Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-09-25

six months, and even then find it hard
work to keep up the acquaintance"
"Pm not going to beat about the bush,
Meredith. Tell me straight what is the
matter with you. I've right to know,
and believe it will be blessing to you
to tell me-"
Everything has gone wrong with me,
jerks, and the exasperating thing is
that cannot for the life of me see how,
or in what way have been to blame"
"NOt business, surely" began.
80 bother business!' he interrupted,
"business isn't everything i'm life
''Man has lived to little purpose if he
has not learned that before he is thirty
fve," assented.
Il have fine Office he went on, count
less clients, plenty of money, and-my
recOllectiOnS of the woman | loved"
l felt that l had the explanation at
last.
"Where is she?" 1 asked.
Grand Canal Venice; at least / heard
so the other day-lOcated there for the
winter, went abroad a year ago with
her married sister and will stay there
very likely with the family"
"Then, of course, everything is over
between you. But it was long engage
ment to be broken at last"
''And she broke it, jerks; the most
faithful and loving woman / ever con-
ceiyed of. Read thisp He took a note
from his pOcked, tossing it towards me.
TELL me what it means, for l have never
found out" 1t bore date of two years
previous:
my DEAR SIDNEY:-In reply to your
mo II oon lxyc ~ hn haitian
for us both if we never meet again.
agnes KINGDOM"
agnes Kingdom / exclaimed l had
not recognized the writing.
"YOu do not know her!' he asked,
quickly.
You wrote to me of her, you know
1 answered, evasively, "but have no
memory for names"
"But tell me what it MEANS" he re-
peated, absorbed in his first thought.
Il have studied those few words more
than all my cases put together"
"What was the message?" asked.
"Oh, of course, ought to tell you that.
Agnes was thrown from carriage be-
tween two and three years ago, and her
head was badly hurt. They sent me
word that day, but / could not 60 to the
house before the next evening. For a
month there was but little change. /
went to see her as often as 1 could
speak or look at me, 'twasn't much COM
fort. One day called and was told by
every week or ten days. As she could not
her sister that her husband had taken
Agnes to Colorado and had been gone a
week. She had left no message and l
could not find that she had any thought
of me in leaving. 'Twasn't a pleasant
surprise. She was away five months
and never wrote to me. One evening
caught glimpse of her at opera, as the
audience was leaving the theatre. /
met her brother i'm stage the next day.
"Oh yes" he said, in answer to my ques-
tiOn. "Agnes had been back several
weeks" leave you to judge how you
would have acted in my place. was
hurt more than can tell. / wrote her
a note telling her that in view of the
way she had left the city, and her ST.
lence from that time on, should wait
to hear whether call from me would
be welcome. This was her answer. Of
course, did not 60 to see her-I have
never seen her since"
"And up to that time," I said, chad
you suspected no change of feeling?"
Nothing. She was always her own
sweet, loving self, and in thinking of
her since l have never been able to recall
an impatient or angry word"
Had you ever given her occasion for
any?" was my very natural question.
"Not that l know of. You have al
ways found me a pretty good natured
sort of fellow, jerks, easy to get along
with. haven't yOuw
"Tell me" said, ignoring the cues
ton, "why you were not married long
ago. 1t is ten years at least since your
engagement to Miss Kingdom"
I "Oh, as to that" was his answer, you
know / would never marry unless
could support my wife in luxury. For
"a long time nay practice was not suffi-
cient for that. Then was in Europe a
couple of years, working up those gov
eminent eases"
"And travelling a good deal, too" 1 in
terrupted, enjoying yourself pretty we'll
On the whole, 1 recOllect."
"Oh, yes, IenjOyed it, certainly"
"And after your return% 81
''Then got into politics, good way
beyond my depth, as soon as l got home;
ran for Representative that year, though
wasn't elected. But the excitement
had fatal fascination for me-gave me
no time to thing of anything else"
There was long pause. We heard
the town clock strike one. The fire was
dying out slowly.
why don't you say something, Jenks?"
Sydney asked, impatiently.
Because if say the only thing can
say-the thing 1 really and truly believe
doubt if you ever want to hear me
speak again, Sydney Meredith"
go on" he said, shortly, it's all
right"
Il think" / said, "that from first to
last you have utterly failed to appre-
ciate the woman who was faithful to
you for so many years. She has always
filled secondary place in your life"
"YOu do not know how loved her"
That is just what do know" said,
"yOu never loved her as well as you
loved yourself, and everything you have
told me only proves the fact. In. her
greatest need of you you failed her the
most completely. When it became your
turn to feel the slight, the omission,
please the observation-disclosures you
to call it-yOu were disagreeably
surprised. What reason had you to ex-
pect anything else? You went to see
her every week or ten days, you say.
Why, for a month it was doubtful
whether she lived or died. Do you think
that she felt that her life or death mat
tered much to yOu?"
How did you know?" he asked, quick
ly. -..--- -
Il met her afterwards Colorado"
"And she told you"
Nothing, l was her physician. /
saw for myself"
"And you love her, Jenks?"
The words were great cry. My face
had told its own story, as it had done
once before.
''HOpelessly," 1 answered, "she will
mr. r. 4 = 4.