Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-11-03
derer. thought seriously of adding to
my crime by committing suicide that awful

derer. thought seriously of adding to
my crime by committing suicide that awful
night.
But poor Arnold did live. He had q
wonderful constitution, unbroken, as all the
men who knew him knew, by dissipation Of
any kind, and it is hard to kill such men,
He lived, and strength returned to him at
last but no one would ever call him hand
some Arnold any more. He had fallen on
his face on the horrible Jagged rocks, and
during his illness all his bonny brown hair
had turned gray. No one would know
him, they told me and so powerfully had
his beauty and his sweetness affected even
men of coarse natures that they uttered
these words for the most part with tears in
their eyes. As for myself, I would far
rather have seen ghost.
| Yet the sight was forced on me. One
day received note from him asking me
to come to the hotel, and it was signed
Henry Arnold.
I had no choice. 1 could not refuse
went to him.
AS saw him seated in great armchair
in the room to which the waiter showed me
as he arose and walked toward me, and l
saw that he limped heavily-I wonder that
did not die. I felt the blood leaving my
face and saw the hot flush rise to his, as
But he only said /:
''Sit down. 1t is kind of you to come"
l staggered to chair, and saw nothing
| for while i; yet through it all / wondered
what he thought of my strange conduct.
and hated myself for my weakness.
At last he spoke:
see now l-how my appearance affects
you" said he, very sadly. sit is a horri-
BILE thing that am trying to grow used to-
l wish l had broken my neck. OF course,
any man would under the circumstances
But l did not ask you to come that might
say that to you. want you to take a note
from me to lady at your aunt's house, if
you will be SO kind. 1 choose you because
you are, as it were, one Of the family, and
you will be careful and-and kind. 1t is
Miss Belle Burton. l hoped to marry her
one day. Of course, all is over now. No
one would-no woman could-overlook my
hideous appearance"
His voice broke little, but he went on
bravely.
$50 have written to her. do not want
her to see me, and shall go abroad in
week or so, and-you'll tell her you-you've
seen me, you know. l have loved her very
much. always shall /; and this is terribly
hard"
He broke down entirely there, and took
letter from his bosom and put it into my
hand.
"Giee it to her," he said and turned
away.
l took it from his hand and left him.
l went straight to Belle Burton. found
her in the garden, and 1 told her from
whom came and gave her the missive.-
She read it through gravely, but without
tears. Then she looked at me with eyes
that had such solemn, holy look in them,
as one would hope to see in an angels.
Edward she said, she says he is
frightfully altered is it so?''
EYES," l answered.
"Do you know what he has written?"
she said, softly.
81 guess what it isl
'My poor boy p' said she. "As if any
thing would change me but change in his
heart. Will you take me to him, Edward?
| must 60 at once"
Command me-" 1 said.
She caught up the wide straw hat on the
bench beside her, and drew on her gloves
and took my arm. l never loved her so
well as did then, but, for once, it was a
perfectly unselfish love. l knew what she
was about to do, and I blessed her for it.
And SO took her to him i; my hand
opened the door of his room for her; my
eyes saw-yes, and gladly-thas however
that changed face might affect others, it
only made her love for him more TENDER
| saw her rush into his arms and hide her
head on his shoulders and then 1 went
softly away and hid myself where no one
could see me, and cried like baby.
All well. that is a good while ago, and
they have been very happy. The big fellow
is almost as graceful as ever, and as for his
FACET do not think it would matter much
to me what my face was if any one loved it
as we'll as Belle does his.
go to see them sometimes, and my mad
fancy to kneel down and confess my share
in the horrible affair is quite abandoned
Besides, Bellies daughter is sixteen now,
and if an old fellow of thirty y-six-ah well,
who knows what may happen in the futurse
Only that would be another story quite,
and need not tell it here. 1t is written,
it is written.