Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-02-04
She was tall and dark-eyed and come.
ly and she looked keenly at the stranger
as he stood in the twilight.

She was tall and dark-eyed and come.
ly and she looked keenly mt the stranger
as he stood in the twilight.
"Miss Alice Graves has never mar.
ried," she said. II suppose you must
somehow have heard the old story
which got about of her running away
with Mr.. Curtis on the evening she was
to have married another. IL was all q
mistake, a false report. She merely
rode short distance with him in his
gig, to take leave of an old lady OF
whom she was fond. But the horse
was young and skittish, and taking
fright at something, ran away, throwing
them both out. People believed it told
an elopement, until when, some hours
after, they were found on the old mill
road, Alice badly bruised and Joe with
his leg broken. The man she was to-
have married believed it, and left her
without word. Joe Curtis is my hus-
band now," she added with a smile,
land Alice Graves, though she has not
lacked offers, has never married. She
could not easily get over disappoint-
ment like that"
"But why was not he-why was not
Mr.. Warner informedp" inquired the
stranger, in voice of such suppressed
vehemence that the boy turned and
looked at him worsleringly.
''Alice would not allow it. She was
as proud as he; and when she heard that
he had gone, she said;
eff he could believe such thing OF
me, il is as well that we should part.
Let him got
"But it went to her heart, and, for
my part think she has never forgotten
him."
The stranger made no reply, only
pulled his felt hat lower over his brow.
and Mrs. Curtis added:
''If you would like to inquire about
the place you will find Miss Graves at
home. l saw her upon the porch few
minutes ago"
She watched him as he went slowly
down the street.
"He thinks that l did no recognize
him. As if / would have said what |
did about Alice to any one but Gilbert
Warner! And can see that he has not
forgotten her, either. All, l hope it
may all come right now!"
When Gilbert Warner knocked at the
door of the old Graves house, it was
opened by fair, graceful, sweet look
ing woman, in whom he had no Difficult
ty in recognizing his old love, Alice.
But it was not until he stood in the full
light of the parlor lamp that she knew
him; and then she involuntarily drew
back a step or two, and looked at hin,
with white face, as though she had
seen a ghost.
"Alice-don't you know mop" he
said, holding out his hand.
II know you; but why do you come
here?" she answered, as though striv.
ing to be cold and proud, while hel
voice faltered and her eyes filled with
tears.
81 came to ask forgiveness, he re-
piled. Until to-day thought that you
had wronged me-and you did, Alice
in not letting me know of my wretched
mistake. So many years of happiness
lost to us both! Oh, Alice, is it toe
late! May we not yet be as happy az
we once expected to beP"
1t took some time, some pleading
some humiliation, on his own part, fol
high minded Alice had been deeply
wounded by his too ready belief in hei
desertion of him. But still her hear
had never really swerved from its frs
real love, no more than had his own
and when Gilbert Warner left the little
town, it was as he had hoped to do tif
teen years previous-with Alice Graves
as his bride.