Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-04-29

And tomorrow was to be her Sec
ond wedding day. Fondly and hope
fully he painted to her the coming
years, each moment of which should be
to her recompense for past misery.
She eaid little. 1t was such joy to
hear his voice, to feel his touch, to
creep into the shelter of his love and
rest there, grateful and content.
1t was IL o'clock when she bade
him goodnight. She still felt the
tender pressure Of his lips upon her
as she mounted tho steps to her room.
She had made him leave her this ear
ly because some of her preparations
were yet to be made for tomorrow,
and she had promised him to retire
before midnight-though her waking
dreams, she said, were so much sweet
er than any slumber might bestow,
she hardly thought the exchange a
fair one.
There was soma letters she wan ted
to look over-some to be destroy ed,
others to be preserved. Among these
latter were few he had written her,
during short absence, a month pre-
vious.
She took out the first from its wrap
per to re-read, but had not turned
the page when there came low rap
at the door.
"Come in /" she replied, half-impa-
tiently, without looking up.
She had given orders to her SER
wants not to be disturbed. She had
told Maria, her maid, to come up to
her at midnight. It was not yet half
past ten.
The door opened at her summons,
but no one entered or spoke.
"Well Maria, what is it ?" she ques-
toned and slowly raised her eyes, to
6nd-no Maria. no servant, but a
mans form, gaunt and haggard, dark
ening the threshold-a mans eyes,
hot and burning, fixed upon her face.
She sat as if carved into stone. 1t
was pitiful to see tho blood recede
from her face, leaving it white and
drawn. If three hours previously
she had looked older than her lover,
ten years were now added to her age.
Her lover? no longer had she a
right to the sweet title, for he whose
gaze held hers was her living hus-
band-the man whom for two years
she had mourned as dead.
He came forward at last, closing the
door behind him and advancing, with
feeble, tottering steps toward her.
"Speak to mel" he eaid. "Give
me one word Of welcome, one word of
forgiveness!"
She opened her lips then, hut no
sound came.
"I-I know" he went on. "You
need not ell me. You were to have
been married. It would have been a
crime. But for this. would not have
come. I would still havelet you give
credence to my death. Oh, Sydney,
would you believe when I swear to
you that, both for your sake and my
own, I wish to God I were !"
The utter misery OF his tone brought
her own desolate anguish more fully
before her. With low cry she buried
her face in her hands. The letter
she held fell from them. Still she
heard her husband speaking as
though from afar off.
Courage, Sydney" he aaid. "You
will only need patience, dear. Look
at me 1t is not hard to see that l
am doomed man. l have never re-
covered from the wound l received in
the afray in which they reported me
to have been killed. Dissipation helped
tie work along though since that
night, Sidney, no drop of liquor has
touched my lips When man stands
so cloqe to death that he recognizes
his icy breath, he sees things with a
new clearsness. During my long and
desperate illness, thought of you
with longing You can never dream
of, but I dared not send for you. I
felt that all my right was forfeited.
Nor will I trouble you now. When
I am dead you shall learn of your
freedom. Until that time you will
hear of or from me never again"
He stopped as he finished. She
knew that he lifted up the material of
her dress and pressed it moment to
his lips.