Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1876-08-05

how long he should be gone. He has pined
the engineering party going from Hilbury to
the West. He told me to tell you goodbye
for him.
THAT vas all Marcia said il sharply, as
if the words cost her great effort. Her face
was very pale.
Yes, that was ALL, answered Mrs. STAN
hope, busy with the mik-pans.
'He never cared for me, I'm sure Marcia
whispered to her pillow that night, and then
cried herself to sleep.
o o @ Q
1t was pleasant afternoon in October when
Mrs. Stanhope died. The sky was inll oi
dreamy vagueness-a haze through which the
sunshine filtered goldenly, aud hid the noun
tains far of and made the hills near by seem
/ like the hills Of some ehos,ly land. The
leaves of the old chestnut by the door were
dropping softly and with slow rustic that 5
/ kent time to the ticking of the old clock IN
/ the corner.
Mrs. Stanhope had been failing slowly Tor
years. Her life had faded as the day fades
( YOU scarcely can tell that the light is going
out, but the FIRST you know it is gone. II was
so with her. The light was almost gone out
now. 1t only ilickered for moment; then
there would be darkness.
Marcia, she said family.
/ We'll, mother2
There is something want to tell you
ought to have told you long ago. Dick Gres-
ham left letter for you when he went away
| read it aud hid it in the old clock, 1t Is
there yet. When am gone, find it and READ
il. But not till then, Marcia She looked
up pleadiugly into Marcia's face.
No. not till then, Marcia promised, with
strange feeling Of expectancy, regret and
anger at heart. What did the hidden letter
have to say? Perhaps-and then she tried
TO nut all thought Of it out Of her head until
the time came for her to know what DICK bad
10 saw. But she could not do that.
By and by Mrs. Stanhope said she wanted
to 90 to sleep. Marcia arranged her pillows,
and the sick woman closed her eyes wearily.
She slept long and well, for she.never woke
again.
The funeral was over. And then eamo
that awful sense'iof desolation which follows
after the burial Whoever has passed
through this experience Of life can never for
get the dreary loncsomeness, the solemn ST.
| lence that is about the house. The world
seems TO have stopped for little time
Tick. tick the old clock kept repeating
that night, and Marcia went TO it to solve the
mystery it-held. She took of the old door,
and removed the curously-carved front. In
the bottom covered with the dust OF fifteen
years, she found the letter she had never known
Of so long.
She read it through with curious blending
Of pleasure to know that Dick had loved her,
/ and bitter regret for what she bad lost. IL
she had only known then Now her liio
must 60 on as it had gone so long, but sbe
should have it to think Of that he bad loved
! her.
She laid her head down against the old
clock and cried softly I, Ills love would have
| been so sweet II would have made life so
pleasant. But it was lost, 1t had been lost
for fifteen years.
/ There was n KNOCK at the door. She got
up, drying Der tears hastily, and went to ad-
nit her visitor, hardly conscious Of what she
was doing, but acting more from force of
habit than anything else
A man stood on the threshold.
Marcia" be said, and held out bis hand.
You don't know me, ] guess, am Dick Grcs-
ham. came back to-day. heard Of your
mothers death, and knew you'd be lonesome,
aud thought perhaps you'd be glad to SEQ
an old friend, so made bold to come
'Oh Dick, Dick = she cried, aud then
broke down in true woman fashion i won
der what sent you here tonight? have
just found the letter you wrote and left for mo
before you went away. ! never knew there
bal been one until three days ago. You
can't blame me for not writing as you asked
ne to, Dick and then the face Of this wo-
man, whose years were thiriy-6ve, and out Of
whose heart you would have supposed all
girlsh romance bad Ged, grew suddenly bot
with sweet shame to think Of what her words
meant.
God sent me guess, be said. with great
gladness in bis face, and lie caught her TO bis
heart, and kissed her. was sure you loved
me, Marcia, but the letter looked for never
came, and thought your mother bad got you
to thinking as she did. So gave up hoping
for that which took it for granted bad lost,
and stayed away because there was nothing
to draw me back here. a month ago got
it into my head that wanted to see HilbUry
again, and came back. They told me that
you were Marcia Stauhope yet, and think
that set me to hoping a little. You see, it's
hard to give up hoping, in the first place, and
it don't take much to set man 10 hoping a.
gain, after be thinks he's given it up for be
can't forget"
And SO, after fifteen years the old clock
gave its secret up, and two hearts came togeth-
er never to be parted more.
A little girl hearing it remarked that oil
people had once been children, artlessly in
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