Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-01-23
ALMOST TOO LATE.


= L am going now, Helen"
Charles Archer stood at the door of
the one room high up in noisy tene-
ment-house in New York, which he
called home" 1t vas not the welded
home he had dreamed of twelve years
before, when he uttered the "Valedic-
tory" at Yale. when Helen Gordon
blushed and smiled at the applause that
greeted his appearance on the stage
Nor was that crouching figure beside the
window, in the untidy print dress, with
the pretty sullen face, and the uncomhed
golden hair, much like the graceful belle,
of fwhose company he had been so proud,
so happy to monopolize, upon that
golden day.
His wife looked up and caught the ex-
preston of pitying regret npon his dark
and handsome face. Her heart was full
of angry rebellion against her fate,
against herself, against him - almost
against COG!
"Why do you look at me like thatP"
she said, peevishly. Il know that the
room has not been swept, and that
have not made my toilet for the day.
My toilet" she laughed bitterly. when
shall / make toilet again, wonderp
l once set the fashion in New Haven /!
Who would believe it nowi And, oh,
to think-only to think what my life
might have been, if | had been wise.n
Her husbands face darkened all over.
81 understandw he exclaimed.
"You mean if you had married Paul
Hayden instead of me-"
How can | help such thoughts? |
saw his wife early yesterday morning
when | was out. She was driving to
the railway station on her way to their
country house for the summer. heard
the footman say so to some one when he
went to buy the tickets for her. And,
oh, what a difference there was be-
tween us two! No wonder she has kept
her beauty. No wonder | have lost
mine! Beauty and health, and youth
and happiness, they are all going away
from me, because we are so poori"
"Better days may be coming, love-
said the husband, after a pause. 4"
have heard of good situation this
time, you know. If | get it, it will be
stepping stone to other things of more
consequence. And when I am rich,
you know well, my darling, that shall
refuse you nothing"
"You have thought SO many times
that better days were close at hand
And every time you have been disap.
pointed, and we have lived on the same
horrible life," was the discouraging re.
ply 49,, :.
really good news, trust ar hope. Il
you will only kiss me and wish mt
| good luck, | have faith that it will
come"
He bent down, his dark eyes wistfullJ
searching hers for one glance of love
such as he had so often seen there in thu
happy days of courtship. But love, sc
far as she was concerned, he sometime!
feared, had flown out of the window O
this home when poverty entered. Tht
heat, the dust, the discordant street
cries without, the shabby, disordereC
room within, the general sense of he
own untidiness, and the CALLING memor,
of the freshly beautiful summer COSTUME
worn by the wife of Paul Hayden, a
she lounged in her carriage on the pre-
vious day-all these things combined t,
Danish the affectionate glance for whicl
the husbands heart so vainly hungered
and to make the wife's parting kiss 81
cold and formal that it fingered like ic
upon the young mans lips as he turne
, away,
He said nothing. But the deep sigh
; that seemed to come from the vcr
depths of tried and overladen heart
silently reproached her.
She caught last glimpse of his fac
as he closed the door. 1t wore loo
of repressed sorrow that would haun
!, her to her dying day. What evil spiri
had tempted her to try him SOP
Was it his fault that, by the sudde
! failure of bank in the great "panic.
! the savings,of years of steady toll ha
been lost in 3 momentp Had he NJ
labored faithfully ever since for ht
supportP For her ungrateful sake, ha
+ he not stopped even to menial toll, whe
}. no other employment could be procureC
It And now she had sent him from he
uneheered by o look or word of fondnes