The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1880-10-29
BRATTLEBoRo VT, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 49, 1880.
me so dearly, he will be faithful, and
when Mis-. Chester sees that, she will re-
lent and Sand for ma

| me so dearly, he will be faithful, ant
$ when Mrs Chester sees that she will re
( lent and send for me-"
7, She dropped vsibly in those summer
days, working over the unaccustomet
routine of housework TO keep her grand
y mother, having u tender love from botf
grandparents, but no mental excitement
to drown her hearts hunger.
Had she remained somewhere in sit
5 uation suited to her capacity, where
5 teaching or reading would have insured
: some hours daily of forgetfulnes, it would
have saved her. Had she studied, taught
or even had companionship, the dreary
weight of thought might have lessened
! till the sore heart, its old wounds closed
| might have revived to new love and hap.
: piness.
But when she stirred porridge she
could think of Guy; when her dainty
: little hands had secured tins and washed
cups, she remembered her love. Hel
grandfather was nearly deaf, and con-
} stant intercourse with him had reduced
her grandmother to silence that was
! too strongly habitual to be easily broken
n Very oonscientiously Amy tried TO dc
her duty by the old people who had given
her loving welcome, everlasting her
strength to aid in the daily routine oil
work, and careful of many little atten.
tions the young can SO gracefully offer
the old.
But there was nothing to feed the
cravings of brain and heart but memory
and that faint hope And upon the
yearning cry Of the loving heart for love
and life came the letter inclosing Guys
wedding-cards.
"She's over-quiet for one so young
the county people said, "and looks
peaked"
But nobody saw the shadow under
which the girl dropped and faded, her
little feet treading unconsciously in the
valley of death. And Guy, with his en-
ergetic and boisterous wife, was plunging
into city life with rush and fervor that
rather amazed his old associates.
"By Jove~ Creighton DAILY said, twir-
ing his blonde musiache, II always
thought Chester was one of your slow
lazy fellows, who are too indolent to be
vicious but he has wakened up with a
vengeance. He will break his neck on
that brute he rides. I'm pretty fair
whip, but | wouldn't be on her half an
hour for half million. No, by Jove i
And he plays so high that even Granley
whistles over his stakes. Never in my
| life saw fellow SO changed ~
Somebody said he was going in for
law in earnest" said a second voice.
"Bah !" said third his mothers es-
tate must come to him, and there's all the
Marcy money"
But Guy had found the "Marcy" had
quite shrewd commercial head of her
own, and meant to keep her purse strings
in her own fingers Every dollar of Mrs.
Laura Chester's fortune was securely set
tied upon herself, and she gave her hus-
band to understand plainly that if he
would gamble and give expensive sup
pers, he must tax his mother for the cost.
And so, in mad search for forgetful-
ness, restless desire to be away
from the ungenial society of his wife, a
dread of the self reproach of though,
GUY Chester was throwing away all the
finer instincts of his nature, sinking
lower and lower in the scale OF true
manliness.
Soring was coming again, and, worn
out, in spite of his perfect physique, Guy
determined to run down to Chester Hill
for week or two.
"Ifthere are any letters for me, you can
.open them.n his Hother said, rather care
lessly, now that her point was gained, OF
Guys knowledge of the machinery that
had been put in operation to accomplish
it. II leave it to you to judge If any are'
important enough to forward"
There was but one, TOR most OF Mrs'
Chester's correspondents were sufficiefIy
intimate to know they must use her clty
address between November and May.
But that one Guy tore open with trem,
bling fingers, knowing well who had
penned the address, in faint, wavering
lines. The letter read
"Dedr Cousin, II have been very sick all win
ter getting aittle weaker every day, and now |
know shall never be better again. | know |
ought not to love Guy since he ia married. and |
will you not tell him left him because ! loved
him, and you were 50 sure it would be better for
him to forget me. Give him my love-my love
that win not die. Notwithstanding try 50 hard
to kill 1t. AMY.
He never tainted, and he did not even
groan as he read the words but setting
his teeth hard over muttered curse that
might have appalled, even his mothers
selfish heart he went back to the rail-
way station and took train that would
carry him 10 Harrisburg, the nearest
route to the out-of-the way town from
which the letter was posted.
"Will it be to-day? Oh, DOCTOR not to-
day ~ said old Mrs. Randolph, when the
doctor turned away from the bed where
Amy lay.
He only shook his head and passed
from the room, while the sobblng old
woman bent over the white, unconscious
face upon the pillow. For nearly week,
since writing her pathetic farewell to love
and life, Amy had lain just SO, without
any sign of consciousness. She swallow
ed obediently all food, medicine or drink
put to her lips, but she never spoke, never
lifted the dropping lids that half covered
her large eyes. ~,
Passing away peacefully, poor lamb !"
the kind-hearted neighbor said, and ne
one hoped, ever so family, for a return
of consciousness. But, as she lay on tnat
still April d Y, her breath coming with
more labored sighs, her face growing
chastly with the touch of the great seal,
She suddenly lifted her hand, opened her
eyes, and smiled.
"Hush the is coming" she said.
Wandering, poor dear SAID one Old
crone. ,.,
"Guy Guyw the pale lips whispered,
and in answer quick tread crossed the
porch, paused a moment, and came up
the staircase. ,
one look SnOWeu buy itVio h5",S
half lifted from the bed, arms outstretch'
ed lips smiling, eyes radiant. Only one
look Before he crossed the room Amy
sank back, dead r. ..s
When April, came again, sympathizlng
friends, deciding which was the most be-
coming style of mourning for Mrs. Ches-
Ter, said:
Every sad-so young. But, my dear,
he really was most terribly dissipated.
His mother is half ruined paving his
debts, and he gambled fearfully, indeed
though, of course, one does not want to
blame the dead, it really does seem prov
identia that that brute of horse threw
him, at last, for his wife is young yet and
so wealthy-handsome too, in that loud
style--and really. you know" and sig
, nificant shrugs finished the sentence.
But Mrs. Chester, the heart broken
mother, alienated from her son by his
bitter, reproachful speeches, after Amy
died, impoverished, childless, leads the
life of a recluse, ever tormented by the
hauuting question, WAS it better to sep
arate those loving hearts, remove Guy
from a tender, gentle influence, and dig
two early graves, for monev's sake?'