Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-05-29
,ishine his house-bad furnished It. for on the

nishing his house-had furnished It, for on the
morrow the wedding was to take place. And it
was night again. A month from that night,
when she had come for the last time, az every
one thought rain and mud, to make her sadly
foolish query, she WAS sensible at last-very
sensible. She had chosen the substance instead
of the shadow.
And now, an We said, it was night, and wet
ter one than that other-letter, too, for Mr..
Fairjohn had closed the store, and was com.
pounding himself what he called "nightcap"
of come fragrant liquor warm water, lemons
and sugar, and was slipping it by the stove, when
there came upon his door a feeble knock, and
when being repeated lac heard it, there stag
gered in out of the rain dripping fgure-that
OF jessie Lester, the bride who was to be Oh the
morrow.
She was trembling with cold and as he led her
to the fire she burst into flood OF tears.
I'm frightened )" she said. "some one fol-
lowed mo all the way. Iheard them"
sssl old Farjohn, bluntly. "And what's the
matter?'
She looked up piteously.
=" thought there would be letter, said she
~ dreamt there was one l thought Charlie
come to me and said "Go to the Office once
more. have written, have written, and
thought saw letter with red seal
$50 did /, muttered old Farjohn to HIM
self.
He went to the box where the letters were
"Look for yourself" he said. "And now Mrs
Lester, I'm an old man. Take my advice. Re-
member what your duty will be after tomorrow
Remember not to go crazy"
"Ten years have gone since your husband
left this place. II he's alive he's rascal and
you are free Of him by law ; but we all know
that every man on board the Sphynx was
drowned. So be good wife to Job Roper and
forget this folly. "Fll take you home again this
time. Don't come again.
She made no answer, but only tossed the let
tors over in her lap and said:
I" seemed to know it had red SEAL"
And as she spoke Fairjohn, gaIcing at the door,
saw dark shadow there, saw it grow darker /;
saw it enter, and starting up on his defense, If
need was, recognized Job Roper.
lie was very pale, and ho took no notice Of
Fairjohn, but crossing the store stood beside
Jessie Lester.
" You love that man best, even now," he said
"You'd rather have found letter from him than
not, though tomorrow ID our wedding day."
She looked up into his face with a piteous
glance.
81 never lied to you, job" said she, ''You
know that"
He grew winter still.
~ told yon men would lose his soul for such
love as mine, said he. "Dd you think those
were idle words2" Then he plunged his hands
into his bosom, and the next instant letter,
with a red seal, lay in Jessie's lap.
I've made you happy and now I'll go" he
btiuf btolo tuht ioJtor u uOulH ago,
Off the counter yonder, knew who wrote it at
glance" and then the door closed behind him
and he was gone.
But Jessie had torn open the letter and never
looked after him.
And these were the words she read and Fair
john reading over her shoulder:
'ABoARD THE SILVER STAR-Jessie Darling.
l don't know what makes me believe that l shall
find you mine still, after all these years but
something does. Five Of ns were cast on a des-
ert island when the sphynx went down. The
two yet alive were taken off it yesterday in skins,
with our boards to our knees. We must go to
England first-then home Jessie, Jessie, If I
do not find you as 1 left you shall so mad
Tour husband,
CHARLES LESTER
And so Jesse's letter had come at last. And
as John Fairjohn looked into her face he saw
how angels looked in Paradise.
And job Job WAS found drowned in the Kill
the next morning. jessie never knew it, per-
haps, for she and her boy were on tho way to
New York to meet the Silver Star when it made
port