Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-29


along over the dark luminous expsnse
of heavens. II believe. ay, oil ! ever
doubted before---the eternity OF love-
the possibility Of reunion Tom 30
you think the dead ever return to the
earthSr
The deadf"
"Ay. the dead If they, with
miahtier powers. have greater love,
what can keep them from those who
formed part of their existence here ~
Nv heart began to beat so loudly as
he smoke that could scarcely hear,
and / shuddered from head to foot.
What was the meaning Of these strange
words. following on what had happened
beCores grasped his arm tightly aud
glanced nervously behind.
You mean? Tell me, for Hea-
yen's sake tell me, who it was that
spoke to me while you slept?"
at was my wife," he answered in
low voice.
"And where is she? Where did she
go?" | cried wildly.
"She died two years ago !"
started back in horror. Those few
words. so calmly and quietly spoken,
rang in my ears for months. Never
shall I forget the effect they produced
on my imagination. But Lorimer. on
his part, never noticed my agitation.
He seemed in sort of trance--a rapt.
| exalted state Of mind which rendered
him oblivious of external things, and
kept murmuring to himself IN the
strapgest way.
"You knew / should heed your
warning when j was sure-that poor
little missing finger which you fretted
about because you fancied it spoiled the
beauty of your wee white hand but
oh. have | not kissed the place over
and over again, my darling, and told
you it only made you dearer to me, since
| you lost it in saving my life? Once
more it saves me from some unknown
danger. But it does seem cruel-you
so near, so near, and sleeping there
like senseless block Oh, my Helen,
could you not have given me one look.
only one, to carry me on through all
the dreary years to Gomez"
And so he kept on talking half inco-
herently, and ], listening eagerly and
yet reluctantly, if such thing is posi-
BILE, hoping against hope for some COM
monplace solution Of the mystery. But
| could make little out Of it. A deep
love. deeper regret, despair, finger
lost by a gun accident when he and the
girl he loved were children together /;
all this mixed up together in manner
impossible to follow.
At last felt as though | could stand
it no longer. stopped short and
looked him in the face.
look here, Lorimer," | said quick
ly, "flesh and blood can't bear this,
you know. Either stop talking to your
self or tell me the whole story"
He looked up in surprise, begged my
pardon, and lapsed into silence.
We did not exchange another sylla-
bic that night, but trudged along
steadily until we reached the place
whence we set out early in the day.
Our landlady's surprise was great on
seeing US again, when she thought we
were far on the road northward; but
| luckily our rooms were unlet, and so
we were able to turn in after a hasty
supper. In answer to inquiries, Lori
mer said shortly that we had changed
! our minds. and would follow the COM
pany later. | could see the good wo-
man looked upon us as couple of lu-
natics-and, indeed, now that the fear
was wearing off little, | felt uncom-
monty like one myself; but she stood
considerably in awe of my companion,
and said little.
1t was in vain | tried to sleep. |
tossed about for an hour or so, my
brain whirling with excitement, won
der, speculation and then | got up
and struck match to look what time
it was.
Lorimer must have heard me stirring,
for he called cut from the next room
for me to come in beside him. Per-
haps he, like myself. was glad to have
human companiOnShip. At any rate,
he welcomed me warmly, and there in
the silence Of the night opened his
heart to me and told me the story OF
his life.
1t is not necessary for me to repeat
il here. and, after all there was no.
thing very uncommon in it. Just the
old story of a reckless youth-chanceS
thrown away, talents misapplied, friends
alienated, and all the rest Of it. Then
a TASTY marriage with a sweet, childish
girl whom be had known and loved
from boyhood, and who chung to him in
spite of every thing, and Joined her fate
to his in the hope Of reforming him
needless OF all circumstances and Oppo.
sition.
For time she succeeded, and Of q
+ truth the two must have loved each
other very dearly, for Lorimer's tone
grew tender and reverent as he talked
, of their happiness.
But it proved too hard struggle fol
the eirl-wife, delicately reared and nur'
tured, and her health gave way under
, it. Her husband saw this and it mad
, dened him. For her sake he put hi
pride in his pocket and appealed fol
help, first to his own and then to hel
relations. But in vain. AS the young
couple had sown so they must reap
Her friends offered to take her back i
q she would consent to separate from he
| husband, but this she refused, eveI
against his pleadings. Never. If the.
q were to stsrve, at least they woul,
S starve together, said the tender-clinginI
4 little creature in answer to every Ell
= treaty.
y Perhaps those who wished to sepa
. rate them never fully realized how YER
). close the wolf was to the door per
Q haps they meant well to Helen in usin
!. every means in their power to bend he
\ to their wishes; but at any rate the
did not succeed, and bitter must hav
: been their remorse when the end came
a She died, and her child with her, 70