The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-01-12
My Punishment.

am not yet thirty years old, but
my hair is streaked with gray, my
heart lies like ice in my bosom, and
my life seems only a long, dreary
waste-a punishment .sa. ........
, All, if my sin was great, / was
sorely tempted, and my punishment
will only end with my life.
3 When was it first loved my eous-
in Kate D 1t might have been when
Aunt Barrie offered her soft cheek
out of a bundle offlannel for my boy
lips to kiss the baby.
was wealthy, my father having
left, me fortune when L was six
years old, that had been nursed
carefully by my Conscientious guar
dian till it nearly treblcd in value
when came Of age
Aunt, my mothers sister, had on
ly the smallest income from her
dead husbands estate, and lived in a
cottage not far from the great house
that would be my home whenever ]
choose to occupy it.
Ny own mother had died when l
was baby, and all home affection
in my heart centerod in aunt and
cousin Kate.
Yet it was never a brotherly love
/ gave Kate after / was old enough
to think of my own home and future
happiness. @ .-..r
knew that my beautiful house
would be to me desolate and empty
if Kate refused to share it with me,
and although she laughed at me if l
made love to her, / never ceased to
hope until Girard Hopkinson came
to Barton. r.... ........ .....
He was, without exception, the
handsomcst man / ever saw Yet
he was without dollar in the world
excepting his salary as clerk in my
guardians mandatory, the Gordon
Mills.
l had been all winter visiting my
grandmother, who had written me a
most imploring letter, beggingto SEQ
me once more before she died, and
seeming so heart broken whenever i
proposed TO leave her, that i remain
ed until She died early in May.
had left Barton in November.
and just one week after my depar
ture Girard HopkipsOn came to take
a position in my guardians count
ing-house. -... ...
There was nothing Of the snob
about John Gordon, my guardian
and finding his new clerk to be a
gentleman, he invited him to his own
house, and introduced him to Barton
society. .' @fAa ' '.t
Everywhere he met Kate, the
belle Of Barton by universal consent.
When ] came home in May aunt
told me that Girard and Kate were
engaged. ..a hfH .As.f. rr-. 3i-
I will not dwell on what ] suffered.
NY whole life seemed to me =
blank, but l had no word or thought
of blame for Kate. ' f.i 'H.
Thid my pain as best / could.
Aunt knew all, for my heart bad
been an open book for her loving
eyes all my life, and when we were
all together she accepted my atten-
tons as a matter of course, leaving
the lovers to take care ofeach other.
To aunt only ] confided my plans
for opening my own honse in the
winter, and she consented to come
and share my home after Kate's
marriage. 57fl-l g.itaiHbip7 Es-iI
In October / went atsay to nerve
myself by absence forothe wedding,
and to purchase many additions TO
the modest trousseau aunt was max
ing for my cousin. '5 'gfof'f-af aGi
1t like a thunderelap to me
when my guardian wrote to me that
Girard had robbed him. u m1.
"It was a very clever forgery, he
wrote, andit has been traced di-
rectly to HQpkinson. Evans, who
has been with me thirty years, has
my perfect confidence, detected the
forgery, and traced it up. Ofcoms0
Hopkinson denies it, but it is too
clear a case. Still for his father's
sake IshalI not prosecute him. He
is the son of one of my dearest
friends ~; dead many years - and
sparedothis disgrace. / have dis
charged Girard, of course; and he
has left Barton, but / shall keeplthe
whole affair secret. l. have told
your aunt and cousfn-no one else. T"
Kate knew then. Ho teha't
i wrote to aunt, and received let-
ter after letter, telling me Of Kate's
grief, and her firm faith in her low
er's innocence eaa lfp1 q Ilih
The weary winter passed, and
Kate's health failed in her pain and
humiliation n97ifeaa fhafidsA
AN Barton knew Of her engage
ment, but no one knew the cause Of
her lovers desertion, 90 that there
4nlDaf' n ie1y gfna1 - sln.al l|
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