water
%, 1 'he tea table at tea time, in filling a glass
nfs, Ashby, instead of passing the incident
without notlce, reproved her sharply. Mr.
4 ASAoy was talking at the time, but resumed
ID ie" minutes. The most ordinary observ-
V would have preceived change of tone,