The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-13

teInfSs OF Anguish thai found no rel 81 saw
IN bard work and caring for other stricken
hearts Alas there were pieuty q care for
in those sad days. Mrs Brown moarned
loudly, and wore the deeDest mourning
Tor SIX months. Then she was married
again-gidowhOoi YES So "lonely.h
But Der last choice vas Il very bal
one. Whether shs bsd married him for
isncied love. or what had influenced her, NJ
one could tell bat re. the new husband
was q drunkaFd, s6d after some years o.
missrr, q Q woman who was once JACK
Brown wife was iald TO rest-a u few
moUTned nsr.
II at was al OF the past that Miss Olney
reviewed to day, as she sat in her lonely
room. but on. how &c hlled her b ant I'll
hrx ewes OVERT 1wed ia tears. The day thar
h6d been SD bright In the morning grew
overcast a. the afternoon wore on, and ere
uight snow and sleet filed the air, Mis-
0 ney lighted her lamp, but did not close The
shutters. Better let her light SHINE out, she
thought il might cheer some lonely passsrs-
ty, and guide them On their way
SO she set out her supper, with snowy
dRmask" and dainty china and the silver
that bad been in the family for more than
generation. 1t was her choicest treasure
her only inherited wealth, and as she laid
the solid knife and fork beside her plate and
placed the other pieces to her satisfaction,
she stood back 10 note the effect as she often
did, and then she sighed to think no one was
with her TO sympathize with Der IN any OF
her feelings
Just then she was rather startled by q
heavy rap ut the door. Only some neigh
bor," she thought, 8s she stepped to admit
the applicant.
The wind blew in with its attendant sieet
and snow, and the stranger at the threshold
stepped in with il, neither waiting for All
invitation. a gentleman by his dress, bat
Miss Olnev. though not given 10 fear, felt
sudden chill as she saw that he WAS
stranger. He might be a robber, despite his
gsntlemanly guise, and her silver, her pre-
cious silve How imprudent TO set it out
before her unshuttered win lows.
The stranger did not wait for her to speak
he was shaking as il with an ague chill
Excuse me, madam, >" ne said. ia voice
tremulous and hosrse, II believe am chilled
through. II you'll allow me-
But be- fore the words were fairly spoken
| Miss Olnt Y bad drawn her own easy chair TO
the FIRE, al the stranger dropped into it.
| evidently entirely exhausted. Ida forgot
| her Tears in compassion for the stranger. aud
| when his trembling fingers tried in vain to
unlooss his muller she offered her assistance
| IN tones chs found trembled, too.
The next moment she fairly blushed a.
| her act as the face clear of its wrappings,
| locked up al her. The pale face, with the
mustsche and the hair tinged with gray. aud
the eyes He looked but said De word, his
lips worked if ne fam would speak but
4
and fell over the pallid cheek. Ida stood
| mute, transfxed by that look. What does
| il meant" she said at iast in an a9e-struck
whisper
| Tfen The stranger stretched forth his hand
| BE had DO strength for further gesture, his
agitation was so extreme.
Lido" he whispered ''L'dA. don't you
know me; don't you know Jack?''
Was the world Teceding from her? Had
| the grave given up its dead? She felt no
fear, even in the first moment. Spirit or
mortal, IL was Jack. But for few moments
| her senses seemed 70 fail her, and then
| with whispered Jack" she claspsd him
| clote-only for moment though, for she
| II ust look at him.
lis it really you, jack she said at last
Are you sure il is your"
Yes, quite sure" he answered, with a
laugh that, IL it had been woman, would
have been hystericsl.
But thought you were dead, Jack"
And wss you sorry?'
Such look as Sue gave him. How can
you ask But tell me how 1t was"
And then be told her of the long oblivion,
| from which he woke to fad himself reported
as dead. The terrible prison life had driven
him mad. He was taken and cared for by
| good Samsritans, for three long years and
| then when he was himself again, he found
that every one supposed him dead. And"
he said, knowing my wife had remarked
and my other friends given me up, thought
| ii best not to break the silence. But hear
ing, long ago, that she was dead, / could
no longer resist the longing to find out
II | was entirely forgotten. | arrived here
but little while ago, and found on in curry
that you were still Miss Oiney, and lived
aloIe-or, at least. had an establishment of
your own"
"Ab, Jack, do you know what day ii is?
You are my valentine sir"
Audacious, wasn't it, for little Miss Olney
70 so forget the proprieties2 The old people
in the other part of the house came home;
| but whether it was hours or minutes after
| Jack cane, neither of the young" people
could have told
| And so the wonderful news OF Jacks re-
| turn became en- old story in Lorraine. and
| Mrs Brown, once little Miss Olney, tells her
children the story of her valentine