Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-01-28

think as an actual possibility In flesh
and blood. He had never darcd 10 ask
for me; he took 1t for granted that i
was long since another mans wife. And
when, after some years more, In man.
ner unawares to himself, tho memory
began TO work in his heart, he came TO
the old town again as n pilgrim visits a
shrine, and without dream Of finding
me.
And in all these years, after the first
ono Of unbearable suffering, had staid
there in my home, doing the duty that
came first to hand, both since Il was
duty and since 1t might prevent my
pain. And the pain had passed at
length, had left only soreness and sor-
row, had become sublimated, as it were,
into something would not lose for It's
pang. One by one, father and mother,
sister and brother, had left me; but ]
still dwelt in the sweet old house, and
sat of summer evenings on the porch
among the honeysuckles. At first had
thought l could never breathe their
breath again; but at last it had grown
precious to me; it was my all of the
love, of the life, hoped for. But the
score and more OF years had not been
unhappy to me; my daily routine had
taken much thought; the poor children
that taught, and Belle and Alice
and all the rest, served in some de-
gree to keep me young; for, as I said,
hated to grow old; and II any one
was kind enough to say they would
hardly know me for more than the elder
sister of the two young girls about
me, my skin still so smooth, the color
on my cheek so delicate, the pale gold Of
my hair still untouched by silver, it was
apt to move my heart with little pulse
of pleasure, although / knew, in truth,
and for all that, that fifty years must al.
ways count for fifty years. Now and
then heard Of Maskelyn in his public
life-I had not exactly thought it wrong,
once when went to large city, to buy
photograph of him, with those Of
some other public people; but kept it
locked away, and allowed myself to
look at it but once every year. And
when did look at it it was only with
one hurried glance of the eye, one
thrill and spring of the heart, lest
sinned, lest / made him sin, and wrap
ped it closer away again. But the day
after had seen that face was always
day of mourning. And at last know
that he had no longer wife; and yeai
went by, and year, and year, and he had
not come. Sometimes, in wondering
and thinking, my heart would beat 50
loud that it seemed as if only fasting
and prayer would still it, and ]
blushed and burned to think wasted q
throb on one who had long ago ceased
to care, who never came to see; and
one day took his pictures, that of the
boyish beauty and that of the stalwart
man, and burned them both to ashes,
and prayed that my love might burn to
ashes with them, and my heart be cold
and at peace in that my fiftieth year.
But If l had not learned every line of
the later picture by heart, whether i
would or no, l might have known
Maskelyn when he came sauntering by
the gate that night, and gave look at
struck him, and stopped and leaned his
folded arms on the gate, and stared at
me as / sat there. 1861
He knew me. In the softly beginning
shadows of the twilight my face seemed
hardly changed, and air and attitude
were still the same. He knew me, but
he did not believe in me; he thought
something had happened to his brain,
or else that he saw q vision in trance.
He lifted his hat and rubbed his fore
head; he half turned to go away; then
he wheeled about, opened the gate, and
came slowly up the path, with his sol
emn gaze still fixed upon me. All, how
sweet the honeysuckle breath came,
stirred by his advancing motion!
"Livia!" he said.
Maskelyn!" replied. And l felt
as he did--impossible to say whether it
was this world or the next, whether l
really saw him, or it was, as it had been
many times before, that l dreamed
did. And then said to myself, "The
worst has come. l shall hear presently
that Maskelyn is dead" But he was
saying to himself-and yet heard him:
Scan it beP Is it SOP Herselfp Inthe
old home! My God! if she should yet
be free!" And then a glad cry, and we
were in each others arms. And we
were fifty years old. Too old for such
joy; and 1 drew back, all blushing and
ashamed, only to be taken in those arms
again. He broke off by and by branch
of the honeysuckle, and twined it in my
hair.
"What would Belle and Alice sayp"
l murmured.
"Who are Belle and Alicep" said he.
And in the sudden jealous spasm that l
had realized anew my fifty years and
their twenty.
81 am SO DID," said, Sand they are
so young!" poG "''tIt.a iefN
"For me you have eternal youth, j." he
answered. "We are going to live back
ward all the years in which have lost
you, since you are so good, my angel,
as to love me still, to refuse to reproach
me, to forgive me-"
And sometimes l ask if they to whom
fate seems kinder, and give smooth
current Of love in their early season,
have half the depth of delight in it that
they find who at later day love with
the concentrated force that, spread out
over all the intervening years, might
have been shallow and stagnant pool.
Did love Maskelyn any better at twen-
typ Not any fraction so dearly. Did
he love me moreP / can not answer for
that. One could hardly love more than
an abject worshiper loves saint in her
shrine, and SO he seems to love.
And so l am to be married
tomorrow. I sit here in q
daze, while Belle and Alice are
weaving garlands on the steps below.
1t does not seem to strike them as any
thing strange. "We were always sure
you had romance and q hero, Miss
4 Livia," they say. "Oh, it is like read.
ing a new chapter. And you are go
ing TO come back here, after you have
seen the great world, and never let us
lose youP" And forget, as see him
coming up the walk while they weave,
that can no more ride and ramble
without fatigue, for have an arm or
which to lean; and know that / shall
thrill once more to sunset and sunrise
water scene and mountain view, fol-
there will be eyes to double all the beau
ty, and reflect 1t back on mine. forge
that any time has been stolen from mt
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