The Russellville Democrat., 1880-07-01


 are meditating. Old Jacobs has been , miser all his life, and cheated peopl, out of thousands. It's no more thar fair to take some of his ill-gotten gains.'
 No. she was not mistaken. There was no doubt of that voice. It had { characteristic ring that could not be mis taken. Something darker than night shadows settled upon her mind. She re. malned in her position as if bound hand and foot
 But they passed along, and she heard them working with the lock of the door winch had closed upon her so untimely For few moments there was a dull rasping sound, and she knew that they had succeeded i'll opening it, and were passing down stairs. There were two more doors to open before they could gain an entrance into the store below She rose to her feet, and, listening in- tently, she could hear the first one be- 1 low yield to their hands.
 She felt as if she must follow them. She did not care whether or not she was discovered. When they had opened the last door and were within the front store, she followed noiselessly-- had removed her shoes and stood in the shadow watching their movements, as by the light of dark lantern they pro- ceded to open safe which, they judged, contained the most valuable jewe
 As Jessie stood there, motionless and pale, there was no feeling of gcorn for him. The wound was too deep for thas, but there was pathetic despair in the depths of the eyes which only few hours before had been full of a tender love-light tor him, and a dreadful pain in her heart, and an infinite sadness, to find that her idol, whom she had set up l for worship so much higher than his fellows, was made of baser clay than or
 By the light which he held She could discover his face dimly. Hardly con scious of what she was doing, she went forward to him as he bent over the safe he had opened. Both had their backs toward her. Without word she laid her hand upon his arm. At the touch, so quick and unexpected, he started as if he had been shot, and flashed the light quickly in her face. With a low cry of surprise he met the pathetic sad ness of Jessie's eyes. His companion rose hastily from his kneeling position, exclaiming: What does this mean?" as he saw the strange, dazed look upon Knights face, and saw, too, that the girl was no stranger to hlm.
 70, Gilbert, Gilbert! Can this be pos siblep' Jessie said, with painful wall in her voice that would have moved a heart of fadamant. He stood dumb be- fore her. Had she reproached him he could have retorted angrily; but he had no words to meet the look in the fair, sad face upturned to his, which he had kissed so often, just to see It flush and brighted under the powerful magnetism which had been the ruin of more than one woman before he had seen Jessle.
 It was scene for painter. The bolted and barred windows showing in the dim light; the confused, shamed ex- pression on Knights face; the pained, grieved expression on Jessie's, and the s"gry disappointment on the other. At length, without even word, Knight took the jewels he had secreted about his person and flung them down.
 You can do as you like, Kris" he said. "I wash my hands of the affair. It is the last time shall undertake such a thing Jessie, you will desplse me, of course, and 1 deserve it. But 1 shall re- member you always as the best and dear W. get out of this scrape as soon as we can" They left empty-handed, as they had come, and made their escape as they had effected their entrance, by an ingenious communication with tall building that rose only a few feet from the work room.
 Jessie groped her way back up stairs to the little dressing room, and, sitting down again upon the lounge, burst into of awakening from her sweet love-dream. for Jessies ideal had been good, and manly, and honorable, and the real had fallen so far, far below 1t!
 She began to realize that she must conceal the fact that she had been there all night, for of course she would be questioned, and she shrank from an. swering them. So in the morning she contrived to make it appear that she had come in with the other girls, and then later she went out and ate warm breakfast, or rather tried to force it down, to cure the fainting sensation that came over her.
 | Great was the surprise of all, the next morning, to find the doors open, and greater still was the surprise to find the safes open, and yet no jewels missing.
 Meanwhile, in his room, Gilbert Knight was writing this note:
 Mss CLIFFoRD:-I dare not call you dear Jessie, as my heart dictates, be. cause know myself unworthy I have cared for you--let me confess it--as have cared for many others, but never realized until last night that you was one woman of thousand. Something in the tender womanliness that never uttered a reproach to the wretch who dared to contaminate her with his touch went to my heart. ! ou see I am moi altogether hardened. If did not feel the vast gulf there is between us would go to you now and beg your for. giveness. As it is, have the grace te stay away. Some time when have re deemed myself, may l come back?
 And Jessie received the letter anc cried over it, then laid it away ano waited.
 Milton Kent tried in vain to win { place in her heart. She knew he nevel could be guilty of the deed from whicl she had saved the man she loved, bu she could not transfer her affections tC him. Her heart yearned over tha other, and she waited.
 At the end of two years he came back and found her patient and somewha sad, but with the old loyelight kindl n. in her eyes at sight of him.
 ''I have lived an honest, upright Tiff, before God and man since l left," h' said, humbly. Jessie, will you be my | xpi fao Ean xtou f,roi va and forgat25