St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-07

My eyes opened. A mist seemed to
clear from my brain, Feebly l moved
and Stretched my hand, and another
God! how tender and how brave its
faltering tOnes-murmured in my ear,
Il am here, my dearest. What is it
You wish?'
| think could have wept then, but
my anguish was too great for tears. His
deareSt-I; and | knew it was true. |
knew that never by word or deed had
the faithful nature SWerved from its
duty or the true heart failed In its love.
There hy the bitter sting of my humili-
alton. There lay the punishment of
sin.
II have something to tell YOU" 1 said.
II know l am going to debut l can
not die with this on my soul"
''DO not trouble yourself, dear heart"
said the brave and kindly voice. There
is nothing you have done l cannot for
give. Why speak of the past?-. 1t
is over now. I am not blame
less. My love for you made me self
ish. You were SO young, and L should
have remembered that and been more
generous to your faults"
"MOre generous to my faultsw The
greatness of this love; the strength and
tenderness of this nature l had disre-
garded, how they crushed me to the
heart now. Now, when it was too late.
Aye, think of that, oh sisterhoOd of
mine-the rank of cold, selfish and ne
glectful wives. Think of it when your
hour too shall come as mine cane, and
your soul ShrinkS aghaSt in shuddering
horror from the sight of yourself as you
are!
For men are so much what women
make them that on WOmanhOod shall lie
the larger blame when the impurities
and indecencieS and shame and fOllies
of life pass in review before the Great
and Adjust Judge! Where woman is
pure and brave and strong, so shall she
lift man up to purer life, and give him
freedom from slaviSh passions. For in
her weakness is her strength, and some
thing also of divinity,
since through her ShOne the GOdlight
upon earth. Let her debase that divin-
ity and man falls lower, and even child
hood grows callouS and impure, and
over the face of the sad and desOlate
world creeps the plague spot of unbelief
and mateTialism, so that at last the In
finite is challenged by the pigmies of
His own creation, and the pitiful
Ignorance of dull and clouded intel
ligence sets itself in array against the
wonders it would fain deny.
Like wave that lifts itself and is
lost, so rushed these thoughts through
my brain. Then | spoke again-feebly,
but with the impulse of an intense and
terrible desire: ~.
ooh, my husband. 1 have wronged
you'll have neglected you. have
never-never for one hour of all our
welded life been the wife you imag-
ined me. Other lips have flattered,
other voices whispered love, and have
liStened-yeS, listened and thought it
no shame. Oh, you cannot surely for
givew
Yet once again the brave, true voice
once again the pitying tenderness:
''My dearest, the world is full of snares
and pitfalls. You were so beautiful,
and II was old, and may have seemed
| to you harsh and cold and sympathiz-
ing; yet in my heart l loved you al
ways-l shall love you all my life"-
'Hush!" l cried-"You do not
know all-See thereon yonder
shelf-that easket-bring it here
| Quick, quick, cannot die till have
| told you my Secret-till ! know you
| forgive"
He rose, The casket was beside him:
| tiiO MY was III llle IOck. mOIlOneQ
him to open it. The lid fell back; the
letters lay there; many or few knew
not, since one would have Sufficed to
condemn me. One out of all that
packet
Bernard" SAID family, "will you
read them-now-now, before | am
dead, so that may know have not de-
ceived you to the last"
Ny eyes closed. A faint and deadly
terror settled like dark cloud upon my
failing senses. heard the rustling of
paper: the faint subtle perfume of dead
flowers that had nestled among the