The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-07-10

while live, SibyL She shall live here if she
will make this house her home"
Il don't know that Sophy would care TO live
here" Sibyl answered curtly "She is fanci-
full and quixotic Perhaps she will marry
Percival Brent after all
"Not after his improper behavior Gold
more remarked, with the solemn morality Of
Great Briton
Sibyl laughed little. women forgive
that sometimes" she said.
Accordingly Goldmore, in fear of some
thing which he could not quite define to him
self, resolved TO give Sophia the benefit Of his
experience of life His kindness and his good
intentions were undoubted, and his words
were those of man who knows"
don't lie deceived by that soft forgiving
heart of yours into marrying a profligate,
Sophia" he said "A young man may fall
into many errors and come out of them, and
he as good as ever, but profigate Herer re-
turns to the state of his youth. He may seem
respectable, but he is never truly restored
He has lost that which he can never regain
There will always he hardness and coarse
ness about him, and he may any hour relapse
into evil ways Such men make a pretense
of reforming when they want to marry, and
perhaps even believe themselves reformed
but, Sophia, profligate can no more reform
and he what once he was than "a man who
has lost an eye can see again as perfectly as
when he had two BE firm. Sophia Be true
to yourself Hear nothing the young man
says
Poor Sophia began 10 cry
Il am not saying this thought as>iy, my
dear giIl, Goldmore continued, taking her
hand 81 admire a young woman who loves
man and i'll make Il sacrifice for him. and
| may take the liberty of assuring YOU,
Sophia $50 great is my interest in youl, that
| had resolved, had the Young man been hon
orable, that no little difficulty Of a pecuniary
kind should have stood in your way But
now, Sophia" Goldmore said, with all the
magnate upon him once more, Il must inter
fere in quite another sort of way
Late that night, when weary Sophia stole
back to her mothers room, she found it lark.
for the lamp Dad gone out
"Are you awake, mammal"
rs that you, Sophia.' the old woman
answered, n a clear and singululy coIIe,'tei
voice That girl in blue is here again, YOU
see"
What mammal Where"
Here, at the end of the bed. and that
young fellow with her They have leen dane
ing, and came here afterwarl They have
not spoken IL me, not word. Only they sit
there kissing and laughing. | don't object 70
laughing or kissing either; only they should
not choose this place, where 50 many people
are passing up and down. But, Lord! how
young people VIII 20 onm
Time after time during several DAYS the
old woman would imagine that the bedroom
was a ballroom, and that the girl in blue and
her lover were sitting at her beds end, flint
ing and misbehaying themselves in a way
which ticklei the old woman, for she often
laughed aloud, and said over and over again:
-"LOri how young people will 60 on
At last on Christmas eve, Sophia was sit
ting beside her, and she spoke all at once IN a
low, penetrating whisper:
"Sophy, | know who that girl j. now"
who, mamma
"HaSef deut,- myself" She uttered TIM,
IN whisper OF secrecy, low, hut intensely
clear. i saw the face just this moment
And that is Jack baltimore Spider Jack
we used to call hun, he was 50 thin, hot he
was clever aHI 81 hanJsonei We stole ous
,isether during the dance at Lord Mount
Joys. There he Is kissing her again! How
,old it is Let Us so back; let as 90 back let
lis so back
She turned and composed herself to sleep,
and all night long She lay placidly When
the doctor came in the morning he found her
much weaker, and said sha must have brandy
Every half for she was sinking fast
But she would take nothing. only slept away,
while hour by hour,the beating puise reported
failing strength. Sophia, feeling the end was
near, sent word to Car and SityI, and the
three sisters watched beside her all the after
noon. while Eserton and Goldmore waited
Down stairs. The breath grew fainter; fixed
lines came out on ii 9 mobile face. the three
daughters stood round the bel; and the
worldly little mother passed without a pang
awaY