Daily Republican., 1884-03-18
HER CONFESSION.

f" you will wait In vain"
! / was waiting for Rube Ellison
marry me she knew that well enoug
! had been waiting for him for Dearl
ten years. loved him ; all, Heavel
how loved him
was but fife n, and he four yeal
older, when we were first engaged.
"Give metwO years." he had sale
"to make home for you, and 20
shall be my wife"
SO waited two years. | was a Sol
Of under gOverness in the school !
which | had received my education.
worked and studied hard, and receives
"A miserable pittance in return.
At the end of two years he was II
nearer.
at costs q fellow so much to live il
the city" he told me, land perhaps
have been little wild. Forgive IN
this once, Olive; we are young there
lots Of time; have little patience will
me, darling"
Patience with him. My patience
with his faults was such as the mothe
feels for her maynard child.
We agreed TO wait two years more
and ] was to save az well as he. LET
the school, and took better position a
a fair salary, being competent to do 81
now. He wrote TO me regularly, ant
sometimes paid me IA visit. 1t wa
when the second year was nearly owe
that he dashed my hopes again.
He sent friend to tell me he wa
ruined. Certain defalcations had besi
discovered in the store where he wa
employed suspicion fell on him, and
though innocent. he was ruined.
| never doubled his innocence. Though
if ! had, it would have made no differ
ence in my love innocent or guilty, h'
was the same kube to me.
| took the money had saved, but +
was not enough then | borrowed The
remainder from aunt Clara. get hin
OUT of his trouble, but, of course, on
marriage was further oft than ever il
took me nearly three years to pay OF the
debt to aunt Clara.
What suffered for him in those
three years only myself can know
IN self and Heaven But the line
they were over knew him thoroughly
knew him for agambler and drunk.
ard, knew him for nan in whose
hands no woman iGI plness could be
| sate-knew hiu,, and loved him still.
Through all, believ d that his heart
was mine, and that, once his wife, !
could reform him. Had been rich !
would have married him in spite OF
all, but we could not marry in utter
poverty, and he saved nothing now,
ana frequently made drains upon my
purse.
And thus ] lived in constant care
and disappointment, and faithful, but
most fruitless love, till | was twenty.
five. And then he dealt me the cruelest
blow of ail--he married.
Oh, God the agony which suffered
my trust betrayed, my hopes destroyed
The love of q whole life cast away. |
may have merited to suffer, but 1t was
hard that his hand should give the
wound.
Imade an earnest effort to forget him,
to free myself from the intatuation that
brought me nothing but torture and re.
morse, and, when at last a dull con-
tentment came into my life, when !
cea .ed to agonize in jealous pain, and
yearn for even sight Of him, then l
thought the Glory was won, and the
terrible insanity was ended.
! had young sister-May-a lovely,
gentle creature, my Junior by, nine
years. Being orphans, and poor our
lot in life could have been but hard.
May would have TO toll az ] had done,
had not stroke Of good fortune come
to both of us.
NV gOdmOther-an eccentric old lady
whom had seen but little of during
my life-died and left me a fortune.
Then took May, and gave her pleas
ant home.
loved her dearly. Something OF the
ciinging, tender love, that had lavish.
ed ~ vainly upon my false lover, |
gave to her. Her gay youth, her bright
beauty charmed me; my own happiness
and hopes had suffered sbipwreck ;
such fragments of the ruin an were left
gathered and built up upon her.
SO passed five years, three Of which
at least, during which neither saw
nor heard Of Rube, were the calmest
and most peaceful OF my life. And then
once more ! me, him.
Heaven pity me! That man was my
evil genius In spite of all theinjuries
had suffered at his hands, in spite OF
my know edge of his villainy, in spite
Of my contempt and scorn, the Old love
spralg up in my heart again, and l
could not drive him away.
He was free again, he told me. He
love me still-he had never ceased to
love III, lad my heart been as true to
him?
All he had little need TO ask. lis
ene,i 10 his voice | looked into his
eye. my heart began to make excuses
tor him. thought, perhaps, | may be
harry even still.
| could never do without him knew
that. Worthless AZ he is, he had en-
chanted my heart until had neither
oower nor will to get il free.
SO forgave him, ana trusted him
once more. He visited me constantly
my hungry heart was fed beauty and
youth came back to me ; life was
dream ofbliss. gave myself up to
the joy of faith in his love once more,
and was supremely happy.
We were to be married in the fhll. l
had been parted from him so long, l
coujd bear to say him nay no longer.
May was absent when first my darl-
ing returned TO me-absent tor several
weeks. saw that he was greatly
struck with her fresh, young love illness
" hen he saw her first, and was & ad OF
i,-poor tool--for | was proud of her
might have ben prepared, having
endured so II UGH. ] might have known
that he would play me false again had
May been n stranger ! think shou!"
have been on my guard but she was
INV sister. doubted neither her nor
him.
~ left them quite good deal to.
gether, and at first thought nothing OF
doing so. Kube and | were going to
Europe after our Wedding, al" l
had a great many preparations 10 make
that occupied much of my time; ! va,
glad to have him amused in our quiet
home SO that time mish not har & heavy
on his hands.
can scarcely tell now when and
, first lr0lk