The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-06-05

brought but melancholy satisfaction.
The reform had como too late. There
was wide gulf between them now.
But, one evening in the golden Octo-
ber, Nettie felt herself obliged to pass
Harry's farm. 1t lay between her
| fathers house and the village. On the
| evening in question, however, she had
been detained in the village until il was
nearly dark, and she determined to
hazard the enearest road home. Itwould
be fully dark when she would pass his
house, and the chances were that he
would not see her. She wouldn't have
him see her for the world.
When she arrived opposite the house
she perceived light in the sitting
room. Her first impulse was to hurry
by but come powerful impulse prompt
ed her to stop. She did SO. and stood
tlmldly at the further sido of the road
gazing longingly at the house that had
once been the home to her-first of hap
piness, then of misery. By-and-bv she
felt an irresistible yearning to look at
the interior once more. He was evil
IDENTITY within, and there was no danger
that he would see her. So she walked
hur1edly across the road, opened the
gate, and softly stepped into the lawn
Another minute and she was at the win
dow, looking in. What singular beha-
vior. She could not help it,
! The little room was as neat as when
she herself had watched over it. A
cheerful fire was burning in the CRATE,
although the night was not cold, and a
| lighted lamp stood on the table. 1t was
there that Harry was sitting. How her
heart bounded as she caught sight of
| him. He held in his hand book from
his scanty library.
She recognized it at once but he was
not reading now. Was he asleep-or
was he buried in a sad reverie ? Nettie
/ thought the latter was the case, and her
heart was touched
/ " wish 1 had borne with him." she
said. But q moment later her heart was
| touched, when she saw tear roll down
his cheek and drop upon the book. The
lonely man was not asleep-he was cry
! ing.
She could not help it. All the woman
IN her heart was aroused, and she was
at the door in a moment. No ceremony
she burst into the sitting-room, and
was at his side.
"Oh, Harry"
Her voice quivered with emotion.
why, Nettie!" he exclaimed, trying
to hide his tears-men are ashamed of
them-''is it you? ?"
"Yes, Harry, l was passing-I looked
1n-l saw you sitting here so lonely,
and couldn't help coming in. Thought
OF the time we were happy here, and"
Then her womanly tears could be re-
pressed no longer. There was no use
of trying to hide them. Beside, her
voice broke down, and she could say no
more just then.
! He rose and took both her hands from
her tace, and held them in his own. 81
thought you had blotted me out from
! your memory"
"No, no, Harry" she sobbed, 81
could not do that, L could not help leav-
ing you but 1 left you loving you more
than ever. Oh, l have been unhappy. 4"
"Nettie, you have heard that -"
eyes, L have heard that you have
changed-that you do not drink any
more-that again you are manly and
industrious as you used to be but how
lonely you must be here!" and the tears
gushed forth anew as her heart felt
what her lips spoke.
eyes, am lonely, Nettie-more than
! you may think but l have deserved
this punishment for the way l acted. |
had no discOuragements-I had nothing
TO make me do SO. 1t was only pas
sion for drink that seemed impossible
for me to overcome. You were all a
wife could be. When you left me I
thought | should become worse than
ever Only day or two after you left
me | was in town drunk, and l heard
some village people--they thought /
could not hear them across the street
passing all sorts of remarks about me,
saying l was a doomed man, and that
destruction was near. Although in
toxicated, it startled me, and for the
first time | felt the full force of our
separation, and realized that destruction
stared me in the face. had bottle of
whisky in my pocket at the time when
out of town / smashed it, and washed
my face in a stream by the roadside,
and resolved never to touch liquor
again. 1t was hard to keep my resolve
for the first week or two, but stood it,
and soon my taste for drink disappeared.
L care nothing for it now, and would
not touch it if it ran in streams. Now,
Nettie, if you love me as ever, and God
knows 1 love you the same-let us get
married over again, and the bitter ex-
perience of the last few years will only
enhance our happiness. Nettie, dear,
what do you say?"
She could not answer she was CRYING
as if her heart would break, and her
head was pillowed upon his breast. 1t
was a more eloquent Eyes than the
tongue could speak.
The moon was rising as he walked
home with Nettie to, her fathers.
So Harry Rogers and Nettie Ray
were married again, and there is no
divorce that can part them now.