Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-07-22
Miner & Palmer.

take it." Smell the lilacs, LulA
| them.'' And again, "Ah, Miss
was wrong.r Out of these drearI
owns, out of the life so CALAMITY bon
love that had wounded and betraJ Al
| the evening of the fourth day after
letter came our Martin passed into
awakening Fine
We read the note sitting beside hi
and peaceful presence His wane AZ!
words had betrayed the truth, and
| not withhold it from Jessie. Hef
seemed cut in stone as we read: A
| Mr. JOSEPH MARTIN: I take up IN
| to say that / got your letter, and m
all of us are very sorry for your acc
About our engagement, We was both y
| and it's only natural for girl to feel teuts
having husband that isn't like other -
So think, and ms, too, that we'd betts At
| II broken off. You was real genera
make the offer, and hope there won't b
hard feeling about it. Ma sends her res
and hopes youth soon be well. So no Slit
Yours truly, LucY ALI
"I'll take il to her" said Jessie.
She was very pale. Her set face 10. 49,,
old and gray In her hanc she held Lul.. =
picture, the photograph of a girl with long,
lustrous ringlets, and face whose delicate
beauty was only marred by certain
coquettish pose of head and quality of ex-
preston.
You must give Martins message,
then"--and l repeated it as exactly as ]
could
"Ill give it'-with the same set look.
That evening Martin went home in his
coffin, and the following morning Jessie
followed to attend the funeral, which was
fixed for the ensuing week.
II shall come back, were her last
words s'There's nothing for me to do
there. shall come back and work here
for a SPELL
We dared not count on this promise,
much as we wished her return but ten
days later she appeared, looking years old
err, but otherwise the same little, capable,
cheerful woman All that summer and
autumn she stayed, giving most valuable
aid, quiet always, handy, indefatigable,
| tender, all that nurse should be.
1t was more than a month before she in
any way alluded to Martin orto the errand
she had undertaken. One evening, in a
| lull of occupation, as we sat under the
| trees for a halfhour's rest, she spoke, won
/
| and soft twilight sounds of birds twitter
and sleepy insects hum
Il gave that note''-abruptly.
{" Yes, Jessie, / knew you would"
g But didn't give 1t as you meant
hould--or-as--he--m "--she wen,
on, with tremor in the steady voice
"She came to the funeral, that girl! She
| has another beau now; but there was such
a stir in the village about Martin that she
| wanted to share in the glory somehow
and-Miss Agnes, she put on black"
| " Impossible!'
| "She didl We were all in the room
with him-mcther and his father, and the
aunts and uncles and me. And she came
in like widow in a Grape veil, and sa
down by the coffin, and cried, and held
her handkerchief over her face! bore il
till they took him away because he loved
her SO; but when they carried him out
couldn't bear it any longer / just got NJ
before them ALL took the note out O
my pocket, and went across the room ano
said
9" Here, Lucy Allen. That is for you.
| "She was frightened, and caught hel
breath.
"'Take it, / said. 1t is the note 20,
wrote Joe Martin, breaking of your en-
| gagement because he had given an arm
| to the country. And here's your picture
You're pretty enough, Lucy Allen; Blu
you killed the boy who loved you, just "a
much as though you had sent the bulle
through his arm! He was doing well thu
day your note came, and three days aftel
he was dead. He died because he did M
rant to lice any longer IN the same 1oorLc
NTH girl Ike youi He forgave you; bu
| | don't, and / never will Take your
note and go away! You've no place hert
among us who loved Joe. You didn'
love him, or else you would not have
killed him."
The passion Of her energy made me
SILVER in that warm August air..
"Oh, Jessiel And what did she say:'
" Nothing. She tainted, or made be-
lieve, and they got her home somehow.
never want to see her again"
Martin forgaye her. And the dear
Lord forgives US all, Jessie"
I" cant--don't ask me. Martin could
forgive--he was good always; but for
me-" She hid her face moment
then raised II suddenly.
"He never once spoke my name, Mis-,
Agnes, never once in all his wandering
1t was always Luly, Luly! And SHE broke
his heart and then came to his funeral
Don't ask me to forgive herl"
What could / answer: Poor Jessie!-
| Christian Union.