Daily Republican., 1884-04-19
HIS RUINED LIFE.
BY ANNABEL DWIGHT.

"Comfort her, comfort her, al things good,
| When am over the sos!
Let me and my passionate love go BY.
But speak TO her all things holy and high,
Whatever happens TO me!
How long she had lain there she did
not know.
The COWS had come lowing home from
the rocky pasture on tho hill long BE-
fere.
The golden, September moon was up,
queen Of the deep. blue heavens, and q
restless breeze came moaning across the
waves, tossing the girls soft, curling
locks about with chilly fingers.
She was young, not over seventeen,
and life had been very sweet to her.
Not the slightest shadow Of griefo or
pain had crossed her pure heart.
She was too young when her mother
died to feel her bereavement, and the
happy years since had! been passed In
this pretty seaside home, petted and
protected by her fond father and faith
iul old servant.
Only the May before Mr.. Ford had
brought an acquaintance home with
Clifford.
Clifford was a man of thirty, and
looked ten years older with his dark,
sorrowful eyes, and stern, haggard fea-
lures.
Yet he was an inexpressibly inter.
sting cOmpani0n at least Mr.. Ford
found him 30, and urged him cordially
to visit them often.
Consequently Clifford got into the
way Of riding out to the cottage nearly
every week.
1t never entered Charles Ford's mind
that any possible harm could come to
his little Isabel. She was mere child
10 him, his baby he failed to see that
she was growing into q lovely woman.
Laurence Clifford saw it, however,
and wondered at and admired and rev.
eranced her sweet, dainty, soulful,
beauty until 1t grew into his heart and
reigned there triumphant.
And Isabel, with all the future lying
like delightful dream before her;
with her innocent heart just unfolding
its leaves like a fragrant white rose,
was charmed by GiffOrd's rare powers
of conversation, his experience and his
gentleness, which was always tinged
with melancholy.
So the summer fled swiftly by, fold
ing the girl in vague dream ofdeiight,
until now the end was come.
For had she not overheard Laurence
Clifford tell Der father that very night
that he had made preparations to sail
for Europe on the following week to re-
main years-possibly forever?
A great agony, the like Of which she
had never known. swept over her.
Fleet, footed, she hastened to the
shore to battle with her first great sor-
row in solitude, for now she realized
that this sad, grave man, so many
years her senior, was dearer to her even
than her father, and the thought of
never seeing him again held for her the
bitterness of death.
She sat up suddenly, brushed back
her disheveIed locks, AZ her ear caught
the sound of familiar footstep OH the
sand, and presently tall, dark figure
walking swiftly would have passed her
citing IN the shadow of great rock,
but she called timidly:
"Mr. Clifford"
He stepped at once, and spoke in a
curiously embarrassed way, AZ though
he had wished to see her.
"Isabel l thought you were in your
ROOM"
"Then you would have gone away
without saying goodbye to me?" said
Isabel, with quiver Of the lip which
she could not suppress. /
he flushed little at this, but smile1
a trifie sadly as he met her soft ey O..
about which fingered traces OF recent
tears.
~ will say it now, clild. Good bye,
and God bless you"
He would have passed on but she
broke out passionately:
"Why do you go at all ? Or If you
must ge--why forever? l heard you
tell my father that You might not re-
turn"
"Was that all you heard, Isabel?"
Yes ; that you were gong to Eu-
rope, aud might stay forever. l do not
see-I thought-"
Her voice failed her here, and great
tea rs stood in her eyes. She made q
little despairing gesture with one hand,
and stood quite dumb before him, trem-
bling from head to foot.
The mans face looked CHASTITY in the
but when he spoke his voice
was quiet and gentle.
Isabel" he said, taking one stepl
toward her. :" if my life had been as
fair and blameless as the lives OF somej
good men, should not go away. Yous
are q child, frse-free, happy and in
nocen, The memory of the past sum-
mer will be the one pure, sweet thing
in nv soul, to abide with me forever.
Forget me little one, and be happy as
YOU may. Life is teeming with the
sweetest possibilities for you. Mine is
all warped and stained. Good bye,
Isabel"
She did not answer. She was weep
ing wildly, the infinite pathos in his
vice sweeping away her last atom of
He bent toward her with outstretched
arms az though he would have taken
her to his heart, but restraining himself,
dropped a kiss light as q breath and
reverent al u prayer upon the soft,
brown tresses, and In another instant
was striding swiftly away, soon to dis
appear in the distance.
Charlie Ford told his daughter as
gently az possible the next day some OF
Gifford's nistory-lhe history of mis-
spent life, Of splendid capabilities