The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-06-14

rent of Andrews love had flowed on un
broken and untroubled, and this incom
ing of obstruction had produced tur
bulence as destructive of peace and hap
piness, for the time, as though the very
fountain of love itself had been broken
up.
As he sat alone in his Office he picked
up paper, and sought to overcome hi<
unhappy thoughts by reading. He
could not fix his mind upon the threac
of long article, so he read the short
paragraphs, and at length his eye caught
the following: -
"Where there has been mfsunder'
standing between two near and deal
friends, resulting in mutual unhappl'
ness and regret, the one who loves most,
and whose sense of right and duty is
strongest, will make the first advance
towards reconciliation.
Andrew Thurston dropped the paper
and rose to his feet. It was as though a
voice from heaven had spoken to him.
81 do not love the most" he so4llo-
ouized; "but I am the strongest and
should show my love by my works"
He looked at his watch. 1t was al
most noon. 1t was not his custom to
return home till evening; hut he could
not remain as bear the burden through
the other hours of the day. And he
marveled, and he put on his hat and
drew on his gloves, how even the re-
solve to do this simple thing had let the
sunlight into his soul.
x =
Dollie Thurston, when she knew that
her husband had gone-had gone with
out q word or kiss-had gone without
giving her time to recover her stricken
senses-sunk down and wept; and it
was long time before she could clearly
think or reflect. She had been left alone
alone with pain and sorrow-and she
was utterly miserable. She blamed
herself for not having called her hus'
band to her; and she blamed him fol
not having come of his own accord. TIC
her it seemed as though the death Of JOY
had come. She had never known such
misery before. By-and-bye, when she
could think, she wondered if her hus'
band would smile upon her if she should
offer him the first kiss, and speak the
first word of love. She would try it. II
would be terrible if he should refuse
her; but she could not live so.
The hours passed and the young wife
sat like one disconsolate. She thought
not of lunch-she had no appetite. She
only thought, could the warm sunshine
ever come again Did her husband
love her less than she had thought z "
There she sat, with pale cheeks and
swollen eyes, when she heard the outer
door opened, and step in the hall.
She started up to listen, thinking that,
perhaps, her senses might have deceived
her, when the door of the sitting room
was opened and her husband entered.
His eyes filed with tears when he saw
how pale and grief stricken his wife
looked, and, with open arms, he moved
toward her.
Dollie-my darling! Doa't let us
be unhappy auy more p
He had been thinking On his way
home. what he should say when he met
her and he had framed in his mind
a speech of confession which he would
make, but he forgot it all when he saw
her, and his heart spoke as it would.
The words burst from his lips lovingly,
prayerfully, beseechingly: "Dollie
my darling Don't let us be unhappy
any more !"
She came to his bosom and twined
her arms about his neck and for the
kiss that was missed in the morning
they took many now and they wept no
more apart, but wept together.
That was all. The cloud hail passed
and they experienced the exquisite thrill
which all true hearts can feel when a
wrong has been made right and when
the warm JOY beams drive away the dark
shadows Of sorrow and regret. 1t was a
life lesson to them both, and they
promised themselves that they would
pay heed to its teachings. "-....> -. ..