The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-05-26

TREND Is house. But he was too badly
hurt to be removed, and for weeks he
was an inmate of our home, where al
most the entire care of the invalid de
volved upon myself
81 need not give you the history Of
those weeks, Madge, but they were the
sweetest have ever known in my long
life OF half century. Hugh Wood
man was the hero | had dreamed Of
handsome, noble looking, polished in
manner and conversation. Better than
all that, he was the soul of honor. Be
fore soliciting my fathers permission
to offer me the life which he always
declared had saved, he told us frank
ly the story of his past.
ale was young man then-only ~
yet he had already been married and
divorced. His young wife had been
unfaithful to him, and after bearing
with her faults and the disgrace they
brought upon his name as long as he
could, they were legally separated, and
the care Of their only child was en-
trusted to him. This child-his little
Lily-was a theme of which he never
tired. Hour after hour he talked to
me of her, praising her beauty and
goodness, planning for her future with
us, and begging me, n thousand times
over, to love her for his sake.
But he had no need to ask me that.
Anything that belonged to him was
dear to me. Even the faithless wife
who bore his name was an object of
interest to my mind, and many times I
found myself plying her for having
cast aside the priceless blessing of
Hugh's love. For knew that his old
love for her was dead and buried, and
that the whole wealth of affection in
his heart and soul was mine-mine.
Aunt Margaret paused, and the in
tense look which her blue eyes gather
ed in the memories of long ago gave
her face, / fancied, the same expression
which it must have worn in the love-
days of her youth.
"Yes," she resumed, "our happiness
was perfect---far too perfect to last.
Our marriage was to take place on
Christmas, and after a short wedding
tour we were to settle down at once to
housekeeping in the city. He had
brought little Lily to see me, and she
was to come to us for good the moment
we returned from our tour. How l
loved the child! not only for her fathers
sake, but for the innate: loveliness of
her own sweet, childish nature.
'She did not look like Hugh, there
fore knew that she must resemble her
lost mother; and, if 80, how beautiful
that mother must have been! Lily was
a blonde, as was, but the fairness of
my skin was snow white in hers, the
blue of her eyes was more the intense
brilliancy of the sapphire, and the
blonde Of her hair the simmer of burn
ished gold. / can see Hugh now, as
he stood with half fearful, half laugh
ing eyes, watching me caress his dar
ling child, and thinking to tease me by
calling me the young stepmother.
"The week before Christmas found
us all as bright and happy as pros
pective wedding party could ever be
but it brought new actor upon the
scene who was destined to change it al
in the twinkling of an eye. Hugh
divorced wife, having in some way
learned of his intended marriage, hat
made her way to our village, determin
ed to win back to herself the husband
whom she had deserted. Had she ap
pealed to Hugh alone she could neve
have been successful, for she had utter
ly forfeited all claims to his love o
confidence, and his heart was too entire
ly mine for her pleadings to have NOV
ed him. But finding him firm and un
[ yielding, she sought me out"
| "Oh, Aunt Margaret" l interrupte'
in fearful amazement, "surely you di'
not voluntarily give up Hugh's love fo
the sake of that bad woman!"
"Yes, child, I did," she hastily an
swered, with little choaking SCUM
in her voice. "And you could not hav
believed her bad, Madge, had you seel
her, as did, imploring, with tears an
sobs, to be restored to her husband an
child. She was so lovely-oh! thous
and times lovelier than / ever wa,
though Hugh had always called m
pretty. In those days, Madge, divorc
was not so lightly thought of as it
now. A divorced wife, whether justl
or not, was always regarded with su,
picion, and the disgrace even attatche
to her innocent children. | thought c
dear Llly, whom l loved so well, an
for the sake of her future | helpe
plead her mothers cause with Hugh
at was long before he would liste
to either of us, but at last he left tn
decision of his fate to me, o, child,
never can forget the anguish that file
his loving eyes as he did so! My Iii
is in your hands, Margaret he said,
his wife's presence; you saved it one
and it is yours, both by right and IN
own choice. Do with it as you viii
So, Madge, | decided against mysel
and that is why you see me an old ma,
today"
"And they were married over agaiI
iio" oliauHe bul WIS slc SOt
wife to Hugh after that, Aunt Marga
eti' asked, with girlish curiosit
not thinking how my words mig
wound the noble heart, until | motto,
the slight shudder with which she a
swered them.
; ayes, Msdge, heard of them yea
afterward, happy and united famil
l have always found strength to
, thankful that l helped to reconci
them to each other, My life is flown
! peacefully on to the great ocean
, eternity, so | am content. But IIugl
last, loving kiss which he gave me
passionately beside the old well, whe
t ] risked my life to save his, has nev
been effaced by the touch of other lip
Aunt Margarets story was ende
She had never thought of this gran
, unselfsh act of her life in the light
a romance, but to me it seemed We
, much like one.
a PROTECTION FROM MALARIA.
The preventive is the far-fam