Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-02-08

@NA&eM~aW $500
we sat under the cd apple bOugha
that fair autumnai morning.
"Somswhere in the past / have
seen your face" He said this to me
one evening after orr acquaintance
and friendship had existed more than
I've years. for he came quite often to
che Cliff.
81 never have met you" ! said.
E'till the day on which you came here.
but there 10 one question / would like
you 70 answer, who 10 the gentlemen
framed in ebony that hangs to the
left Of the cabinet in your room r
We always left his room Just a. he
chose to arrange il. for we never
needed It, This picture had often at
tTactad my attsnfion fs was cover
ed with sOft violet sarcenet and the
features were only half disce.nible.
Framed in sebehy - thinking ,
moment-"oh. yes, / remember. Il
is al old chum Of mine; be. was my
roommate at Vale, and has been .
very dear friend ever once; HE name
is Lester Belmont = his bone Is in
New York, but he like the Wander
ing Jew has no sliding place. He
was ont in Portiand while / was
there Q couple of months ago. but
went back to New York to spend
few days with his parents, previous
to taking European tour. He will
be gone three years. he told me, and
should again Visi. al the prominent
nations 81 the earth. Poor fellow,
bis has been a sad life. and suppose
it Is because Of thakesorrOw that be
dosen't settle down. aZHa !
did his wife die" asked2 It
was twilight. the dusky shadows were
creeping about the room and he could
not see my face. else De would have
known how that name stirred old
memories at my heart.
Ills wife, why Grace. he never
WAS married, never viii be. We had
a long talk on that subject while we
were together in Portland. / will
tell you the story of that mans life
If you care TO hear it. I"
YES" I said, tell it to me" and
be, tald il, told me how Lester Bel
mont loved in his early manhood
poor girl, q girl whom he held in his
soul as the most sacred and beautiful
Of womanhood Of their
betrothal, of his hopes and dreams
her. and lastly Of her un-
faithfulness; of letter she sent him
demanding her freedom and Of seeing
the ring he had given her on the
hand Of another then how aimless
his life had since been. wandering up
and down the world with only the
memory of that fair, false woman in
his heart.
What was her NAME asked.
4 did nee ask him; was " filed with
cnmmiseratiun fur such man as he, 10 be
wasting such life as his might have been,
In sorrow and idleness, till that fair Jezabel
was scofued and fcrgn'gn.'
Dat. don't said, Won pain me- and
in my earnestness | caught hold of his coat
1tVhy, Grace, what Is the matter p q
had dropped IN chair, every faculty Of
my bcing paTalized. lie stFoked my fingers
aud bathed my face. When became more
\ went q my ROOM bnt not 10
sleeg,. All lths agony AMI anguish Of the
years whose graves had kept green in my
rose befre me. | resolved ~ tell
Paul Chapman that WAS the woman he so
nIu b scIrled; the woman whom Lester
Il-f.. 81 g.. Al, a
a ancR. Itr was tke work at treacheEous
CsTrnt Willard and her maid, Annette. 4
cannot describe the anIazsment 0f Paul Chap
man VIII n | made this disclosure.
Now, / knew where ] saw yOlF face le |
said Jester iGsd the miniature of girl he |
kept always about him. never heard her /
name. but | now know il was Your face
Three years nnEe were added tO my life. |
reaFs il Which taught the district sclDol
sUd wrnte, i'r the v"ce at my heart cOuid
not find rest H. silence neither cJuld my /
hands lie idle. had m;vle a short trip Gf
a. distant city and Was On my
way hack on Une Of the steamers that cut
he blue waters II the Hudson. The day
was wearing ~ a close, and at landing, was
surprised u see Paul Chapman and another
gentleman with him come Un the steamer
This meeting WAS, II course, purely scci-
iental Sing Tor me, Grace he sid. Il
have an old sung here and he handed me
he music. Twas 'LOrena, the same old
'nng Ca"ma Willard had SuDg years before
when she FIRST met Lester. by voice tgell-
Dled, when sang the lines:
The story Of the Issst Loscna,
A las ! CaFe not 90 Fspea:
rhe ho' e. thai cOu 4 not last, LORNA;
rhry lived, but only lived to cheat
The memory Of he past came hack in a
nll tale Of regret aud anguish. Near the
DlaliO sat gentleman with his head bowed
lpOn his hand, gazing dreamily out through
IN open window. AS stopped, he asked
me D. excuse the request If a stranger and
inish tlBis sing. What was there in that
'ulce, thIt made my heart stand still?
10 matters little now, Lorena,
The past Is the EJsrRai past"
Our heads viii SOON lie los, L.orena;
4ile tide is cl,hlng vst so fast;
There Is fulure-uh, thank Godi
DE- lie .here Is so sIIssll part"
] could go no further. arose from the
Instrument and went on deck. In mo-
nent, the man at WHOSE request ! sang was
lt my side. Ii was Lester Belmont, and
.hus we met, after an absence of eight years.
Paul Chapman hid written aud explain
VI - Lester while he was in Switzerland, |
} I'd he lost no time in jOurneyiBg West t.
DIN me at Glenctiifs. Cartna Willard forged /
those letters. enc 10 him and one time. So |
perfect was the duplicate, that neither af us |
runld scarcely recognize them as the others |
writing. She induced Irving Motstague "a |
accept my ring, which she took from my |
lewel-case, as = gift fnom her.
am now Lester Belmnnt cherished wife. |
The hirCas Sing IN the lattice below our vim
dows; the old Manor Is sweet with the Sum
ner' flowers; over 10 the night III thefOsms
lain sits the old Judge, watching the spark
hing water fall froln the marble basin. Our
hnune il &C the Manor whers ester was born.