The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-11-13
A TRAGEDY:
OR
THE STORY OF THE Chain PIER.
CHAPTER XI.

want you to see how truly this is the
work OF Providence. and not of mere
chance"
told her how | had been attracted
10 the pier; told her all that was said
by the crowd around: of the man who
carried the little dead child to the work
mouse; OF the tiny little body that lay
IN Its white dress in the bare, large
uesolate room, and of the flowers that
the kindly matron had covered it with
l told her how | had taken compass
sion on the fOrloTn, little creature. had
purchased its grave, and of the white
stone with "MaTah' upon it.
Marah, found drowned" And then.
poor soul-pOor hapleSs soul. she clung
70 my hands and covered them with
kisses and tears.
Did you-did you do that?" she
moaned. How good you are. but YOU
VIII not tell him. | was mad when l
did that, mad as women often are with
sorrow, shame, and despair. Twill suf-
Ter anything If You viii only promise
not to tell Lance
DO you think it is fair | asked.
that he should be 80 cruelty deceived?
that he should lavish the whole love
OF ms heart on murderess?"
shall never forget her. She spranp
from the ground where she had been
kneeling, and stood erect before me.
NO, thank Heaven! | am not that"
base and vile. but not that"
- on were that, indeed l replied
The child you flung into the sea was
living, not dead"
1T was not living" she cried-''it
was dead an hour before | reached
there"
The doctors said-for there was an
inquest on the tiny body-they said the
child had been drugged before it was
drowned, but that it had died from
drowning
oh, no, a thousand times.' she cried.
On, believe me did not wilfully muir
der my own child did not indeed
Let me tell you. You are a Just and
merciful man. John Ford; let me tell
yOu-yOu shall hear my story. you shall
give me my sentence-I will leave it in
your hands. / will tell you all"
y on had better tell Lance, not me-
l cried. What can do?'
No; you listen, YOU Judge 1t may
be that when you have heard all, YOU
VIII take pity on me; you may spare me
you may say to yourself that / have
been more sinned against than SHINING
YOU may think that l have suffered
enoug3;, and that | may live out the rest
OF my life with Lance. Let me tell you,
and you shall Judge me-"
She fell over on her knees again, rock
ing backwards and forwards.
All, why she cried-''why is the
NOlINl ~ uuldlI w llN. WHEN IIeTp
sin and sorrow. why does the punish
ment fall all on the woman. and the
man go free? | am here III disgrace and
humiliation. in shame and sorroW-in
fear of losing my home, my husband, it
may be even my hfe-While he, who
was a thousand times more guilty than
l was. is welcomed. fiattered, courtedl
1t is cruel and unjust.
Il have told YOU she said. chow
hard my childhood was how lonely and
desOlate and miserable l was with my
girls heart full of love, and no one to
love.
When | was eighteen went to live
with very wealthy family in London,
the name-I will not hide one detail
from yOu-the name was Cleveland:
they had one little girl. and | was her
goyemess. l went with them to their
place in the country, and there visitor
came to them. a handsome young no.
bleman, Lord Dacius by name.
1t was a beautiful sunlit county l
had little to do, plenty of leisure, and
he could do as he would with his time.
We had met and had fallen in love with
each other. | did not love him, idol
lied him: remember in your judgment
that no one had ever loved me. No one
had ever kissed my face and said kind
words TO me: and |. oh. wretched, mis-
erable me, I was in heaven To be
loved for the first time. and by one so
handsome, so charming. so fascinating!
a few weeks passed like a dream. /
met him i'll the early morning. / met
him in the cleaning. He swore hun
dred times day that he would marry
me when Ire came Of age, We must
wait until then. l never dreamed of
harm or wrong. believed in him i'm
plicitly as l loved him. l believed
every word that came from his lips.
May Heaven spare me. need tell you
no more. \ girl of eighteen madly,
passiOnately i'll love; Il girl as ignorant
as any girl could be. and a handsome,
experienced man of the world.
There was no hope, no chance. l
fell: yet almost without knowing how
l had fallen. You will spare me the
rest know.
when. in my sore anguish and dis
tTess, | went TO him. / thought he
would marry me at once: / thought be
would be longing only to make me hap
py again: 10 comfort me; to sOlace me;
to make amends for all ! had suffered.
] went 10 him in London with my heart
full OF longing and love. had left my
situation, and my stern. cruel grand
mother believed that ! had found an
other. If lived 10 be a thousand years
old ! should never forget my horror and
surprise. lie had wOrshipped me; he
had sworn a thousand times over that
he would marry me: he had loved me
with the tenderest love.
Now. when after waiting some
hours, / saw him at last. he frOwned at
me: there was no kiss, no caress, no
welcome.
This is a nice piece of news he
said. This comes from country Wis
iting.'
"'But you love me?-you love me?'
l cried.
course that died with Summer. One
DO you not mean to marry me?' l
asked.
No. certainly not; and you know
that l never did. 1t WAS a Summers
amusement
And what is il to me?' / asked.
"'Oh, you must make the best Of it.
OF course, | will not see you want. but
You must not annoy me. And that old
grandmother of yours. she must not be
let loose upon me. You must do the
best you can. / will give you q hun
dred pounds if you will promise not to
come near me again
Il spoke no word to him; | did not
reproach him: | did not utter his name:
/ did not say goodbye to him; / walked
away | leave his punishment to
Heaven. Then / crushed the anguish
within me and tried TO look my life in
the face. | would have killed myself
rather than have gone home. Ny
grandmother had forced me to be saw
ing. and in the post-Office bank ! had
nearly thirty pounds. | had a watch
and chain worth ten. | sold them. and
/ sold with them a small diamond ring
that had been my mothers, and some
other ieXyplrV. altoOpfhpr I realised