Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-07-25

l could only kiss her and press her to
my heart. After while / said:
- 1t was only those words, will YOU
forgive meP that l wanted. If you
would have spoken them sooner, we
need never have partedn
"Oh, Harold how can you7 1t was
not that | was asking you to forgive me,
but my folly in leaving you. / am as
| innocent of taking that wretched money
as my own child. Won't you believe
me-"
81 do, my darling, l do" l replied,
with genuine delight. al would have be-
lieved you then If you had said this to
me; but you know you never deigned me
a word, and what was | to thinkP"
was so Mortified at your even sus-
pecting me that | fancied it was beneath
me to deny it. l cannot now understand
what could have prompted you to think
such dreadful thing of me. 1t is very
hard to BEAR"
was beginning to wonder, too, how
| could have suspected my own Marian.
Circumstances and my mother were
more to blame than |, however.
In answer, L murmured something
| about Frank.
All, that letter to Frank; I remem-
ber 1T. You were always so hard upon
him that | didn't like to tell you about
it. He really had been trying to keep on
steadily at the post your kindness had
obtained him, but old debts were con-
stantly coming in, and his limited salary
would not meet them and keep him as
well. There was one man who pressed
him hard for El0. He had spent his
last quarters salary within a pound or
two, and more would not be coming for
some time. He wrote and told me this,
asking me to help him, but l could not.
He wrote again, and said he must draw
on his salary, but l begged him not to
| do so so soon. / was sure his employers
would think it bad sign. The man
threatened to expose his former habits
to the firm, which you know might have
ruined him with them. / resolved to
help him this once, and in order to do
so sold my diamond brooch, which |
scarcely ever had occasion to wear.
got Gl0 Tor it, and | sent him notes to
that amount-he little guessed at what
cost"
my poor, prosecuted, self-sacrifcing
little woman; why did you not tell me
all thisP Why could you not trust me?'
'Why could you not trust me?"
Marian demanded, half playfully, hall
pathetically. Then she added, earnestly,
Il have been very much to blame. ]
was proud and self willed, and all sorts
of Dad things, and then leaving you was
worse than all. Harold, dear, | am SO
ashamed of myself for that. No woman
is justified in leaving her husband on SC
slight u pretext as l had"
thought so, too. She was becoming
the most sensible little woman in the
world; but had been to blame too: but
| was not going to let the magnanimity
all be on her side. "We were both to
blame" / replied. Il am not going tc
exonerate you quite, little wife, but am
going to own to my fault. | was brute
to doubt you. Marian, you must forgive
me, dear"
"Oh, Harold! we shall be so happy
again now, shan't wep" the little woman
replied; and then she wound up ouI
reconciliation in truly womanly style
with tears and smiles and kisses.
But the mystery OF the money was
still more dark after Marian's explana.
ton, and it was months before we pene-
trated it. We did so at last however.
Our piano being sadly in want of re-
pair, | sent to a professional man tC
come and "do it up" l was in the
room when he proceeded to take it tC
pieces. AS soon as the front was re-
moved l perceived little black box
snugly lodged inside, which | immedi
ately recognized. My grand idea now
flashed into my mind. Here, then, was
the clew to the mystery. IaDas the thief
In my anxiety I had placed the money
inside the piano while still under the in
iluence of sleep.
Marian was delighted. She actually
shed tears ofjoy when / told her of my
discovery.
"Oh! you abandoned man, she said
shaking her head at me. " to suspect me
when all the time you had stolen you
own money!"