Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-12-26

. t!suue NrlgEtoU would never meet Some q AZ
the vuuld marry, perhaps. aid no Que -ral 4
& ever guess that Audrey tai 80 c,uspIe.sly
/ given her heart away IA the DAYS Of her Eirl-
4 hood. 1es, that Was how Il NOuii aij happen.
she msce up her mind 20 thar while she sat
there, tie tears filming ter eyes. UOby striving %
Zee happy IN The happiness she believed sne
han secured tor another, and content w.tb hes
own lot II the other were accom- p.isHsi.
Helen A-E tOu Was sitting IN her room alone.
feeling very sd AMI traub Ell; she had hssn
walking ~ and down under the trees, thinking
/ q the life that vas growing into = dim Ia M
. DRY now, thinking OF the msu who ASi lef1
+ her ~ o. % 1ra'ons a Eer-Wua had been tig-
ing ciOst 70 a~T no" for some ms and yet had
/ never uhcV come near her. No, she va for
gotteT-fofE0tt ter: Vet lie p a. h-su tru- % Llrl
/ as women sometimes caa OG; -br Ia! refused 5o
J become I'll w!fe 49, -ra4 amt t5a- u.au because
" o tine love SFa >-4t bore Him.
Many n man VFta nov. wE,l hG. Youth Va
. lass't {. o',f, No-.H oEEg taken b len v1E bale
/ We Ia iEo..e lad co1e q believe tlAt "a.
/ Won. never mA-ry-
/ She saJ hiding her eyes floa4 ,na sunlight chat
stOto ln, and at the door atss JgIr, stood
"aie.iuS her. he sArs a S'an ,.l 81 /. pea ga,
sir viii a winter rose IL. Les. at..g, AMI go.
he's sC'J brown hair braided % "a. f1rsha.: la
3 tn Old way he rrm-nte - veil So vas
/ sitting there alone. with only ar "a augrts q
Keep her company. he watched -er tor -sflr
minutes IN silence, ana tnvu he vrTs sofuy spjke
{ her DamC:
"HCleL.'
she.stsrt,d, and a little lev cry came from
her liIs.
go. Claud :"
2
ba-k, rem m5e ing t. II al Wa changed be-
u. ca them .'Hg ago, aUf Se Slrs1g 70 ler De.
AMI passing lis Strong arm round her saIsg,ss04
drew er he a. do. N hI5 SHOULDER
ct snk GO1, ny darling, 10 is a..Ial At las.
My Helen. have you forgiven sue2' Lg asset,
looking oWn INTO h-T .sitf OTuwa eEe-.
~ a" a. not for me T. forgive, C.suie''
"l es, l. r., my darling, i for you TO forgive.
but, y, ny Helen, why dad You never tE-ss- fus
letter? / wrote II in ali tyutI. my y -.ly-
waited you back very badly thee, A. / have
Away done
"IUeyer recsived any letter from you al thee
years, Claude. On, 10 y8u believe d. I ust Use
celNed any letter from yOu thst / should have
lett Ii uHsnsWeUed.'
And so 1t had been. The miscarriage Of .
single letter hal worked - laucb misery 10 two
who loved each Other very truly, unnecessary
misery, 1t seemed At first. misery All para
ton; but Helen kaew that Gods WAYS ais wiser
than ours, aud she always believed that those
years had worked out their own good purpose.
How much he had 10 tell Of these y6zI- Il lFin-
which they had never met or communicated,
and how proud she felt Of him. tho. "a that was
10 new feeling, for she had felt prDIt OF uIm
whenever tiI papers had coupled his name win
any OF his deeds OF Iame. He laj ,Om5falngrp
tel, TOO, OF MS snort stay A. L3fIim5r h3l aud
OF her dear Audrey, and here he uad cJafss-
sion to make about Audrey ana his foolish ms
take.
Fancy my thinking that bright creature
such a. she is could have been dgug OF love for
Ire, Helen. | never telt small in nv life,
and Yet had s0IRr grand idea OF sacrificing nv
useless lie to her. Oh, yOu should have seen
the scoTn III her eyes a. she stood there know NJ
all the time that | did not love her, ana tina. /
believed she loved me-"
Helen did not seem to think il would have
been anything very wonderful II Audrey hal
loved Inn but she hoped very sincerely tuaE
she had not done so. Any lingering m.sgJ wing
she might have had on this score was mDicte.E
Gisptiled by Audreys letter OF hearty ioyyu,
congratulations when she heard tue nsws.
