Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-11-20

= NhhfefOO ~. Mle. ! II
! pic.apc 10 himself any event that voal,
--reDder the .fhcer's presence sees.szry
bis tbgughfs sese mt d<6s~d ennuxh fu
p that. t1 a s'naea esss
Then his aften,iop vas direeted TO
! man who vss looking n the houscs in suc
cession. and then ~ IN enselaps be hels
in his hsBd Mr. Porsrnas saw him eros,
from one side Of the road 20 the osher NOR,
than once. and NJ Isng,h addressed him
self TO the peliccasan. vho innesliaaeiJ
Indicated with his finger the SOLICITOR
house.
The man nodded and csosssd oser.--
Before he could reach the door John Port
man had de.eended aud opened Is.
..Mr. Portmsn's. sir r sHid the. nan,
holdiss ess : isktsE.
Yes"
The solicitor glanced at the address. I.
was his wifr's handwriting. He guessed
the fatal truth then. She had left him.
Eut how--alone
He closed the door heavily; and going
into his library, locked himself in. Then
summoning ali the self-possession Of his
strong nature. he opened the envelope -
IL contained her wedding.ring and let
ter.
Before you read this"-so the letter
ran-.-I shall have placed myself beyond
the power of repentance Blame your
cowardiy act for it--not me. How I loved
ny cousin. even when | married you. aud
sacrificed myself for my old fathers sake,
you know How could have crushed
that lore in my heart. and left nothing
, there but duty, matters not now. You
choose to think me guilty when | was in q.
noren, before Heaven He had written
to me many lines. I had only read the
first; the last destroyed unopened. The
one on which you founded your charge
was intercepted before it reached me
had never spoke h to him since | accepted
your hand never would have done so.
Lu, for the indigniiy you put upon ne;
and | say again. blame your own coward
ly act for the shame and ruin that heye
btighted both our lives ~
The shock was u terrible one 10 John
Portman; his name dishonorcd a, one fell
blow Had b. b"en man OF less GEM
mand of self. ofless power of will i, would
have maddcned him. As it was. ne fnlded
the letter. tied it up together with some 9TH
crs. aud placed them. and the other tritiug
4Eelics, ia The hiddea drawer in .ae cab.-
ret. asd locked mp the secret in his own
heatt for tsu ieng years; ...s
From that moment he became the cold
stern. silent nan we have described him
II in all these years any sentiment OF pity
fUrgrvTuess res isss 80 -s.f. asev mn ia,
his heart. he never showed n in his daily
life; for all tue evidence his outer being
gave. she might never have existed r
Living or dead. she was nothing to him
she could be nothing in time To come
II was late in November. the snow had
fallen early that year. and ahinly c>vered
the housc-t"ps aui untroddeu places with
his pure white mantle. In the streets
and roadways passengers. horses and ve-
hicles had irampled and crushed it Into a
brown, half-meitcd sluage, seeming like a
condensation ofthe murky log .hat' hung
over the great city.
Il was barely four o'clock. but it was
, quite dark; what little light the season
let. a, that hour had been blo,tcd out by
the fo. The lamps in the street, made
thcmse'ves-but little else-visible. Ve-
hicles OF all descriptions wcre rat,ling
through the Streets. the drivers shouted
cquivocal compliments as they miraculous
ly avoided collision with each other. =
Well dressed and well-fed respec,abili,y
shouldered its way along the pavcments
rs if engaged in a race against time; while
shivering. hungry. poverty skunk along or
crouched in shelte,ing 1oorways, having
10 part in the bnsy life around them; the
wirherins. sapless offshoo,s of the parent
stem-ciyilixation.
Among the josilihg. eager crowd. Mr..
Jehh Portman made bis way. Geld aud
un"bservant of the scene around him
Bcggars held on. their hands and pu. ep
their appeal for charity They might as
we'll have addressed themselves to the
| granite pillar at the corner Of the stree,
where the solicitor bal,ed q moment to
look a, his watch By the light of the gas
lamp. 49,. -.......
As he put his watch back into his pock
ct. there fitted by him--so closely almost
as TO touch him--a fsmale figure. shabbi.
~ and poorly clad. Although its head
was bent toward the ground. he canght a
glimpse of the features. and in an instant
recognized them.
q +
For moment his heart ceased to bea,
aud then the blood courscd through hi.
veins as il had no, done for many year
He staggered back a. II heavy blow had
struck him. but, recovering directly
leaked after the figure rece.iing in th,
darkness. and followed rapidly in il.
track.
He soon ueared her. fcr although Sd.
walked quickly. her step faltered fr' qneni
ly; and every now aud then she paused
! With her haud tuhcr side. as IL 10 fak.
breath; butslvsys hesese John Porsma,
could satisfy him~slf wheihcr he had mad,
a terrible mis,ake.-she passed on sgain
! Whist swhirl If ccshiciiue. tumuliuou
,heagh,s made bis brsin giddy IS he FOL
lowed that silent 6gure. bis fco,step.
) uoi~,lsss IN she snew Could 10 be tisa
she who had been dead 10 him for &c,
years ye, lised or was i, otiy a spectr,