The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-01-29
chance brings you here" he began.
But I stopped him.

chance brings you here" he began.
But stopped him.
"Not your love, Squire Turner" I
said. 81 thank you for thinking so
we'll of me, but even after all that has
passed, L"
could say no more lie took my
hand.
aHave ofe nded you, Agatha ?"
he said.
"Not you. The ofence-the guilt.
Oh, have been sorely cheated !" and
all | could do was to sob and think,
he thought me mad.
At last strength came back to me.
went to the first and told him all
how we had been plighted to each
other, waiting only for better pros
poets to be wed, and how, when he
honored me by the offer of his hand'
/ angered my grandparents by own
ing to the truth, and ofthe ring gran
ME had stolen from my breast, and
the false message that had sent my
promised husband away from me.
"And though I never see Evan
Locke again." said l, "still can
never be another mau's true love. for
| l am his until / die" y.
Then, as l looked, all the rich col
or faded out of the Squire's face, and
i saw the sight that we seldom see
more than once. in a life time-a
strong young man in tears.
At last he rose and came K me.
"My little Agatha never losed@e,"
he said. "Ah me the new 5 is BID
l never thought she did this comes
of vanity"
; "Many higher and fairer women
have hearts to give" said. "Mine
had gone ere you saw me"
And then. kind and gentle, as
though l had not grieved him, he
: gave me his arm and saw me across
the moor, and at the gate paused and
l whispered:
"Be at rest, Agatha. The Canad-
ian ship Golden George has not sailed
a yet"
l liked him better than l had ever
done before that night when 1 told
41."ni--4hat ! would never wed him.
Eth but he was fit to be king
the grandest, the kindest, best of
living men, who rode away with the
break of the morrow, and never
[ stopped till he reached Liverpool, and
, found Evan Locke just ready to set
loot upon the Golden George, and
told him a tale that made his heart
light and sent him back to me; but
, the young Squire, Heaven bless him
And who was it that sent old
, grandfather the deed of gift that
made the cottage his own. and who
spoke a kind word to the gentry for
young DIR. Locke that helped him
into practice =? Still no one b,+
Squire Turner, whom we taught our
children to pray for every night. For
we were married, and in few wears
had girls and boys at our knees. and
wnen the Oldest was nigh two, the
thing that NEEDED to make me han.
Ply happened, and from far over tbs
sea, where he had been three GOOD
, twelve months, came our Squire
with the bonniest lady that ever
blushed beside him, and the hall had
mistress at last, and mistress who
loved the Squire as 1 loved Evan.
En-! But it's an old story. She
that remembered a girl I saw in
her coffin, withered and old. And
then they opened the vault where
the Squire had slept ten years to nut
her beside him; and I've nothing left
OF Evan my life and my one only love.
but his memory, and it seems as #
every hope and joy 1 ever had were
put away under tombstones. And
even the Golden George, that great
strong ship that would have 6orna
my dear from me, has mouldered
away on the bottom of the 5aos