Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-11-10

was good for millions, whose signature
was we'll known in many countries. All
the happiness that money could pur-
chase, was hers, and yeta vague sense
of loneliness crept into her life. A year
after their marriage her husband died
she had been true to him during their
brief married life, she had not allowed
thoughts of Lawrence to rise in her
heart F; but when she was free again
there came a longing to see his face. to
hear his voice. She heard of him often /;
he was often spoken of as one of the
rising men in the Western city. She
wondered if he still loved her, and her
eyes grew very tender as she painted a
future wherein she saw herself his wife.
When after an absence Of two years
Lawrence Efingham came back to visit
his native city, she sent for him to come
and see her. And he came and looking
again into his face, Judith knew that
she loved him, even as he had loved her
years before. Her pride all gone, she
showed him her heart-the heart he had
so yearned for once. He understood !;
gently be told her that the past could
never come again.
IT shall always be your friend,' he
said.
"Where are you going? ?" she asked.
when he rose to leave her, scarcely know
ing what she said.
sTo Ruth" he answered.
Then when he had gone, she threw
herself down, crying
"He loves Ruth, and I love him."
And Lawrence went to Ruth. No
word OF love was spoken, yet never had
days seemed SO bright before to either
of them. He longed to tell her his love
and yet dared not; and SO went away
again. leaving unsaid the words, which,
had they then been spoken, would have
saved gentle Ruth the pain that came SO
soon. Then Judith sent for her; she
was lonely, she wrote, would Ruth
come? She wanted to see if her sister
loved him. One day, never dreaming
that Judith loved her old lover still,
Ruth brought her letter.
'sHe loves me, " she whispered, hiding
her sweet face, all radiant, upon Judith's
breast. "He wants me to be his wife,
"And you love him 2" Judith asked.
81 love him." she answered simply.
Ruth brought her the letter she wrote
to Lawrence telling him she would be
his wife.
ST will mail it," said Judith.
It was cruel, but she thought that
some day Lawrence would love her
again, would come back to her /; he could
not love Ruth, she said to herself. Long
Lawrence waited for the letter that
never came, and Ruth's face grew white
and sad. Why did he not write =? she
wondered. Again she wrote twice,
three times and judith burned the
pitiful appeals, dropping them into the
fire with hard, cold look on her beau
tiful face. Then hope died in Ruth's
heart ; heavy shadows came about her
eyes, weary droop into the pale lips;
she begged then to go home, and pang
Of remorse went through Judith's heart
as she noted the white face.
But she let Ruth go without confess
ing her sin. She is so young" she
thought, "she will soon forget"
She did not think that death was
coming when her own strength began
to fail /; she did not know that an organic
disease had seized hold upon her, and
with iron fingers was slowly crushing
out her life not until her physician
told her she could never get we'll did
she realize that she, Lady Judith, was
dying. Then she sent for Lawrence,
and when he came she told him all. He
had suffered much at her hands, but he
forgave her. She wanted him to bring
Ruth to her she could not die without
her sisters forgiveness. He hurried to
the old homestead among the hills !;
and when Ruth came to him he caught
her In his arms she, reading the love
in his eyes, knew there had been mis-
take, and laid her head upon his breast
his own Ruth forever. Judith was
dead when they went back to her; the
white lids closed forever over the lovely
eyes, the small, waxen hands lying upon
the pulseless heart. Kneeling beside
the still form, Ruth kissed the cold lips,
sobbing bitterly. It was only fancy,
perhaps, but it seemed to Lawrence
that those kisses brought an expression
of peace over the beautiful, dead face.
Ruth's children gather the brightest,
most fragrant flowers to lay upon her
grave loving hands have planted vines
and creepers about it and often in the
soft. summer twilight, Ruth and Law
renee go there, and as she presses her
lips to the marble column upon which
| is deeply cut the name Judith Ruth
whispers softly, as though the dead
could hear, s'dear Lady Judith"
Poetic Reconciliation.