Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-08

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Wen; she has not had word or line from
ilm since the day they parted, just four
years ago.
"A small, plain house on back street.
Al rear apartment Of which sits
FADED woman, pale and haggard, busily
plying her needle. Ever and anon she
drops her work, as though her heart
We're not in it, and buries her face in her
tim, toil-worn hands; but though her
heart may ache, no tears flow; her eyes
look hot and dry, and the lines on her
face are set and hard. Once she leaves
the room, and as we quietly follow we
md her entering another, redolent of
the fumes of bad whisky, in which
man, her husband, has already sunk
into drunken slumber.
AS she stands in the doorway we are
struck by the expression of scorn and
loathing which comes into her eyes. 1t
recalls scene in which the wife Of
year took part some twenty years ago.
Surely this cannot be the same woman
who ruthlessly severed all connection
between herself and the man she loved,
because he had proved too weak in his
own strength to abstain from the Tempt
ing cup!
Yes, even so. And her cup of retri-
button is fast filling and well-nigh full.
Before returning to her work she
stands moment irresolute, her hand
upon the knob of the door of the front.
room, in which a beautiful girl,
strangely resembling her old self is
seated, while near her, with loverlike
eagerness, bending tenderly over the
bowed head with it's soft clustering
curls is-no! no! surely it cannot be.
yes, it is her first husband, clothed in
his right mind, making love to her
adopted daughter. No, she will not en-
ter. Why shadow lives that may be
happy in each other?
The shock of his wife's abrupt de-
parture at first frenzied and then thor
oughly sobered Edward Clifford. See
ing the precipice upon which he stood
as he had never seen it before, he
sought strength from Him who is
mighty to save, reformed heart and
life, became useful and respected once
more, and even retrieved his broken
fortunes; and then, when he would fain
have re-won his lost wife's love, found
she had married again, far, far away
from the State in which her life's first
tragedy had been enacted.
In her home, however, twining soft
tendrils round her sad heart, was lit
tie maiden, her cousin and name-child,
and hers by adoption as we'll, and he
has patiently waited all these slow pass
ing years until she should have attained
to winsome womanhood; and tonight
yes, this very night! is asking her to
bless him with her love.
"A third marriage ceremony in the
quiet parlor in the small house in the
back street, and the magic lantern ex-
hibition of scenes from one woman's life
closes.
The bride is very young and very fair.
The groom, now elderly, with lines upon
his brow and around the sensitive, clean
shaven mouth, as we'll as silver threads
in his hair, but the saddest changes are
to be seen in the face of the mother of
the bride. Dry-eyed and deathly pale,
her lips tightly closed as though to sup
press cry of agony, she stands. Heart,
heart, still thy wild throbbing! None
but thyself, and he, and God, who gave
him strength to overcome. can fathom
the bitterness of this thy self-flled cup.
There are many lessons to be drawn
from this once-true tale. Mothers,
sisters, brothers, sons, may there not be
one here for you and me?
WHAT MADE HER so HAPPY.