The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1877-06-08
eve.

| would mend the lining OK his new
overcoai, II he would wear another
and leave that at home, And so
ms he had leftllt she took It from the
hall-rack and carried Il Into her sew
lng-room. ba ni
She was Mrs. Wilton, and shc had
been married. flve years, and never ~
never--navpr during that time had
had one Unhappy moment. Mr.Wil.
ton had been very attentive, very
kind, very generous, and never nude
her jealous, She often said she was
the happlest woman living, Now, as
she lonlksd at the lining and compared
the silk with which she wAs about to
replace the torn portion, she was
Thinking these things. 4
They had never had any ehlldr8ns
but when people gre all IN all 10 eAch
other, thatls no very great gflafy All
her care was for hlTn---,all his Tor her
She put her hand Into Tho breast
pocket as she spoke, and drew out .
little package, wnIpped npin silver
paper and tied Withlblue ribbon.
"SemethiHg he has bought for me,
l expect" said I've ~ wonder
what 1t Is. I think ! won't open II
until he comes home "thon shelald
the silk across che holsand cntit out,
aud busted II down. d gaAa
"r wonder what II is," said She.
'sToIn did mean ID got me nm opera
glass, know but that Is not the
shape Of the parcel. It doesn't tseem
like a book. It might be lace wound
on q card--real lace-----n
She looked ut the package again.
al do wonder what ltls," said she,
aud hemmed the patch down. M
"There wasn't much to mend, after
all,n she said. ~ thought the tear
much longer He caught II on a nail
at the office ] know Now ] do won.
der what thore Is In that package.n
Eve put the coat over chair and
took up the little parcel. aent
'Tom wouldn't mind" sho said.
81 will just take peep. I'm sure II
is for me"
Then she undld the ribbon, unfold.
ed the paper, and saw letters.
'eDear Tom,n said she, the must
keep my old letters next his heart,
and he never has told me,N
But the writing was not hers she
saw that at 4 glance.
''IIls mothers letters,n she .said.
tsHe loved his mother 50. p n&h y
Then she began to tremble little,
for the Letters did not begin. "My
dear son." nor anything like II.
She cast her eyes over them. They
were love-letters.
"Tom has loved soma other woman
before he met me-" she said, begin
ming to cry. "Oh, what shall ] doG"
Then she cried out 4; "Oh, foolish,
foolish creature that ami Ofc0urse
sho died, and he only loves me now. It
was all over before we met. must
not mind" but there she paused,
gave u scream, and threw the letter
from her as though It had been a
serpent and had bitten her. II was
dated the past week. 1t was not four
days old, sa ia%.eaF| A 2 @f Z
'sOh ! oh ! oh !" cried Eve. "oh,
what shall do 2? Oh, where shall /
go ~ Atevery cry a thought pierced
her breast like an actual stab. "Tom,
my Toml What shall l do ? Tom
Tom He 10 b0 false-T0nI / o, /
have gone mad No. There they
are They ae really there--those
letters Why do ! not die ? Why
do ] notdie2 DO people live through
such things as these ?"
Then she kDeIt down on the floor
and gathered up the letters, and
steadily read them through. There
were ten OF them. Such lovo-letteFs
No other interpretation eonld be put
upon them. They were absurd love-
letters--such as are always produced
In court In cases Of breach Of promise !.
And they called him 'sPopty Wnpsy,p
and 'Darling Parlingy," and 'IIoyey
Dovey,n and Gown Sweetness, 2 and
"AnSsl Of my Soul, = and they were
all signed, "Your own Nellie y
'1t is all true,p said poor Eve,
wrIngiug her hands. "And II Is
worse than anything have ever
heard Of. / trusted him 80. Ibe-
lleved In himso, My Tom--mlne |"
Then she wiped her eyes, gathered
up the letters, wrapped the silver
paper about them, tied the blue rib
bon, and put them back In the awful
breast pocket Of that ireadiIiI over
coat, and hung II on the hall-ack
again. @ ai
"Tem shall never know" she
said, am not reproach him. / will
never see him again when he comes
home shall be dead. Twill not'live
to bear this"
Then she ssat down TO think over
the bestmeaDs Of suicide. She could
hang herself to the chandelier with
window blind cord, but then she
would be black In the face and hide
ous. She could drown herself, but
then her bMy would 90 floating, float
Ing down the river TO the sea, aud
drowned people look even worse than
strangled ones. She was too much
afraid OF firearms to shoot taherself
even in this strait. She would take
poison.
Yes, that would be best; and
though she would never sec Tom
again, he would SEQ her, and romorse
would sting him. Here she Inado q
great mistake. a
A man who Is coolly tFeacheFous
10 women never has any Femorse.
Renorse IN love affairs Is q purely
feminine quality and sven the worst
ofthe sex are not without II. How
ever, 1t Is natural 10 believe that
H.. A. . Il