The Florida agriculturist., 1889-02-06

come at once to heriniurcd niece. Tenderiy
as a brother the reporter cared for her
until Mile. Camille came.
Youth, health and strong constitution
were on Bertha's side, and she recovered
very rapidly When Mile. Camille came
she brought the little dumb boy, who was
reioiced to see his sister and his companion
on that long dark ride.
Bertha's recovery was so rapid that soon
after her aunt arrival she was thought to
be well enough to go homo with her. When
Allen came to bid her adieu he said:
81 have one request 10 make Of you?"
"What is lt!" she asked.
"That you permit me 10 correspond. with
YOU"
For a moment look of pain swept over
the pale, beautiful face, the golden head
was bowed in thought, and she said:
"Wait until a year has elapsed"
'sNot before?"
ssNo, not before, but remember that will
ever hold you in grateful remembrance
Their parting was simply as friends.
Bertha looked very pretty in widows
weeds, for she insisted on wearing mourn
ing for the man who in life had made her
miserable.
Allen waited anxiously for the hour when
all restrictions should be removed. Mean
while he was becoming one of the foremost
newspaper men of the time. From reporter
he had reached the position of city editor on
one Of the largest and most widely known
daiiies in Chicago.
The year gone by, Allen wrote, and in due
time received an answer. The correspond
ence became regular, and at the end of an
other six months q leave of absence was
granted the overworked city editor, who
hied away to some place in Ohio.
Reaching Dayton, he hires carriage and
orders the driver to take him to Mile
Camille's. AS the carriage draws up to the
pretty cottage gate, there standing by it,
awaiting him more beautiful and youthful
in appearance than when he had seen her
on the bluff bathed in the golden light of
the setting sun, was the same angelic Great
ure, whom he had loved 50 long.
He sprang from the carriage. There
being no barrier to check their natural i'm
pulses, heart met heart in one long raptur-
Gus embrace. Claude came to shake the
hand of his friend, and even Mile. Camille
could muster up sufficient English for de-
lightful conversation.
Allen was so long missing from his desk
that his associates began to wonder what
was the. cause of his protracted absence.
The managing editor seemed to know the
cause, though he kept his own counsel.
At last Allen returned to his post, bright,
esen35il ling and happy Luke, who was now
asked nlrfa -"Eth him on the same paper
gard to his visit, all OIL -wr.anastions in re
A few days later, however, when ne Ind
the city editor on the street, accompanied
blythe prettiest blue-eyed, golden-haire
creature he had ever seen, who was intro
duced to him by her proud husband as Mrs
Allen Gray, light began to break in upo1
his darkened mind, and he thought hi
understood fully the cause of Aliens pro
tracted absence.
A few weeks after his marriage and re
turn to Chicago, Allen received letter
from Toney Barnes, accompanied by {
poem for which he hoped Mr.. Gray would
find a publisher. Toney stated among Other
items of news that Simmons and Strong
had at last succeeded in financially running
each other. The Western Republic had sus
pended several months before, and Miss
Hopkins had married widower over on
the Island with nine children" He con-
cluded by saying that the people were al
moving away from Turleys Point, and tht
old stone house on the hall had long since
been deserted.
THE END.