Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-09-28


I ''bR, my darling, | ewe yoti saei worlds
] Of penitence and shame 1 can never, never
humble myself enough before you If you
never forgave me at all for my miserable
folly it would only be exactly what de-
served. But you must forgive me, my
Katie. Indeed have been punished enough
by my misery of the past six weeks. How
could be so foolisha But, oh, Katie, what
did possess you to write that letter on your
| own note paper and leave it lying in your
own room for me to f1ndf" co.
"What letter can you mean, Jack?"
1.-THE letter in which that girl tells youS
'MaQ of her marriage That was the paper
foundi'
Sand you Thought Oh, Jackl'
Kathleen's eyes met her husbands for one
moment in reproachful establishment; then
they fell again in shame for the man who
had SO little faith In his own chosen love.
She was silent for some few minutes, and
these minutes were as bitter as any the squire
bad ever known. Presently she spoke again,
very quietly: .-.--
81 wrote out that letter on note paper just
to see what length it really was, and how it
read In that form. When did you find it,"
''The day came back to Murren from that
long expedition"
$50 long ago as thatf Oh, Jack, if you
had only asked me about it at oncel"
didn't tell you was the biggest fool
aliveq'
But, woman like, Kathleen would let no
one blame him but herself.
s'No-it was partly my fault too. I ought
not to have had even SO little secret as that
from you. But knew you would laugh at
me SO dreadfully if you knew had been
%,,xyi, TO- 10 ~ 49, AL 1,I hon
cepted l should never have said word
about it to any one"
"Thank heaven, then, that it was ac-
cepted!" said Jack, fervently, a pang darting
through his heart as he remembered the gulf
which had steadily been widening between
them.
II am very glad, you may be sure" said
Kathleen, with her own merry smile. "You
can't think how intensely long to earn some
money!"
"What on earth fora You know if your
allowance is not sufficient, you have only to
say sop
''Yes, but that Is not one bit what want!
You've no idea, see, what proud little
monkey am, and how 1t CALLED my pride to
! the quick to take all these things"-touching
her pretty gray costume-"from you before
even we were married." !
"My darlingi I hoped you had never
thought about 1t at ALL"
II thought about it constantly, Jack.
knew it was no good making fuss. Your
wife must have such things, and there was
no possibility of my getting the money to
pay for them. If the beggar maid was SO
mean spirited as to let King Cophetua put
her on the throne, she must perforce submit
to be tricked out at his expense. But vowed
would save every possible shilling of my
allowance and pay you back for them as soon
as could. And then, when we were living
so quietly at Murren, the idea struck me
that might perhaps earn a few guineas by
the turn have always had for story writing.
And you see have succeeded Jackl Now,
what may answer to Mr. Editors question
about the serial story7"
"You may write new Percy We're in
forty volumes, if you like, yon witch What
must you have thought Of my idiotic be-
havior2" asked Jack, as he kissed the little
hand lying in his big palm.
81 just thought you were finding out what
mistake you had made in marrying poor
little penniless nobody. All, Jack, I have
been very, very miserablel But it is all over
now, and will soon be all forgotten"
"No," began Jack, ~ can meyer forget
what blind, stupid"-
But his wife laid her soft lips to his, and
sealed her forgiveness with long kiss.
Jack. After all, your mistake was very
natural one.n
"But why could I not have had the sense
to question you at onceT
'tAhs why, indeedl That, Jack, was just
"A Mans Mistakep ".-Jessie Leete in London
Argosy.
The Oceans Waves,