Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-04-29
least remembered that she had once
L, 4 e.

least remembered that she had onct
been his wife.
She knew that Colonel Thornley, was
somewhere in Tennessee, but for the
rest knew no more than the merest
stranger who read his name and an ac.
count of his brilliant deeds in the daily
papers.
/ The tabled Lethe is stream never
found this side of the grave, search long
/ and far as one may, and those three
stirring years, active as was his life
and hazardous his march to fame, had
by no means brought forgetfulness to
Will Thornley's troubled heart.
Grace was so Joung and impulsive
He should have been more patient.
more forbearing, more forgiving. He
felt remorseful and self-condemned
but how make the matter up nowP
Some such thoughts as these were
passing gloomily through his mind,
one evening, as he sat alone in his tent,
pondering over the subject What a
sad, sad ruin the madness of an hour
had made of his life!
True, he had now no small share OF
fame, and it waSnot altogether egotism,
perhaps, to say it was fairly earned
| but happiness he had lost, and wife and
home, though the old love still re-
manned, and tonight, somehow, seemed
very near.
"a lady to see you, colonel,n said a
tall Irish orderly, entering the tent, and
| saluting.
az can't see anybody tonight, SER
geant. Some begging refugee, sup
pose. Refer her to Major Clinton" !"
testify replied the colonel.
But she's not a refugee, or anything
of that sort, and says she must see you.
She's kinder weakly-loo and as
pale as a ghost, wild the travelin' and
trouble she's had; and, beggin' your
pardon, colonel, Fd rather 60 to the
guard house for a week than take your
message to her, y stoutly urged the hon
est orderly.
An impatient frown darkened the
colonel's brow, for he had grown stern
and irritable during the past three
years, and was no more the Will Thorn
ley he had formerly been than the
merry hearted schoolboy is like grim,
iron-handed old field-marshal.
"Show the lady in, then, and be
quick about it. he said, shortly.
The orderly promptly obeyed, and
y
who trembled visibly, and seemed half
afraid to enter, though she had but a
moment before begged the orderly or
her knees to procure the interview for
her.
with sharp interrogative, 'tWell,
madam" Colonel Thornley, turned to
know the pleasure of his strange visitor.
The light from the single tallow can
die, burning on the table, was so dim as
to barely admit of readily distinguish
ing the features of one in the corner
where the small, shrinking figure stood,
as white and nerveless as statue.
"Well, madam" and this time
Colonel Thornley's tones were not quite
so sharp, what is your business with
me?"
The woman took step forward. and
in second down at his feet fell the
slight, shivering form-a sob, an i'm
ploring out-reaching of two thin, tremb-
ling hands, and then from the pale lips
came the wild, agonized cry:
"Gh, Will, Will pity me, forgive
me, and let me die here at your feet |
1t is all. all ask"
g Gracel my wife, my darlingi my
poor, sad, lonely child, is it indeed
you?" He caught her to his heart, and
covered her cold, death-white face with
kisses. g Forgive you, Gracep Alas, it
is / who should crave your forgive
ness! Look up, my own dear one. Do
not tremble so. You are safe with me,
and the past shall be both forgiven and
forgotten. Itwas a hasty a,t -hasty on
your part and on mine; but we are
wiser now, and shall know better in the
future how to guard against anger and
jealousy-the two besetting sins of poor,
weak. human nature" ;"
mine was the greater fault,n she
sobbed; and the love that is without
jealousy, let them say what hey will,
is the only true, believing, lasting love.
/ know it now; but, oh, Will! The learn
ing of the lesson was bitter, bitter, in
deed! And l must see you must tell
you
" Not that you have suffered, forI can
see that plainly enough-much too
plainly. And Miss Woodward is-n
"Marriedw Grace turned away her
face that he nigh not see the sudden
blush that crimsoned it like a rose.
ell went to see her. l did, really,
and she forgave me. Said was lit
tie goose, and-and advised me to GO
and see you whether you liked it or not
So / came, and now / am here; you
don't mind, do youp And we will be-
gin all over again, and be as happy as
we were at first"
" Yes; as happy as we were at first,
and as ever hope to be hereafter"
60 And you don't care to be bachelor
again, even if / am sillyP"
Z es and no. he answered, smiling.
She laid her head contentedly on his
breast, and smiled, too, though little
sadly, for she had learn ed, through Bit
ter experience, that
'Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and drearyr