The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-21
SAVED.

Are you sure that you love me,
Joan?"
Am Isure?" 1 look up into the ear
nest face bent above me. "Ah! Heath,
you know that I love you better than al!
beside"
AT the words my face drops and hides
itself against my loves broad breast,
which is henceforth to be my shield and
buckier from all universities.
Heath signs Il sigh. halt of content
ment, half Of sadness. then pushing
back the curls from my forehead, he
kisses me, saying: "Well, good-by my
darling, l shall be back before a week.
Take good care of your precious self"
After he has left me I lean my arms
on the windnw-sill, and watch his tall.
erect figure as far as I can see. Then I
give myself up to thoughts of the won
derful fairy future which this very
morning first opened before me-when
Heath Fortescue asked me to be his
wife.
Can it be that J. little Joan Endico,t,
am the one to be loved, before all Others,
by such q man?
I turn and look into the mirror. see
a round face, more brown than fair,
great gray eyes, and q lot ofthick, curly
red-brown hair.
Never before have 7 50 longed to be
beautiful; not merely pretty, but lovely,
with all the charms 3 fair woman can
possess.
Heath Fortescue. as 1 have said be-
tore, 2 a friend of papa's. I met him
Two years ago, for the first time, and,
though papa doesn't know it, he has
been the means Of all that has happened;
TOR how can any one hear. day in and
DAY out, praises of ano:her-of his
noble, generous nature, of his kindly
good heart-without looking forward
with great interest to meeting the happy
possessor Of all these virtues. So he
came. He was ever so many years
older than I. His dark hair had here
n there a silvereG thread. and round
ms mouth, when he was silent. were
little lines, as it sometime he had known
sorrow.
! think that even then, though I was
only sixteen, l felt intuitively that his
was a face that I could never forget.
The time has flown swiftly. l have
lived IN a dream for the last few months.
for l have felt that 1 was loved; and
now, this morning, papa took me in his
arms and. with tears in his dear old
eyes, told me that Heath had asked him
TOR permission to address me. and that
there was no one in the world to whom
ne would rather give up his little Joan
than to him. Now it is All over. I
shall not see Heath for a week. He has
been called away on business; but it
will not be long before I again feel the
clasp Of his loving arms.
The week has passed. and Heath is
with me again. He has in his hand q
tiny case, and, as he opens it. I utter an
exclamation of delight. There, in it's
azure velvet nest, sparkles q pure soil
talre, like a drop of radiant sun-:ouched
dew.
Soon wonder why Heath does not
speak. and looking up, I see how his
o is ciouded, and with what q
strange, sad expression he is regarding
me.
What is it, Heath?"I ask, anxiously.
Joan. darling" his voice is low and
troubled; 'perhaps I should have told
you before; but"
Told me what. Heatilo"
Joan. will you listen while I tell
you. now that | have mustered I'D cour-
age. my sad and painful story?"
1t must he something very sad, forhi
voice is strained. and I can see that,
whatever it is, it is going to give him
some pain rs he tells It. Iput NV hand
n his without hesitation. I do not in
t"rrupt him rs he speaks.
II should have told you this long
ago, u 1t was an old wound, and I
dreaded to open it afresh. Your father
knew. and thought perhaps he would
tell you; hut | see he has not.
=" Joan when I was 4 Young man 7
committed a rash and irrevo cable deed
Carried away by a boys mad passion for
apretty face, l married a girl beneath
M in station and inferior in education.
Her pame was Della; she was beautiful.
and she made me think she loved me
Then came the first trouble of my life;
a merry trouble 1t was, too. found that
my lovely-faced bride had the terrible
habit ofopium eating. Her parents had
concealed it from me, 50 that she should
make a rich match. After a time re-
verses came to my father, and then 70
me, and we soon were no longer
wealthy. Then my wife disclosed Rer
true character. She abandoned herself
to her love for the soul-destroyine drug.
What my life was then l cannot describe
it was terrible! In the hope of re-
trieving my business, l left home for q
while, and returned to find nv name
disgraced, my honor stained. NV wife
had gone from her home, leaving a note
saying that she had never loved me, had
only, married me for my money, and
now bad left me for n richer than IT,
His voice breaks.
Little one, it is dreadful to me to
tell you in your fresh. sweet innocence
of such degradation"
I did not speak, but press the hand
still hold tightly. and he goes on:
1.-TWO years ago / received a letter
from her cousin. saying that she was
dead, and. much to my surprise, accus-
ing me Of having caused her to break
her plighted troth to him, and then OF
having driven her to desperation by my
neglect. I learned then for the first
time that size must have been engaged to
another ever when she marrI.d me, and
I was not the only sufferer through
Delia's falseness."
A grave, burdened quietfalls upon me
rs he ceases speaking.
Ny poor Heath, how much he must
have suffered!
Joan" the name is full of painful
yparning; you would not let the past
darken our future"
No. Heath, answer; II will try
ami make up TO you for all your bitter
r.st--w lien I am your wife,"
NV voice falters as / say the last
words: they seem to bring me so close
&, him. Then he clasps me to his
brstrt, and his noble brow clears of tht
s,,adow which rested 30 gloomily upor
1.-THE shadow of memory.
The next day l 60 on al errand TO,
Al ~ l;oc tla.oilnn tho moads