The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-08-20
conflict had been going

weeks great conflict had been going
on i'm her soul.
Hate cannot last forever; though love
can.
A strange, new, intense feeling was
growing ia the heart of Alice Marlay.--
1t was not hate. Was Il loveg Birney
Graham seemed to be asleep when Alice
Marlay stepped noiselessly to his bed
side. He seemed not to hear or see her.
But he was not asleep. He was trying
TO gather strength to open his eyes and
come face to face with Alice. After
that, when she came in, simply a nod
of recognition passed, nothing more
He was too weak to either thank her or
ITO quarrel with her. A week later, he was
able to be dressed, and lie on a sofa.-
Then he sent for Miss Marlay. He
thought now he had strength to look
into her face and while he looked thank
her for all her great kindness to him.
She came in softly, little pale, and
trembling little. This man, Birney
Graham, lying there helpless as baby,
so weak even then that Brown could
easily have frightened him to death,
had nevertheless come to have a strange,
sweet power over her. She sat down
upon little rockingham, beside his
sofa. He looked at her steadily with his
intense black eyes.
had thought" he began. Then
he stopped. This beautiful face, now
pale with emotion, this was the face of
his old, lost love, his first and only love,
whom he had worshipped-ah ! God
knows how wildly He turned him
away from her, and buried his face in
the cushions, and broke into passionate
sobs. He was so weak, so very weak
yet
The heart of Alice Marlay gave
mighty throb, till it ached in her bosom,
then it lay deathly still. She hesitated
a moment, a little short moment, then
she took Birney Graham's thin face be-
tween her hands and turned it back
towards her again, and kissed him on
the mouth.
'' Birney, dear Birney ~ she whisper
ed, in voice ineffably sweet and
tender.
He laid one wasted arm about her, and
they both wept together little. It's
very sweet to mingle happy tears.
Just because these two were so strong,
and proud, and unforgetful, for that
very reason they will love each other
with a mighty love, which shall
endure when common loves are all
forgotten, love which shall hold them
together till death parts them, and after
that day has come, no other mortal can
ever fill the place left vacant by either
1.-THE man marry must be strong
man." Alice Marlay had said. The man
she married had barely strength to step
from the sidewalk to the carriage, on
his weddine-day. But he was strong
man for all that, and his name was Bir-
ney Graham.
Alice Marlay's father was practical
old gentleman with no nonsense about
him, and best of all, no snobbery about
him. He cared precious little for High
land blood and that rubbish ,and thought
the world was wide enough for every
body, and one person was as good as
another, as long as he behaved himself.
When his daughters choice was an
nounced to him, he received the news
peculiar to himself.
6 Why couldn't she have taken him
five years ago ?" he said. "I'm not al
ways asleep when my eyes are shut, and
thought then she couldn't do better
Birney Graham is one of the few men
I've known in my time who had head
on 'em. If she had married him five
years ago, she'd have saved a sight of
nonsense,and I'd have had son to help
me all this time"
So you will understand the hidden
meaning" of the remark father Marlay
made when his approval was asked for
the match.
g Yes, yes It's the strangest thing
in nature that people can't learn any
;sense.'
Too Much Curjosifv