The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1873-12-26

acknowledge that he was not tit guar
dian for Miriam, he refused to part will
her. However low he had fallen, he
was still my father, and dared not dis
regard his wishes. So love drew me
one way, duty another.
81 explained it all to Richard: he
listened, but was not convinced. You
cannot be SO cruel, said he, 'as to sac
ritice me to that child, now when every,
thing has turned out exactly as We
wished. l have received the South
American appointment; the salary is
not large, but amply sufficient for al
our wants; there is only Miriam be.
tween us and happiness. Why not lei
your father keep her, as he seems de.
termined to do? She has but little tc
fear from his influence, and you have
told me yourself that he is not unkind
to her, even when drunk. My siste,
will gladly oversee her education, and
We can send her whatever money is
needed for that purpose. Dear Han,
nah, think of it, think of all you have
promised, think of the weary years that
must elapse before can return, and fo,
the sake of the love you bear me do not
let this child blight both our lives. ]
am to sail in less than month. Shall
1t be alone, or with you?'
eff you knew how hard l found it to
resist this plea! But l did. And be-
fore he went Richard acknowledged that
l was right, even while deploring the
hard necessity that separated us when
We needed each other most. He prom
ised again and again to be faithful dur
ing his absence, and demanded from he
like VOWS OF eternal fidelity. Just
think of it : said he Miriam Will be
eighteen when / return-just your age
now-and I shall be thirty-four. VIII
the years have changed US much, Won
der? Who knows but you will prefer a
younger lover then?' l laughed, and
replied that had more to fear from his
Inconsistency than he from mine; that
women grow old faster than men, and
that he might even transfer his affec-
tions to Miriam herself when he COM
pared her fresh, young face with my
faded one. Truer words were never
spoken in jest, and, though l am not
superstitious, thrill of apprehension
crept over me at the time, ana ! would
have taken them back if ! could.
81 will pass over our parting, and GO
on to the years that followed. How long
they seemed, those years of waiting, and
how full they were of cares and ankle
ties, Miriam blossomed into rare love
illness, and was to me child and sister,
both in one. For her I toiled and
struggled, and bore my burdens uncom-
plainingly. But she was not grateful;
knew it even then, yet, blinded by affec-
ton, found excuses for even graver
faults than this.
"Father died when Miriam was
twelve. Strong drink had killed his
better self long before, and the degraded
wreck left We could pity, but not re-
spect. Yet we mOurned him sincerely,
for the ties that bound him to us could
not be severed without pain. This ca
la1nity land We held it one, whatever
others thought was soon followed by
another. A financial convulsion swal-
lowed up the little fortune settled on us
at mothers death. / kept this from
Richard, and grappled with poverty,
alone and unaided. Twas even hard
cr task for woman then than now.
But found work, and Miriam was still
sent to school, and comfortably, if not
daintily, clad. What hurt me most was
when she complained, as she often did,
of suffering hardships and privations,
apparently unconscious that l tolled
early and late, and practiced constant
self-denial, to keep her from want.
That this was thoughtless, rather than
selfish. tried to think, for she was such
a winsome creature, one could not Judge
her harshly.
81 corresponded with Richard regu-
larly, and to the last his letters never
lost their lover-like tone. As the time
drew near for his return, even Miriam
noticed my restlessness, and wondered
a little anxiously what he was like, and
whether he had changed much, and was
rich or not. This last she thought a
most important question, and 1t really
had more to do with her likes and dis
likes than cared to acknowledge.
"Richard came, and Miriam saw him
first. know not what he said, but her
cheeks were flushed and her eyes radiant
when I entered the room, and as she
turned to go l saw her coquettish smile
and his admiring look. Then the grave,
handsome face was bent close TO mine,
and the dear remembered voice whis-
pered Hannah 2 and / forgot every
thing else in the rapture Of that mo-
ment.
The hand that Faith held trembled,
and Miss Ware broke of suddenly. But
the girl waited in silence, for the story
had been to her like revelation, and
more than half guessing what was to
come, she shrank from it with vague
sense of pain and pity.
"Tbe wears had touched Richard