The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1880-12-18

deserved. / am his sisters son, and to
me what she resigned has fallen"
"Her father foresve her before he
died and would have made another wi II
if another day had been given him."
.Look here, Katie" says Hatton, still
impatiently; q will seek out ny cousin
Rosie, and if she leaves her beast of
husband, I'll provide for her and the
little ones. Will that satisfy your"
II knew Rose Hatton," Katie an
swers. "She was proud and obstinate,
and she would die Of starvation sooner
than accept as charity what is hers by
right"
He comes close ana stands before her,
his eyes flashing angrily.
- must either choose between re-
signing you or my uncle's fortune?"
You must"
"It resign it, am a pauper as be-
fore, and your father will order me from
his doors. You will not disobey your
father, so in either case l am to lose
you"
Il love you, Harry" she says, with
gasp. q would wait
"Thank you," he says with short
| laugh; "that is poor consolation. You
are woman, and waiting may be easy
| to you. l am q man and don't choose
to visit. Since / must lose you in any
case, I'll not lose my money as we'll
Good night, Miss Englehart; wish you
a very merry Christmas"
Harry" she cries. But he is gone
gone in fine fury, banging the street
door after him--and it is her father,
white with passion, who stands before
her.
Twice the Christmas tide has come
and gone-twice the JOYFUL anthem @
peace on Earth, to Men Good WILL"
has sounded down the stately aisies Of
St. Philips, and the time is here. Once
more it is Christmas eve; once more
altar and pulpit are wreathed with ever
green's; once more the voices of the
choristers rise to the vaulted roof; once
more the slender, pale-faced, brown
eyed organist sits at her post, her white
fingers evokipg wondrous music from
those pearl keys. But the face has q
graver beauty, the dark eyes a sadder
light than of old, and for the silk and
saoles of other days her dress is deepest
mourning, plain of make and poor OF
SEIZURE.
The last piece is sung-something
grand and old, and triumphant; and
"good night, Miss Englehart," one
and all cry, as they hutter away
and down the stairs. She smiles
her farewell, but fingers after they have
gone, as is her custom; and as her
hands float over the keys, and her eyes
rest on the music, she is thinking of an
other Christmas eve, three years ago
and of her father and lover who stood
by her side that night.
She has lost them both-the lover then.
| never to hear of or see since; the father
one year ago. A great financial crisis
| had come-nad involved shrewd lawyer
] Englebart, and swamped him. He had
| broken down under the blow, and In
| less than three months after he was dead
and buried. He had never forgiven
! Katie her refusal of Harry Hatton; he
did not forgive her even on his death
| bed.
eff you had not been fool with your
scruples md whims," he had said to her,
Utterly, you need not have been
beggar to. day. Harry Hatton is married
loag ago, no doubt, to some wiser wo-
man, and when I'm gone you may earn
your living as best you may"
They had buried him, and Katherine
had earned her living bravely and well
For years she had played the organ OF
St. Philips as labor of love. Now ii
| became labor of necessity. Her salary
as organist and b alf a dozen piano pupils
gave her all she needed, and lite went
on. somehow, and Christmas had come
again.
She dreaded Christmas the old pain
and struggle seemed to come back
afresh She did not regret what she
had done. Better loneliness and pow
erty than ill gotten gain better lose
her lover forever than become the vile
of man capable of wronging the living
and the dead. She had lost HIM, but
she had not ceased to love him. While
she deplored his sins, her pure prayers
followed him in his reckless wanderings
over the world.
She left the organ at last, and slowly
quilted the church. Unlike that other
Christmas, no moon nor stars shone.
White, soft, ceaselessly, the snow fell
She put up her umbrella and hurried
home the home of a boarding house
took her belated and solitary supper,
and ran up to her own little sitting
room. A fire burned in CRATE, and her
piano sole relic Of former splendor-
stood open with sope new music upon
it. Before sitting down to her long
practice she went TO the window and
looked out All the world was white
and still and ghostly, and faster and
faster the snow was falling. AS she
stood the TALL dark figure OF a man
opened the gate and came blowing
through the snow to the front door.
Zone of the boardere, she thought
debated as | was. How cross Mrs
White will be ?"
She left the window and went to the
piano. Before she commenced her prac
tice. and half unconsciousjy, she begar
softly to sing the old anthem:
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king.
Peace On earth--and mercy mild,
God and sinners reoonciled.
Then she stopped, conscious that TIL
door had opened, and that he intrude
did not advance.
"Come in," she said, "and shut tn
door, please; there is drau-"
She stopped with a low cry, but b
took her at her word, shut the door, ant
, came forward.
"I have come back, Katie" he said
/ "Will you forgive me ana shak
hands ?"
18th baro u