The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-09-06
eyes it's latc.n he answered.

eyes, it's late" he answered. ga
mail from the war is in, you see; and it
brought good many letters.
The woman came in with thick let
ter and the lights. Her mistress took
it with nervous haste. A thick letter,
and from her husband! until now his
letters had been of the thinnest and
slightest. The writing-sCGs it Hum
phrey's? Why, yes, it was his; but
what could make it look so shaky? She
opened it carefully, and some Enclosures
fell out. A fond letter or two of hers
written to him after their marriage, dur.
ing temporary separation; curl Of
her sunny hair; plain gold ring which
he had worn ever since his wedding
day; and little folded note with a few
trembling lines in it.
Il am dying, Emma. Fell to-day in
battle. God forgive us our folly, my
precious wife! believe we loved one
another all the while. There is another
Life, my dear one. shall be waiting
for you there. Humphrey"
Emma Carbonel cid not cry, did not
faint. She lay back in low, large
chair, her meek hands clasped in sup
plication, praying to be pardoned for
all her hard wickedneSs to her dead
husband, feebly beseeching God, in His
mercy, to take her to that better life.
The next day the papers published
a list of the fallen. Fifteen soldiers
and two officers, one of the latter being
Captain Humphrey Carbonel.
SO it was all over. Death had parted
them, They had taken their marriage
VOWS to love and to cherish one another
until death did them part-and 10!
now it had stepped in to dc its work.
All. but something else had stepped
in previously: angry passions INDUCED
in, malice not suppressed. But for
that. Humphrey Carbonel had never
gone out to the fatal plain where death
was ndiscriminately putting in his
sickle. Emma Carbonel would have
given now her own life to recall the
past.
Experience must be bought; some
times all too dearly. She saw how
worse than foolish it is, taking it at the
best, to render our short existence here
one of marring anger. Evil temper
must bring the reaction, and the re-
pentance. A little fOrbearance on both
sides, especially on hers, few sooth-
ing words, instead of spiteful retorts,
and this bitter retribution had not been
hers; or his, in dying. "a soft answer
turneth away wrath" If they had but
obeyed the words of holy writ!
And now what was left to them?
Death lad claimed him, and all was
over. To her, lifelong time of
anguished relnorse, vain longing to
undo what could never be undone in
this world. Could not some of us, hot
and hasty in our dealings, learn
lesson from it?
But something better was in store for
Emma Carbonel. Humphrey did not
die. Within week the news came tO
her that the injuries, which had in
duced a death-like swoon, mistaken al
the time for death, had not yet been
fatal, He was removed to the hospital,
was being treated there by skilful sur
geons, and the issue was as yet IN
certain.
The issue was not for death, but life.
Some months later he came home,
manned soldier, bearing about him
marks which time would never efface.
Just at the dusk of evening, as she
had pictured it in her fond dream, he
came. When the fly drove up to the
door with sim, she was surprised, for
he was not expected until the next day.
He came in slowly, limping. The hustle
over, the servants shaken hands with,
he lay back, fatigued, in the easy chair,
Emma kneeling before him, clinging to
him in passionate emotion, tears
streaming from her eyes, whispering
to him in deprecating terms to forgive
her.
upon condition that you forgive
me, Emma" he answered, agitated as
herself. at has been sharp expert
ence for us both. My darling wife, |
do not think we shall ever quarrel with
one another again.
"Never again; never single mis-
word again, Humphrey, so long as life
shall last. "-ArgOSy