Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-02-27

ssCharIey, dtar,"-she would not give
herself moment, for fear her courage
might Charley, dear, will you put
YOUR paper aside for moment? l want
to tell you something
CHOW, GU, don't bother me; never
was more interested in my life. By lingo!
this fellow writes well. Where's Leila or
Bijou ? What is the use Of your having
pets, if you never notice them Now sit
down, that IS a good girl, and dress Leila
up in pink ribbon or something. You
ought to be fond of that confounded Cat;
it cost enough"
How quickly the moisture leaves the
blue eyes! What sudden, firm tighten
ing there is of the pretty red lips, and
what hard, cold heart this of hers had
suddenly become! And the enpter whis-
pered, Not SO would Ray Remington
have looked or spoken" And, remem bel-
ing the tender voice and the love in Ray 8
eyes, she feel tenderness springing up in
her heart for the owner of the bold, black
eyes, and a glad though guilty pleasure in
the thoughts Of the hidden violets. And
Charles Thornton, Esq, returns to his pa
per with a self satisfied air, which, hy the
way. is tie expression generally 10 be
found on the masculine countenance when
the owner thereof has been making most
egreglous ass Of himself.
An hour later he throws down the
..Spouter," and asks what it is she has to
say to him.
II really have forgotten. 1t was OF no
consequence.
Take care, Charles Thornton ? Your
wife's first falsehood. Who is to blame
for it? and to what will it lead
Three months later. Ray Remington
and Mrs. Thornton have met many times
since that sad day on which he sent her
the violets. They have lunched together,
rode together and attended matineeS to-
gether. and tonight it is arranged that
she will change her husbands protection
for that of Ray.
Is she happy at the thought Of leaving
her husbands home? Happy? No!
wretchedly. unhappy. But that which
seemed only slight grievance at first has
become now an unhappiness too great to
be borne.
OF course she contded her sorrows to
Ray, and his indignation was intense.
s'Tfat any one could neglect her!' She
whom he would have cherished so tenderly
and so forth in the usual strain.
OF course all this only made her lot seem
the harder. And now she is going to es-
cape from it all. But the treacherous lit
tie heart in her bosom, that she had
thought so cold and dead to Charley, now
begins to plead for him. How he haun-
ted the corridor outside her bedroom door
that time when she was so i'll and he was
forbidden to enter. And when at last she
was we'll enough to see him, how shocked
she was at the alteration in the dear face.
Why, it was worn as thin as her own; and
when she first saw her own face in the
glass, the great hollow in the pale cheeks
he used to praise for their plumpness and
bloom, and saw in the place of the luxu-
RANT brown tresses he, was so proud of,
the boys shock of curly brown hair, and
threw herself weeping ON her pillow, Sob
bing. how could he-could he love her
now? how tenderly he took her in his arms
laid her head on his breast, and kissed the
shorn locks and sunken cheeks And.
though she lived to be old and gray, could
she ever forget his words?
''My dear one, my wife. am so thank
f,,1+ ho+ boI fhic hoo rt
where at one time feared you would new
err rest again. IAove you my darling, for
yourself. your warm heart, your pure soul,
not for the bloom that can fade or the
bonny brown tresses that are gone.'
| All! With sudden sharp catching OF the
breath, could any other man ever be the
same to her as Charleyp o! she must not
think of this.
And her wedding ringl What, on this
anniversary of her marriage? No, she
cannot take that. A bracelet he gave her!
Yes, that must be left with the rest. Oh!
she had not dreamed it would be so hard
/ to part with the old love tokens. Even the
despised Leila is caught up and kissed and
cried over. And-what was she about to
do? Yes, she was actually going to kiss
the little white tidy on the back of the
sleepy hollow where Charles head rested
every night while he read the "Spouter. y
When Charley returns to his deserted
home The left for Washington that morn
ing) what will he say? Will he care very
much.
Hark! One-two-t hree-she counts the
nine. Then the strokes cease.
The hour has come, she starts for the
door, stops, with her hand pressed to her
heart, gazes wildly around, and dashes out
blindly into the night. A tall form is
standing at the foot of the steps-it is Ray.
He draws the little cold hand through his
arm. They turn the corner, carriage is
waiting, the steps are down, the wife has
entered. Ray is about to follow, when
ah! great heavensl what is this? fer
husband stands there before him. There
is the flash and report of pistol, and Ray
Remington falls. She shrieks wildly,
springs from the carriage and-wakes!
| Yes, thank God! awakes to find it all a
dream.
She is in her own dear little sitting room
There is the dear old sleepy-hollow, and
there is Leila, the fluffy Angora cat, on
the rug before the fire, Bijou there too
with his funny little goggled eyes, and fun
ny little pink tongue lolling out, and
what IS this? A caTd-Ray Remming
toms. She remembers now he did call
and he had the impertinence to show by
his look and tone that he still cared for
her.