The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-07-24

broken my parents, hearts instead @
making them proud OF my brilliant
alliance, as | imagined. And it would
have ruined my whole life"
cas- you have ruined mine," Milton
said, coldly. All my life | had an
ideal, A woman, spotless as snow,
who had never loved, who was above
deception, and whose name had
been associated with that of any man.
| believed | had found her in you. ]
married you under this deluSion. |
have been a proud and happy |
have been q fool, g blind fool, to be-
lieve you were worthy ofthe idolatrous
worship | gave you. You have de.
ceived me from first to last. It was a
carefully planned scheme of yours and
your mothers. [ can V forgive
you" -...N
Il have not sinned," Delphie an
swered, in a low voice.
Caesars wife must be above suspi.
ciOn," he replied. .
Suddenly she arose and faced him.
She was very white and her eyes hared
with a fire he never saw in them be.
fore. Her rich wraps fell from her
shoulders and her Jewels glistened in
the g~aslight. She looked like some en-.
ragged princess.
II, too, had an ideal once" she
said, "a mar too noble to stoop tC
frivolity, with a will too mighty tC
permit him to have been guilty OF any
act which | might not know. met
you; you sought mi in spite of my re.
luctance to make your acquaintance.
You insisted, you almost compelled
me to love you. did love you. My
mother was your ally confess it.
But do you know how she prevailed
on me to accept you as my husband.
without telling You the one folly Ofmy
life? 1t was i'll this way: She had in.
vestigated your history, and she told
me Of certain events in your life,
events which crimsOned my cheek with
shame while | listened, and caused me
to lie and weep through nights OF
sleepless agony. | did not believe it
possible that a man who seemed so
noble, so refined as you, could have
| given rein to his baser nature,even for
a few years. | had idealized you, you
see. But my mother assured me you
were not worse than other men, that
! would never find my ideal in
morality and that if | loved you
/ must not scruple to accept
your hand. She had brought me
the most convincing proofs OF your
past. My own seemed spotless beside
Tiny experience was chlld's play
compared with your own s~in-stained
career. | said, love him we'll enough
to be his wife, knowing all this from
other lips than his; surely if my past
| rises before him in the future he will
love me well enough to overlookit. Ii
! / forgive so much he will forgive SO lit
tie. But / overestimated hestrength
of your love. / forgot that my Judge
vas a man"
She paused, and Milton stood silent
and abashed before the beauty of her
face in It's fine scorn and the power OF
her eloquence.
He had always fancied that his wife
was ignorant OF his past. Nowto sud
denly learn that shehad married him
with a full knowledge of those years OF
reckless folly and disSraceful adven-
lures covered him with shame for HIM
self and alteration forthe woman who
could forgive SO much, who could love
so much.
She had known it all this time, and
yet never had referred TO it once, and
how petty and mean he seemed beside
her. His sense of wrong gave way to
a feeling of overwhelming humility and
love. He looked up and reached out
his arms.
"Delphie, can you ever forgive me?'
he cried.
"Can you ever love me AGAIN."
She sprang into his embrace, and
their lips met III a long kiss OF recon
citation.