Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-08-24

cause | dcsrisc and loathe the worldly
girl who caused your trouble more thor
oughly than you can possibly do"
"You have changed, he said, bitterly,
81 remember when you declared that
youthful dreams were folly and never
| lasted; that nothing was Il real good eX-
| cept money and position"
81 have not forgotten Cliffordl You
need not add to the bitterness of my con-
fession by reminding me of my old creeds.
| won the stake ] played for-title, po-
sition; and today my life is so utterly desc
| late that the poorest beggar would not
change with me if he could know the
TRUTH
"Believc me, I am sorry'-
"You can't be, unless you forgive me-"
she Interrupted. 81 haven't spoken to
excite your sympathy; do believe this is
not bit Of fine comedy always meant
you should know the truth-not to make
you pity me. II seemed that the telling
you would he sort of eXpation-a proof
that / ropcnted my sin"
81 suppose You only acted in accordance
with the doctrines in which you had been
brought up, 80 he said, more gently.
"But that is no excuse" She replied.
81 was poor then Your father would
not have allowed you to marry me if you
had been willing Lily told me that he
threatened to cut you off with II shilling
if you did"
"All truc enough, but that was not
what deferred me. : was as worldly rs
my father; ( wanted 20 buy rank with his
republican wealth. Just As | told you.
Well. dill it--lct that 90. have said
I'll wished now; it has been in my mind
for months, years! | wanted you to
know that however deeply wronged you
in the old time, y0u have been bitterly
avenged"
81 didn't want vengeance, Adele"
"And yet you cannot forgive mel"
eyes, | do---freely; there r my handl
There shall never be another harsh thought
in my mind toward you,' he said with
the impuSivcness which no amount of
living could rid him of.
"You have done me more good than you
can imagine she returned, smiling sadly.
"Now we begin on new terms. We must
meet, and there need be no feeling on
either side to make us constrained and
give people chance to pity or blame us. "
II don't care for people!'
''Nor / much-not enough. | fear. But
do care for Dora, and want you both
to be happy. ! am sure that the forgive
ness you have promised me will help you
| won't keep You any lougcr-you might
miss the train Go away to Dora. 1t was
not Kind of Lily to make her keep the
truth from me; but would rather let
them know in my own way that | have
discovered it,"
II shall only say that l saw you.'
"And give Dora l0Y loye-I mean it!
tiood-by. Clifford, You'll he happy-very
happy | am sure of that. and | thank
heaven for it. vt least / aid not utterly
rain your future"
of y,
the twilight shadows which had begun
to darkcn it, and Clifford Stuyvesant
stood and watched her and knew that
the future could never give amy happiness
like that of his early dream.
But he had known this from the first,
he told himself over and over, as he hur-
ried along the path which led through the
fields to the station. Dora was gentle
: and tender, and kind. He loved her after
! what he might have believed a gooC
i, fashion, if he had never known better
at least more fervid one. He haC
watched her grow up; child as she was
. she had been his only cOniidante in the
first days of his wretchedness, when Adele
Laurence went forth in her search for titl'
and position.
During those years he had become rich
. ! partly by the result of n voyage to Soutl
America, partly through some of the won
derful means by which Wall street ha
, made so many men rich during the pas
!, few years. And this last winter, comm:
. back to town after n few months absence
) he had found Dora so much more charm
ing than ever that he proposed and wa
, accepted, and told himself that the futur,
y would do well enough-well enough; a
:. much as any man need expect who ha'
!, nearly reached 30.