The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-08-06
NUMBER 81.


arose to her feet and listening intently; she
! could hear the first one below Welding to
/ their hands
! She felt as IL she must follow them She
/ did not care whether or not she was diseov-
. cred. When they had opened the last door
and were within the front store, she followed
! noiselessly-she had removed her shoes-and
stood in the shadow watching their move
meuts, as by the light of a dark lantern they
I proceeded to open the safe which, they iudg-
I ed, contained the most valuable Jewels.
As Jessie stood there m0tiouless and pale,
there was no feeling OF scorn for him. The
wound was too deep for that. But there was
q pathetic despair in the depths Of the ewes
which only few hours before had been full
Of tender love light for him. and dreadful
pain at - heart, and an infinite sadness, to
find that her idol whom she had set up for
worship so much higher than his fellows. was
made of baser clay than ordinary men.
BY the light which ne held she could dis
cover his face dimly Hardly conscious 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 q
word she laid her hand upon his arm. Atthe
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 sur
prise, he met the pathetic sadness of Jessie's
eyes.
His companion rose hastily from his Bneel-
ing position, czclaiminc. ''What does this
mean?' as he saw the strange dazed look
upon Knights face and saw, too, that the
girl was no stranger 10 him.
o q
ble?" Jessie said, with a pitiful wall in her
voice that would have moved a heart Of ada
maut.
He stood dumb before her. Had she re
preached bin. ne could have retorted angrily.
but he had no word to meet the look in the
fair, sad face upturned TO his. which he had
kissed 50 often just to see it flush and bright
en- under the powerful magnetism which had
been the ruin OF more than one woman before
he had saw Jessie.
1t was scene for a painter The bolted
and barred windows showing in the dim
light the confused, shamed expression on
Knights face :, the pained gTieved express
sion on Jessie'S, and the angry disappoint-
ment on the other. At length, without a
word, Knight took the jewels he had secret
ed about his person and flung them down.
''Gcu can do as YOU like Kris, % he said
- wash my hands Of the affair. 1t is the
last time I shall undertake such q thing
Jessie, you despise me, of course, and de-
serve it. But ! shall remember you ALWAYS
as the best and dearest girl 1 ever knew
Good by. Come Kris, let Us get out of this
scrape as soon as we can
They left empty-handed, rs they had come,
and made their escape a. they had effected
their entrance, by an Ingenious communica-
tion with q tall building that rose only a few
feet from the work room.
Jessie Croped her way backur stairs to the
little dressiHg--oom, and sitting down again
upon the lounge, burst into a passion Of
tears. Il had been a sad awakening from
her sweet Ioyc-dceam, for Jessie's ideal had
been good, and manly, and honorable and
the real had fallen SO far, far below &c!
She began 90 realize that she must conceal
the fact that she had been there all night. for
OF course she would be questioned and she
shEanl, from answering them. So in the
morning she c0utrlycd 50m8ke it appear that
she had come in with the 05har girls. and then
later she went ont and ate g warm breakfast.
or rather tried 90 force ii down, to cuIe the
tainting sensation that came over her.
Great was the surprise Of an, the next
morning, to find the doors open, and greater
still was tEe surprise t0 ind the safes open,
and yet no jewels missing.
Meanwhile, in his room, Gilbert Knight
was writing this note:
Miss CIITT0RD: dare not call You dear
Jessie, as my heart dictates because know
myself unworthy. ] have cared FOR yJU--let
me confess it-as have cared for many 9th
cCs, bat never realized until last niEhJ that
You were one woman OF q thousand Some
thing iu the tender wom1UIiucSs that never
uttered q repCoacb 10 tie wretch that dared
TO cGutEuliulJe her with his touch went to my
heart. on see / am not altogether harden
ed. il ! did not feel the vast Eult there is
between us I would gDft1 Won now and BEG
your forgiveness, As it Is, I have the grace
20 stay away Some time when I have re-
deemed myself, may come back2
And Jessie received the letter and cried
over it, then laid it away and waited.
Milton Kent tried in vain to win place in
her heart. She knew he never could be gull
ty Of the deed from which she had saved the
man she loved, but she could not transfer her
affections to him. Her heart ycarned over
that other, and she waited.
At the end Of two years he came back and
found her patient and somewhat sad, but
with tie old Ioveliglt kindIing in her eyes at
sight Of him.
Il have lived an honest, upright life before
God and man since I left he said humbly.
Jessie, VIII YOU be my wife . Can you for
give and forget 2'
For all answers she reached ont her arms
toward him, and was held in close embrace.
NO SETH said Mrs. Spicer, a. she set
tied herself back in the rocking chair on the
hotel piazza, ''you needn't lie to me about
going down stairs after match, for the win
dows are open and I can easily pick your
bald head oat from the other vretches Ia the
pool-room. Last night you went at O'Clock
to get your boots ulackcd, and, although your
feet are large enough. heaven knows, Z d1uf
believe it took you tili 1L@9 to get your boots
polished. for shat was The time You put them
: :. :.