Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-10-20

y
love again, Agnes said, but the sad "Essie"
made no reply.
One night Mr.. Peyton said to her
MRS. Willis, your face haunts me, re-
minds me of some one | have seen before,
perhaps it was in my dreams"
Etsy only answered perhaps"
She sat on the verandah one night wait
ing for Agnes and her father. They were
to leave for New York the next day, and
there was great ache at Etsy's heart.
Mr. Peyton stepped through the low win
dow and stood beside her. He merely
bowed bis head, he never spoke-she dared
not. as,.5s ess3aE
"You are sad tonight, Mrs. Willis. Are
you sorry to leave Niagara p ~
For the life Of her she could not have an
swered him, but, without waiting for one,
he sat down by her side. .a
II, too, am sad tonight, but my sadness
has deeper meaning than yours. At my
heart are tugging love, remorse, regret, and
a wretched quarreling with fate. | wish |
dare lay bare my heart to you, for my soul
is furnishing for human sympathy
''You may"
s'And you will not think less of me be-
cause have sinned and suffered 2"
81 will not' e. - ~
Give years ago-nay I must begin furth-
er back Ten years ago knew and loved
a young girl She was loving child, ten
der-hearted and winning She won my
heart ere I knew it, and | asked her to be
my wife, She consented, and, when we
parted, hung around my neck and wept SO
bitterly, that found it very hard to leave
her. 1 went back to Germany, and after
wards carried with me all over the CONT
nent the memory of that beautiful face, and
and more than it, the memory Of the gentle,
loving heart I returned five years later,
to find cold-hearted. naughty woman, who
repealed my tenderness, and threw back
upon my aching heart the true love [ would
have felt for her, if she had been but tender
and patient. But must be just I found
the lady so changed in personal appearance
that did not know her at first, and doubt
less my manners seemed cold to her. for |
was mourning for my dear, my beautiful
Etsy, and could not believe this pale, cold
woman she.
eve were married within the hour OF
my arrival, and though at first my soul sick
encd, I did strive before God to give her
my love, but 1 verify believed she hated
me, for she grew cold and disdainful every
day, till mad with sorrow and regret, left
my home to wander disconsolate and sad
all over the earth. Twice, remembering
that she was my wife. wrote, begging her
10 -, Cow T oo,,11 hoou 10 70
the Grange, where all knew my sad histo-
ry but she haughtily refused, saying in her
last letter that she fancied our paths would
be happiest far apart
"You. too. have known sorrow, Mrs.
Willis, but it is better to mourn for the dead
than the living"
Lionel Peyton loved the weeper, and it
required all his honor and manhood, all his
self.control, to keep from taking her in his
arms and telling her SO. He did not, for
all the pleadings Of his heart, but continu-
ed:
''Latcr, I met with one, who, before l
was aware of it, crept into my heart--a
beautiful, regal woman, with PASSIONATE,
tropical noture, entirely suited to mine I
loved that woman, but dare not tell her
so !; my honor forbade it, and yet [ love
her O my God, thou knowest it all"
As the white lips grew calmer, he said
'to-night. for all my battling, this wild love
is clamoring to be heard ell the anguish
any regret, all the harder to bear because
unspoken. | thought must speak or die,
but when the storm was at its height
great calm came over my spirit, and some
thing, like Gods great pity, fell upon my
tempted soul, and once more I was able to
overcome. | have come to say goodbye,
Essie. There is only one course for me to
pursue must rejoin my poor wife, and
if she is willing to receive the prodigal, try
and make her happy
"Did you love her so much. this beauti-
full woman Of whom you spoke ?-better than
any beauty of Italy or Spain, Or any one
you met in your wanderings
His face flushed and then paled.
"Better than any woman on earth-bet-
ter than anything but my honor and my
God." and he held with an iron grasp the
small white hand he had taken in his.
Glove her alb, it would be heaven to be
always by her side to watch the flash and
CLEAN Of those proud eyes, and the shining
Of tho dark hair, and the proud throat as
white as snow"
at must have been very hard to give
her upr'
lit was hard. What should you have
done SO circumstanced z"
II would have been true to my honor
and my God, as you were"
GOOD bless you, Essie, now We must
part"
Etsy had been merciless, but the starving
heart craved all she could hear of the love
he bore her. But the strain had been too
great, and as she arese to go she faltered,
and would have fallen had he not caught
her iii bis arms. He seated her again, and
brought goblet of water
"You know who the woman is, Essie,
that is so dear to me-" -
! "I have known it from the first %
! "And you still advise me to return to my
wife ~
II do''
"And if she will not receive me p
''Then return to Europe and work for the
good Of others, and for Gods glory"
He drew her close to his heart.
''This once let me hold you here; and
now farewell p
A moment more and she was alone, and
Lionel Peyton was wildly pacing his cham
ber-foor, with broken words of prayer upon
his lips.
A week from that Tins found Etsy at the
Grange, were she found letter awaiting
her, announcing the arrival of her husband
on the following night.
20 Etsy, if you only loved Lionel" said