Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1879-12-10

been so with the one he had loved all of
these years?
Ought he to cry out against it, when he
thought that her Father ought not?
Now his years hung a tritie heavier on
his hand, few more threads of white
mingled with his dark-brown locks-so
much like Nina's. His step grew slower,
the lines on his brow a little deeper.
| In a short while Janette married a
Quaker, embracing his faith, settled down
close by.
This was another grain in the balance
against him. For nearly a year Nina's
letters came so often; they were travelling
most of the time, spending a week or two
at each place that interested them.
She had written, d" We are wandering
Jews now, and wish so often that you all
| could be with US. have seen so much of
| America that | never thought Of seeing,
and | don't know what scenery is the
| grandest. Duglass often laughs and tells
me | am like a child with new toy, at
each change of scenery. | have told you,
each in their turn. that the Hudson liver
was the grandest, the mountains in Penn.
sylvania, the Niagara Falls, the Natural
! Cave and now | am in the heart of the
| Yosemite Valley, this is the most sublime
| place of all. cannot tell you of it, the
Inscription is so tame; it is like one of
Netts rehearsals of Hamlet, after you have
seen it at theatre. | will send you some
views Of She had sent us so many of
these, that it almost seemed as if we were
viewing the same scenery with her.
Alter while her letters grew less. Less
in number, less in length and a trihe graver
| than she was want to write. She never
spoke OF coming home, only at some vague
distant day, and that even was seldom.
What was the cause of this change, was
he unkind to her? Was this the cause of so
much silence?
Day and night l brooded over it.
would know, she would tell me, if asked
Poor child, how hurt she seemed in her
reply. Dear Jennie, how grived am, to
think that would let my negligence cause
you to think that Duglass is unkind to me.
| wish SO much that you could only see
how deeply, how tenderly he loves me-
then you would never think such great
wrong against him. am happy, SO in.
tinately happy with him What more must
| write to assure you of it?'
In her diary all that couldn't under
stand, was SO painfully explained. Poor
little Nina her eyes had been opened TO
the truth mot by Duglass, better that it
had Of been. At their boarding house
one morning in the parlor among some of
the hoarders, there had been a whispering
She had heard only little, and it was as
great tempest to her
ooh! Duglass is it true ?" she had said
lifting her white face to his.
Then he took her in his arms and told
her ALL
All if you had told me this long ago,
1t would have been much easier from you"
would have done it, but when began
you frightened me. Don't you remember
the day before our first parting? After that
knew that willingly you would not listen
to me, so l cheated myself and deceived
you, thinking that you would never know.
On Nina, how much you must dispise me
for what am ~ be said so passionatelv.
No, my husband, dispise your actions.
but love you. loved you for yourself and
now cannot love you less because YOU do
those dreadful things"
Closer she chung to him, patiently watch
ing over him, and SO lovingly, so unceas.
ngly, SO gently, trying to win him back
from the downward path he was treading.
Nearly two years they had been married.
when such a bright letter came from her
Only to think In two more weeks and !
Will be home with you; | can scarcely con.
tent myself, | cannot realize it, Duglass
Will settle at Grey's Head and we will all
be SO happily united again IL can hardly
wait for the time to come.
"Duglass calls nae his little Gagged bird.
because | am SO anxious (now that know
that we are goingeto get back to the old
nest He says: Tell Jennie that | am
going to fulfill my promise to her in the
hail. lie won't tell me what it is, but saws
tuh I
for it,"
In week they were to be home with MS
We had looked forward to that time with
so much anticipation.
The rain was pouring down in torrents |
1t was so much like the night that Duelass
came to Grey's Head, many, many miles
from Cincinnati, where they were tonight. |
You are not going out in such storm |
as this, Duglass? Oh stay with me this |
evening? You must stay |"
Don't be so distressed little one, no |
one Will harm me. | have made an en- |
gagement and cannot possibly break it,
Where? Who with?" she asked eagerly. |
Where? at the Club. Who WITH
cannot tell you his real name. He is |
known as George Maxton, from New York
or Philadel phia, don't know which. and
like me, undeservedly has loving little
wife, who knows as much about his WAYS as |
you did mine two years ago. Don't chide |
me tonight, darling, it would make me
unsteady, only pray for my return. | will |
never play another game after tonight. |
am going to lead better life, then Won will |
DO proud OF me again. am going to show
my Nina that all of her tender entreaties |
have not been in vain Then, with a long
EN- brace, he kissed her and was gone in the |
darkness.
On, the weary, weary hours of anxious
watching that followed. All night long
she prayed and listened for his return.
How often she had done this? | don't
oeiieVe the pages of her diary told. He |
hao never drank. She looked upon it as |
olesslng from God, that this evil was withheld |
The heavy clouds emptied themselves
drlfted away and the stars came out one by |
one. The bells of the city changed out the |
passing hour, each in its succession, and |
each sixty minutes seemed day.
Here and there light twnkied in some
mousse others were keeping vigil,-she told |
herself, perhaps Just as she was doing 10. |
night, and her thoughts went bacl, to tho |
young girl she had seen carried to the |
morgue that day, driven to watery death |
by some dispairing sorrow, unknown to the |
world now. Perhaps one of these lights
cleaned from the anxious parents window. |
Watching for the loved one who could |
never more return, and then how utterly |
irlendless she may have been. NV trouble |
Is not so great as this, God has been so |
merclful to nae she thought.
All night long she had watched and |
prayed by the open window. The stars
came out one by one, the red and green
lights on the river glided to and fro All |
was stiffness below, it had been some time
window "er
The first faint banda Of grav oro,t