The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-20

light shining through might reveal the writ
ing. AS she made these preparations she IN
stinctivey moved about ON tiptoe, as il she
were burglar. The beating of her heart
almost suffocated her. AS she held the let
ter against the gas-jet she caught glimpse
OF herself in the mirror and was hOrrihed at
the sight Of her hard thievish eyes and white.
reckless face. sob how bad l am already.
the unhappy girl exclaimed. 81 will mol
doubt him. What will become Of me If L
do" and she threw herself on her face upon
her bed and lay with the letter pressed to her
forehead sobbing and from time to time eX,
claiming in husky voice 81 will not, VIII
not" as if by sheer will power she were
trying to turn back the rising tide of suspl-
cfon.
1t was hard struggle and long one, with
many alterations of fortune. Now her eX-
cited fancy framed hundred dreadful might
be's as the contents of the horrid letter, sus,
picions Of things that never before entered
her innocent heart. Then she would feel
that she could not ''stand it." She should
not live unless she knew what was in the
letter. All the peace and happiness Of her
life would be gone if these horrid sugges-
lions were to be ever haunting her. And
then her love would rise like a giant and
thrust out every foe and for the moment
hold the door against them, and in pas
sionate unreasoning trust she would press
the letter to her lips.
When at last she rose and washed her eyes,
she was quite calm. Sitting down she wrote
to Farrell as follows:
l was away last night, and when 1 came
home this morning 1 received your telegram
and the letter to which suppose it referred,
together. If had disregarded the telegram
and read the letter should perhaps feel more
ut ease in my mind than now do. But did
not read it. don't know but had right to
IN spite OF the telegram. and would like you
to feel that have done pretty well not to.
But will trust you, Farrell, l do trust you
IL l did not don't know what would become
of me.
p. ST. hope you will duly consider your
next letter before sending it, and be sure YOU
are willing to have me read it. do not Ike
this new way.
The reader may observe that the above
letter, while stating that the writer had re-
garded the prohibition Of the telegram so far
as not reading the letter was concerned,
omits to say any thing about burning it.
There was a good reason for the omission.
Grace had not burned it. She had not read
it. She did not mean to, but she had kept
it. Her course was as il Eve, instead of eat
ing the apple, had put it in her pocket, that
is, OF course, suppOsing that she had had
any pocket.
Now Farrell, as May be supposed, had
been decidedly uneasy as to the manner in
which his telegram might be received by
Grace, and when he read her letter he was
nightly relieved. Some girls would
have made such a fuss over such
little odd to her; they would
have made row, but Grace had only seemed
a little annoyed and quite good natured
about it. To be sure, he noticed that she
omitted to mention having burned the let
ter. Probably though she had done so. He
would like to assure himself on this point,
but he felt that he had rather imposed on
hor nj DIV "a l,r; 10
hold her to strict account. Accordingly
when he wrote in reply he said nothing
about the matter Of the burning, and in
deed barely alluded to the missent letter.
lie said that he had made very laughably
stupid bunder and was no end obliged to
her for not being veXed at the trouble he
had made her, and then without further
words about the business passed on to talk
love in such fervid strain that it is no Won
der Grace forgot to criticise the suddenness
OF the transition from explanation to profess
tation. He had never written her such let
ter before. Lucy came out as Grace sat
reading Farrell's letter the second time over.
81 suppose he explains all about that
mysterious letterW she said as she saw the
hand writing, and glanced sharply into
Grace's face.
81 am perfectly satisfied" said Grace, land
as she raised her happy glowing face to her
sisters Lucy could but conclude the eXpla-
nation had been most unexpectedly COM
plete. Nor did she ever afterward think of
coming in day or two, l will wait till | see
him, and then will tell him how badly I
feel and he will explain it all.''
A couple of days later he did come, for
mere flying visit of a single evening. Grace
was just enough afraid of her big lover to
add an exquisite thrill to her love for him.
Nevertheless she went down stairs to the
parlor quite intending to breach the subject
of the letter at the first good opportunity she
found in the course of their conversation.
But there came no opportunity. She was
very much in love, poor thing, and when
she entered the room and saw him standing
there, so big and so handsome, and saw his
eyes rest on her so full of glad proud fond
ness, she felt just one spasm of shame for
all the suspicious she had cherished concern
ing him, and then forgot them wholly for the
rest Of the evening, giving herself quite up
to her happiness.
1t wanted but week of the wedding.
During the ensuing days the hustle of prep
aration, the multitude of things that must be
done and must be thought of, necessarily d.
verified her mind; and then when, the day be-
fore the great day, Farrell came and was so
handsome, so devoted, SO glad, bow could
she help quite forgetting all else IN flutter
OF pride and happiness? But when that
night, the night before the wedding, she was
at last alone in her room, then she was nearer
than ever to opening that dreadful let
ter. How could she, how could she, 90
through the morrow's solemn lifelong con-
secration to her lover with this vague, I'M
formed, awful doubt Of him hid in her
heart? Nay, in justice to him if not to her.
self she was bound to clear her mind of it.
She had no right to come to him with that
between them. Never had the temptation
taken guise so specious. She caught up
the letter in nervous grasp. Half way she
tore the envelope in two. Then her strength
failed. She had never done mean thing in
her life. Was this mean? Had she right to
open the letter or not? Was it his or hers?
Her head was in whirl. She cried-but
did not open the letter.
Ne, lay came the wedding. 1t is treason
toa a heart rs every beat, but must
owl wen when she was making the re-
spO o the minister she could not quite
forge &c letter. 1t was the grain of sand
under the eyelid that could not be forgotten.
Ii she had been less in love with him, if she
had been ready to take a philosophical view
OF the matter, and to realize that her lover,
while an immensely good fellow as men
went, was not perfect, no doubt she would
have forgotten it quite. But to that she
could not descend. She must love him
wholly, must give herself to him with en-
thusiasm or with an anguish Of conflicting
emotions.
Many time the words trembled on her
lips, " That letter--oh, Farrell! Tell me
about that letter. Tell me the worst, that
NAV forgive Won ~