Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-05-10
Do you hear me, Marian? do you
understands"

Do you hear me, Marian? do you
understands"
eyes"
Never, IN its nearest approach to
courage, can cowardly heart become
brave. This was as near confession as
Willie's guilty mother ever came. It
did not save her from that which she
called retribution bitter indeed"
For a brief time Willie remained
quiet; but before the physicians came,
all Marlan,s tact and force of will were
tested, and other attendants to their
utmost were tried. For day and
night afterward only the stfeng 9Th of
strong men could hold him. Reason
returned when the friend we call
enemy came to Willie. His below
ed Marian was beside him; her hand
held his when he descended into dark
ness; the image of his idol lay beneath
the lids of his closed eyes-the last dear
thing that earth held for him.
On the night of Willie's great danger,
Marian had been calm and strong; but
when day was breaking, and she came
out into the air to go home, she was no
longer calm and strong. And at that
instant, almost at the doorstep in the
lonely street in that lonely town-for
was there any one else abroad at that
hour ?-she met Clarke Hadley.
Why he came there, why he waited
for her there, Fate alone knew. There
he was, to give his strength when she
needed it. They walked in silence to
the avenue.
The first words he said to her were:
Marian, do you remember the days
when we used to tell each other every
thing ?'
(" / remember" Marian answered,
and this morning, though / know not
why, | wish you would let me tell you
everything AGAIN."
Before she had told him half of her
everything, he had seized the little
hand that lay SO TREMENDOUSLY on his
arm, and pressed it to his lips, to his
heart. Marian, you are mine," his
heart said, " forever and forever mine"
His lips said: Twill you be mine?-
once again mine"
But Marian's words were: "My life is
already promised. have given my
self as solemnly as I can to new mo-
tive; for oh, dear friend, since we part
ed, and since | have been no longer
through and through happy girl, l
have seen how much sorrow there is in
life. / have determined to live as my
dear mother lives--for others; to give
some help, some happiness, if posi-
bly, can"
And then be said, "Live for others,
Marian, but live for them with me. Let
me help you comfort and strengthen
those who need. | too have had my
serious thoughts about life in my
dreary wanderings, sweet little heart
since l parted from you. I
have come to think that we have no
right to seize happiness and keep it all
to ourselves-no right to enter into our
own heaven and shut out all the world,
as we used to, in those dear old days. "
Those dear old days" These
words he spoke again as they stood at
sunrise on the seward piazza Of Mar
lan's home, in the lively autumn
touched scenery, full of memories to
them. And not calm and not strong
Marian, trembling with the weight
Lei loLS ulSHt VI watching
heavy with darkness and the cry of hui
,nan woe-gave herself to the strength
that he extended. 1t hardly seemed to
her strange that he should take her in
his arms, as a new day began, and that
his lips said to her, as his heart had
said, Mine-forever and forever
mine.
They were married." after the sea-
son." They had missed their youths
all-joyous bloom they had missed the
radiant interchange of summer and
midsummer. The pathetic calm or
autumn was inclosing them around.
But not, "after the season for all that
is best and noblest and dearest in wom-
an and man. Not after the season for
those to whom the reflection of their
welded love is as the glory of the gold
en- days.