Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-05-27

enough.
Grace. was quito satisfied now that sho
was an unlovod wife. Will should be free;
| Rose was better suited to him. 1t was
folly for her to suppose that lie over really
loved her. Men wero 80 fcklo and falso-
hearted! Sho had seen how it would bo
from tho first, md all that was left her to
do was to die os soon as sho could, and fiud
rest aud forgetfulncss in tho grave.
Having como to this wise conclusion,
Grace went to her room, locked herself in,
and cried comfortably for whole hour.
Will camo whistling up stairs, and was
| surprised to fnd tho door locked. Still
more was ho surprised when Grace, in q
smotbered voice, denied him admittunco,
saying sho had headache and did not wish
to bo disturbed.
Puzzled, aud somewhat angry withal, as
he had reason to be, Will wont away to his
office, feeling as if the angel was fast disop.
pcariug, and his wife, after all, was but
pretty, pcrvcrsc, provoking child whom
time and experience alone could over teach
to be woman.
An hour after her husbands departure,
Grace, in plain travelling dress, aud with
;Eiok veil tied closely over her tear.
stained face, stcalthily left tho house, and
before Rose, who from her window, saw
her hurrying uong the road to tho railway
station, could clearly divine her purpose,
sho was gone.
This was nice prcdicamont for ono to
be placed in truly! Miss Woodward's
Indignation, for tho moment, got tho bcttor
of her pity, and sho could have shaken
Grace we'll for her scnselcss absurdity.
There was but one thing left for her to
do, and that was to pack her trunks with
all possible dispatch and leavc on the next
train, which she did to tho infinite amaze
tnent Of Biddy, who did not know what in
tho world to make of bcr sudden departure,
not dreaming that her mistress had also
taken flight, and was also many miles from
her homo.
When Will camo homo to dinner at six
O'Clock, and learned tho truo state of
things, he grew palo as death and staggered
to chair rs quickly as if shot had
struck him in the hcnrt.
Grace had left note on the bureau in
her room, in which she stated in kind of
hystcrical Enoch Arden like manner, that
she was going back to her mother, and he
might be assured that neither himself nor
Rose would ever be troubled by seeing or
even hearing from her again. 1t was her
earnest wish to die, and over her carly
grave, perhaps, somc gentle thought of her
might stir his cold, forgctful heart into n
passing throb of tenderness
With tho note crumplcd convulsivoly in
his hand, Will Thornley, seized his hat and
rushed from the house 1t mattcrcd not
where ho went, or what ho did now, and
Gre tho next days sun had set, he made
ono of tho many thousand Union soldiers
marching brayciy to the front, to fall,
maybe in battle, with face turned unflinch.
ing!y toward the foe, or die misorably in
somc noisomc prison, liko Gagged beast,
his heart broken and death welcome
release from pain, and grief, and hopeless
wrctchodncss
The setting sun vas rapidly sinking to
his crimson curtaincd couch in the West
when Grace walked up tho grassy path to
tho little white cato, where Rho and VIII
had often stood in tho old, happy days of
their courting, and watched the fading
light atcal duskily down among the softly
whispering leaves Of tho naples.
"a letter for you, Mrs. Thornley," said
Mr. ParkEurst, near neighbor. Il hap
pcncd to be passing this way, and thought
you might like to havo it,"
"Ah, yes, thanl, you," she replied in a
trembling voice. "You arc very kind"
Mr.. Parkhurst gavo hero tho lcttor and
| went on.
Grace recognized the handwriting in a
moment, and with glad "Oh, it's from
Will and he has forgiven mc!' she tore
open tho envelope, and hastily ran her eve
over the contents. Tho smilo faded; the
glad look left her eyes, and with low,
piteous cry, she fell on her knccs-ayo, to
the very Garth, and sobbcd out the bitter,
romorscful anguish of her stricken soul
"Gonc--Will gone? Oh, no, no! it can
not be! And yet this cruel, cruel letter
only few lines"
You havc chosen your way, and have
chosen mino. All desire in this world
is speedy and brave DEATH and 1 20 to
meet it as joyously as ever bridegroom went
to meet his bride"
That was all. No name, no date, but
she knew only too well it's meaning. She
pressed it to her lips, to her heart. She
covered it with tears, all the while muttcr-
ing tho poor, pitiful cry:
"Oh, viii, Win, forgive me! You must
forgive mo--you must como back to mo- or
let mo go to you'll
But, alas! her repentance camo too late!
| VIII was hundreds Of miles away, and
between him and Graco's peaceful Northern
homo cannon were laundering their dread
alarm, and wars heroic victims wcrc falling
by the tens of thousands.
They found her lying unconscious and