Papa has written tCs4Y he is coming I1ms,n
she wrote, 'and he l. not very well, he
wishes to spend his ChIiTJmas ~ Ashton Mills.
so have told Mrs. Huntley that / shall sag
gOCd-by to her on ChUIstmas morning; bar
don expect me earlier, aunt Nelly, tor we
engaged 10 90 somewhere or other on every day
till then, ana l know Won will never be lonely
again, so don't mind leaving YOU. Oh, | do So
hope and trust you will be happy; | think no
one will be so glad a. | snail be II you are. Al
! ter the wedding mean to take papa abroad;
am tired OF England, and You know | an never
happy III the same place Tor long together
While Audrey was writing this letter the tear
stood III her eyes, but she carefully concealed
any trace OF this in her tone.
"NO, aunt Helen Will never g1ess it," she
salG, folding up the note and putting * into an
envelope with a slow, unsteady hand.
The news OF N ass AShtOn's engagement c4ma
as a great surprise at LOrrimer Han TO all but
Audrey she acted her difficult part 80 well thai
DO one guessed that the girls heart was given
| 10 her duIts lover, AMI little Mrs. hGutley
came 10 believe that she had made great and
most foolish mistake. At first Col WtightOn
| felt little awkward meeting her; but her gay,
/ easy manner soon put him at his ea=e, and u
spent little OF his time with tn n now la.s l.
and Audrey seldom met.
She was greatly changed, though they ia ns-
! DouCe II; bat Aubrey knew wishm herself tuaf
/ a change had come. She found herself caiuE
! ing more teIGeTy OF her father, who Wa AZ Il
| health. She did not take the same pride IN he.
| beauty, and she would cit aud listen 10 the o.
clergyman with feeling in her heart tha
| Audrey had never known before: q feeling OF q
| greater need OF something To lean On-oC help l.
| bear the burden laid upon her young shoulder.
| Yes, at this Christmas time the girl seemel "a
| lay aside whatever IN her character was VIOLA
| tile and wanting in thOUghtiulne-s- Trial has a
! Christening effect upon some hearts, and she
was one Of those whom it so tens. Audrey har
! it IN her TO be a noble WOmSh; but She haG
| wanted, some great blow TO deVeop.hGr char
| acter, and the girls misplaced love had given
! the necessary stimulus. In the solitude OF her
| own room she often knelt now and prayed even
! as she had prayed in church; and me early lee
sons which she had learned at her mother
| knee came back TO her as II spoken yesterday q,
| and Audrey hailed the coming Christmas with a
/ new and different feeling in her heart fro IL
| that which che had usually looked forward to
| it.
"Mss Ashton, are you ill?" Edward Cla ytou
| asked, one day as he and she were walking back
from decorating the little church.
"1H! Not /; / am never ill.," Audrey said
/ "Wby do you think so! L am sure [ take
| enough exercise. 1 am not often idle"
'That ID just it; you seem to me 70 be troubled
mentally, you are so restless now"
''You mean don't lounge about in my usual
idle fashion. am getting more sensible" she
| said. smiling, "that's ALL"
| "Shall see you in London next year?" he
asked. "My SISTERS and mother will be g0ins
| up. l had intended going to Germany, but
| there will be greater attraction for me there
| if | may look forward to meeting you than any
where else in the world
| "YOu will not meet me there" Audrey ans
wered. 81 am going away with papa to live
| quietly far away from the gayety OF q London
| life. But wish you would not speak to me
| like that, Mr.. Clayton. We have been such
| good friends, you and /, do let US part So"
I "Audrey, cannot part so. | must tell You
| once-what I've no doubt you know quite well
| already-that / love you. know you look upon
| me as boy, but your doing so does not in any
| way make me love you the less. couldn't help
| loving you, even If i tried, ," he said, a tone or
| his despair coming into his voice; "It is as ma
| tuTal for me TO love you, Audrey, as to live. 1
! know | am utterly unworthy Of you myself.
am in position to marry, you know; the Old
/ estate comes to me. don't mean to say 1
! think that would make any difference to You,
! but If | were not in such position would not
/ dare TO ask you TO be my wife,"
| She was silent.
| "AudTey, won't you speak 20 me?"
! 81 want you to tell me one thing" she said.
! "Hsve l ever tried to leave the impression on
/ your mind that cared for you, or wanted you
| to propose to me?"
| "Neyer."
"Thsnk God" she muttered to herself
/ "Listen to me. You are mistaken; you really