Morris tribune., 1886-12-29
she said, when they all admired it.
Poor little Rose!

| have been mad ever since to think
that, as we drove off to the station
all the old shoes flying after us, the
first word | ever said to my husband
that all the World couldn't hear was
isn't that Julia Somers a cat"
suppose you will blame Rose tor
marrying John Horton in the spring.
] did at first, but when l found he
knew all about it and found, too, that
from the minute she married him. you
wouldn't have thought Rose had ever
seen another man, / forgave her, she
knew John was too good Tor make
shift. That summer Julia went to live
with an old uncle and we quite forgot
her till more than two years after we
heard of her marriage to Il rich old
man who adored her and whom she
| tolerated as she did the baby that
came after while. Things went on
very quietly with us all in those days.
Rose was as happy as she could be
with her husband and two little boys.
| told her one day that l had just
heard of the death OF Louis wife.
He married in England about two
years after we did, and she said "poor
fellow, am so sorry" in such q nat.
ural way that l knew the old days
were dead.
About ten years ago there came a
dispatch from Julia's husband begging
Rose to come at once as Julia was
dying and calling for her all the time.
Rose went by the next train and stay.
ed until after the funeral. When she
came home we found that she didn't
want to mention Julia, so her name
died away again. Two Or three years
after Captain Daintre came on to visit
his uncle who was failing fast-we met
him in the street and he was very glad
to see me. though he hardly spoke to
Rose. As he was turning away she
put out her hand. Captain Daintre, !"
she said very sweetly, my husbands is
away or he would have called upon
you and asked you to come and see
me. have something to say to you,
will you come home with us now"
Louis drew himself up very stiffiy.
II could hardly think" he said, that
Mrs. Horton can have anything to
say to me. You mnst excuse me-"
Captain" Rose said, very earnest.
ly, ~ have a message for you from the
dead" Then he turned and went
home with us in perfect silence. We
went into the library where Rose lett
US, coming back presently with bun
BILE OF old letters and little leather
case.
"When Julia was dying" she said,
'she sent for me and gave me these
the farewell letter you wrote me, tell
ing your love-the locket she had
promised to place in my hands as
your first, your betrothal gift-the
letter had never seen, the locket
had never seen only on her neck" !
Louis gave great start, but she
went quietly on.
"She told me of her advice to you
to send your letters to her, as | had
contided my love to her, and my par
ents would be angry, thinking me too
young for an engagement. Here are
the letters that came to me. unread
but dy her. She told me how, il her
great love for you, she. had written
you so tenderly when l, as you sup
posed, Tilted you, but in your anger
and Indignation you had cast her of
too. She married man for whom
she never cared, bore him a child,
whom she never loved, and sent for
me to bid me tell you that for love OF
you she had sinned against all, that
in the name of that love she asked
you to forgive, l put the locket on her
breast, hidden in her shroud; here are
the letters, will you not say, 4 for
give"
Louis had grown very pale-holding
those old letters he looked sadly in
the calm, sweet face before him. "She
cost us great deal" he said at length.
Yes" Rose said, gently, but it
might have been so much worse-my
husband has been friend as we'll as
lover; l have been a very happy
woman, and your"
II married." he said, looking down;
"my wife was q pretty child; we were
together six weeks and never saw
her again; she died while she was in
China. My life hasn't been a very
bright one, but I've got back my faith
IN human nature-and you-for all
these years I've misjudged you"
And now, with goodbye, you will
say, 4 forgive her?'"
Yes" he said slowly, ''since you
ask it forgive her." and he went
away. He didn't see her again until
John had been dead four or five years
Poor John! how he did love Rose and
how she nursed him day and night.
He left everything to her for her
life, and to her-not his-chil-
dren when she died--folks wondered at
that. Everything was fixed about the
boys to save Rose; they were to go to
school and then to college so soon as
Rose was left in her pretty home with
Rosebud her baby, that John had
loved so. She's been off good deal
travelling, and last summer when the
boys were home on vacation and were
so happy wandering about the
woods with Rose and the Rosebud
all children together-they met Cap
tain Daintre, and it seemed to him
the old days had come back, she was
so young and so sweet. The boys
took him right into their hearts, they
tell in love with sea stories and were
so sorry he had resigned. Rose was
his darling-the little one | mean, for
it used to provoke me sometimes, he
used to treat my Rose just as if she
his grandmother. He used
to 60 there good deal and he came
to our house almost as often. for
George and did like him so much.
One night just about twilight, Louis
tapped on the window; he knew
George was away and asked me to 60
over to Roses with him to return
some books she had lent him. She
vas such reader, and as she had
books about everywhere and he had
been everywhere they were always
good companions. We walked right
in, and pushed the portiere aside at
he library door and saw such pret-
ty picture that l motioned Louis to
ook. Rose had on a soft white dress,
and she was sitting in front of the fire
IN q big, low chair, with Rosebud kneel-
ng in front of her, playing with her
rings and her little watchchain."
Mamma" she was saying, ~ stop
ped at Mrs. Dermot's, com ng home,
and che said how prattv Won mo