Richland beacon., 1872-09-07
ONE DAY AT ARLE. =

One dayat Arle-a tfny scattered hS L.
ing hamlet on the NORTHWESTERN English
cOast-there stood at the door OF me OF
the cottages near The shore woman
leaning against the iintel-post and ioking
out: a woman who wosld have been apt
TO attract strangers eye, too--a woman
young ., handsome.
Ii was rot tHs face of tender wife wait
iry for, a loving husband. the iace that
was turned toward the sea. If she had
Jatad theman for wnOm she watched she
could not have seemed more upbending
Ever since her visitor had LETT her (Shc had
bad 4 visitor during the mO.nins> she had
:. stood In the sa,ne place, even 1.-THE same
position, without moving, and when al
last the s6gurc of h"r husband came
slouchlitg nCros the sands homeward sh,
remained motto" "'"sSstill.
And sorely n's E.as not the face of .
rs dull best, il va foubly unprepossess =
inS then, as pale anl breathless. he passed
the atefn form In. n doorway, his ner.
vouar hr,notant eye avoiding hers.
- "Y1I6nd ye're d,lner aw ready on tn
table, (" sbs said To linn as no passed in.
Everything. was neat enough inside.
The fireplace was clean and bright. the
hble was set tidily, and the meal upon it
was good enough in its way; but when
the man entered he cast an unsteady. I'M
.cOmpre5cnding glance around, aud when
he fun. himself into Il chair, he did not
attempt to touch the food, but dropped
his face upon his arm on the table with a
sound like Il little grOan.
She must have hear, ft, put she did not
UCriceft even by turn of her head, but
s'cnH. erect and steadfast until ne spoke TO
her. She might lave been waiting for
his wOr.'' perhaps she was.
'.'Th. .rst come in an say what tina has
TO say an be done wi it," he said at l;t
i'm sullen, wOrn-Oit fashion.
She turned round then and faced him.
harder to be met in her rigid mood than il
she had been a tempest.
..Tha knows what | ha' gctten to say
she answered. her tone strained and husky
with repressed fierccncss. "Aye! tina
knows it well enough. da' not much
need to tell thee Owt. He conn here this
morning an he tOwd me avn wanted Ia
know about thee, Seth I.Onas--an' more
too"
.'lIe comm 10 me-" put i'm the man.
She advanced towards the table and
struck it once with her hand.
''Tha It tOwd me a power o lies,' she
said. ''rha's lied TO me fro first To last
to serve thy own eends, an tha'st gained
'ep,-tha'st lied Inc away fro tn man as
wur tn world to me, but tn times comm
now when thy days DER an his is conn
agen. All thou bitter villin Does IA
mind how tina comm an towd me Dan
Morgan had gone to tn fair at Lake wi
that lass o. Barnegats? That wOr a liz
an that wOr tn beginnin'. Does ta mind
how tha tOwd me rs he made light o me
when tn lads an lasses plagued him, an
threeped 'em down as he didna mean tO
lilo lacs him a
wOr reidy to dee fur me? That wOr a lie
an that wor tn eendin', rs tina knew il
would be. fur spuined him fro me th
very necSt day. an woullna listen whcr
he tried to straightcn out. But he got al
tn truth at last when he wOr fur fro here,
an he browt tn truth! back to me to-day
an theer'sth' ccnd fur thcc-husband OF
no."
The man lay with his head upon hi,
arms until she had finished. and then Inc
looked up all white and shaken and blind
''Wilt IA listen if speak to thec:' h'
asked.
AYE" she answered, ''listen to mor'
lies ~
And she slipped down into sitting. pos
lure on the stone doorstep, and sat there
Ter great eyes staring out scaward, hel
lands lying loose Spon her Knee ar'
rembling.
There was something more in her mOO'
han resentment. In this simple gestur
ne had broken down rs she had neve
,roken down i'm her life before. Ther
vas passionate grief in her face, VIII
ort of despair, such rs one might see IL:
uddenly-wOundpd. untameG creature
Iers was not fair nature. lam not tel
,p the story of a gentle. true-sotlle'
oman. am simply relating the incident
fone bitter day whose tragic close wa
ne ending of a rough romance.
Her lite had been long battle agalns
ne worlds scorn; sh had been either o
ne offensive or the defensive from chilo
bod TO womanhood, and then she ma
.ught one glimpse of light and warmth
ung to it yearningly for one brief hoti
id lost it.
Only TODAY she had learned that sh
,d lost it through treachery. She ha
1t dared to believe in her bliss: even dul
20 its fairest existence; and So ,-"he
Sht-hearted, handsome Dan Morgan
val had worked against him with falls
.oofs. her revenge had been swift an
,arp. But it had fallen back upon ne
in. rn head now. This very morning hant
w ns-Bpan had corA<kack again 10 Arl,
nd earned his revangc, too, though<
ad only meant to clear himse,f when h
Lid her what chance had brought 10 hgh
lie had come back-her lover tne W.;
|. n Fho had conquered and sweeteheu nei y. ~
q Ur.nature as nothing else on eai,r tnr 1
8 mower to do-he had come pack anu ,Uu =
Z Tar what she was-the vile OF Hill Of =
~ ~Som she had never cared, the wlie Oh
~ who had played them both false: al
d .robbed her of the one poor gleam OF J'
IS he had known. "a ,,. :,
70 mought ha' left me that 81
nd. "Yo mought ha' left it to III !
~ X,ore ,y,,r other women as would n