Litchfield enquirer., 1874-07-02
Whole NO- 25Sl

That moment, Janet Ayres advanced towards her. -
 '.Tha will go," she said. 'Theer is ma moment, an will na gi' my life fur nowt Tax her in thy arms, Will Hind ers.'' eI tlE He had her in his arms already. He had her through the window upon the lad- der, and the people were shrieking below.
 Janet Ayres stood at tho window look ing down.
 'I will come back" he shouted.
 But she did not seem to hear him. She was saying over something-saying it with blanching lips and dilated eyes-saying it to herself in whisper: "Fur tn child's child's sake-fnr tn child's sake."
 He had thought he might return, but the watching crowd knew he would not. Fire and smoke pouring out at the win dows fought against him on his danger ous downward way. Twice he nearly slip ped. More than once his burden was al- most too much for him, and tho frail sup port he clung to tottered beneath his tread, and when he touched the ground the fire had reached the third floor room, and the ladder fell with Q crash. "Let met go back" he shrieked, when they tried to hold shim, and he was man enough to mean what he said. But they l held him fast, and one, more thoughtful than the rest, forced him away with his back to the building. Tho woman at the window stood still. | The people below watched her breathless- 1 ly, or hid their faces ill horror. The room grew hotter and hotter; there were rising tongues of flame here and there. The heat scorching her flesh, and she had to press close against the window for a breath. Oh, God! how safe they were be- low! Then thcre was crash; the flooring 1 shook
 ''Fur tn child's sake," she cried, "Jen- ny! Happen this is the chance, Chirstl-" and so went down into the abyss with her arms flung wildly upwards:
 Phillis opened her eyes, and looked round. Her first glance fell upon her hus bands face, and seeing it she looked no 1 farther. r ''Where is Janet Ayres?" she asked. His awed face answered her. "The Lord have mercy upon her," she said. "Tho Lord have mercy upon her." and closed her eyes again, her lips moving after her voice had dropped. But Will Renders, depite his awe and pain, was Will Renders still-he could not wait-he had something to say, so he | bent over her, and touched her hand with | impetuous tenderness. "Phillis," he said, "Phiilis." The tears slipped from under her lashes and fell upon the pillow, but she did not speak, and at sight of these tears Renders tu rned pale and trembled. "Phillis," he said, in broken uoice. Git shall be as you say. will go or stay, as you decided; but will say what I came to say before I golf I must go. You were led astray with lies. Phillis-they told you lies. was false to myself, but never to you. The only wrong did you was in keeping that wretched story secret l have been a villain, but not to you. l swear to you that this is true. God for give mo for my sin.''
 She opened her eyes.
 ''God forgive us bothl' she cried, "Whose sin has been greater than mine? | Why should I dare harden my heart against the world, when was SO full of wrong mysclf?"
 He snatched at her hand, and knelt down, kissing it in the old appealing way she knew so well.
 "You were too pure to understand" l he said.
 'I was too hard," she said, ''too cold and proud, and God has shown me when l my little child died"
 "Your child?" he said. "My girl-my woor, poor grill" and he drew her into his arms.
 She did not try to move, but lay upon his breast.
 'It died," she said, weeping, perhaps through it's mothers angry shit did not live day.
 He held her close, weeping himself as he caressed her.
 1 ''l have searched for you every hour of my life since came home that day and found that you had gone" he said. "And at last it was Jonet Ayres who made her way to tho old place and told me where you were. She did not know that you had gone away believing lie; she fancied your anger was all reused by hearing tho truth; but something you had done for her had touched her heart. know now what that something was, and she told mo that could find you here. Phillis, must I go or stay?"
 1 She clung to him, trembling all over. 1 'Take me home," she answered. ''Let us take her child, and try to make it's life all it's mothers might have been. She | gave her life for mine-let me give mine to this little one. And if thou canst for give mo. Will, the time may come when l can forgive myself"