St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1880-01-03
THE ST. TAMM.ANY FARMER
COviRGton. January 3. 1880.
FORGIVEN.

Inc darh OF 4 December day was
descending like an opal cnrtain.
In the West there yet remained rare.
beautiful tints, that the sun-setting
had left-delicate lemon, tender
purple-gray, and one pale azurine
band against rose-pink halo, that
blushed softly on the horizon.
Sylvia stood alone in the draw
inSroom, looking across the square
into Oxford street-such q fair,
womanly woman, with her 1.-THE,
slender figure, her graceful carri-
age, her grave, sweet face, whose
red lips 50 seldom parted in a smile,
whose velvety dark eyes wore al
ways a patient piteousness.
She had endured such trouble
such awful trouble that comes
proridentially, to but few women to
suffer; and tonight, the last of the
dying year, when other women were
eagerly gay and anticipative of the
festivities of the morrow, Sylvia
Hope was suffering anew and afresh
the pain that would never leave her
that never had left her since the
New Years Eve five years ago,
when
She shivered rs she thought of
that night, and then, with little
gasp of agony, as the memory
surges rolled whelmingly over her.
she turned away from the window,
and the sky that was rapidly pallng
into soft gray tones, and the streets
whose indistinctness of dusk was
being relieved by twinkling lights.
A servant came quietly in, taper
in hand, to light the gas.
Mrs. Hope looked up.
.Never mind yet, John. I will
ring when need lights"
Then up and down, through the
half gloom, the fragrant warmth of
the magnificent room, Sylvia walk
ed, her magnificent train rustlinc
softly on the velvet carpet, her fair
white hands clasped tightly behind
her, her head dropped on her breast,
thinking of her husband.
just five years ago that day there
had been terrible scene between
them-a finale that had been grad
ually growing from the day that
Marcia Stanhope had first crossed
their path.
She was enchantingly beautiful,
and all London raved about her,
and Guy Hope had shared in her
eager admiration; and Marcia Stan
hope had smiled upon him, and the
two had been great friends, until
one awful, awful day, it had come
to Guy Hopes wife, with the keen
force of pain, and jealousy, and
rage, that her husband cared more
for Marcia Stanhope than for her.
At first she tried to conquer the
feeling. Then, when her woman's
heart was all afire with wild zeal
ousv, she taxed her husband with
the accusation, as any woman would
have done.
And he?
He did what any man would have
done, whether guilty or not-he
fatty denied the charge. Then,
when she Indignantly reproached
him, he resented it angrily, then
coolly laughed, and later, grew us
furious as herself.
And Ill the very midst OF Sylvia's
widest accusations, he turned to
her with sternness that held her
while she heard the one sentence he
uttered:
Another word, and SO help me
heaven, I'll never look upon your
face again.
The threat Inaddened her.
Yes, you would like to desert
me-ior Ar,! 90. hope I may
never see your false face againr
And without Il seconds delay he
walked into the hall, donned Lis
oven coat, Lat and gloves, and
1t had been five Years ago, and
she had never seen or heard Of him |
since.