The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-12-08

bed had not been slept in, her lfCtie sUocE OF
money, her elegant and valuable trinkets
were all in their places; all except the cross
and chain which she hnbitually wore
81 thought, and so did Mr.. Hurst, know,
that she had eloped with you. He forbade
any pursuit of her, any inquiry respecting
her. She is dead to me- be said Barnweu
Leroy did swear that be would kill you, but
that week your name and that of Mrs. Deu-
vers appeared in the paper as passengers on
the Scotia for Liverpool; and as politics and
secession were then all absorbing topics, Mr..
Leroy soon forgot all about his lost cousin
and future bride. 1t was not till years after
that learned that the lady who accompa-
MED you abroad was your mother, not your
wife, and that the voyage was undertaken
solely on account of her failing health.
"And all this time poor Florence's letter
had remained in my possession. had not
dared to destroy it at first, and then 1 had
put it away, and SO carefully that in my
hurry of spirits and agitation totally forgot
where it was. l searched for it often after,
she disappeared, hoping that its contents
might throw some light on her whereabouts,
but never succeeded in finding it. Three
years ago, while was packing my trunk an
old volume of sermons. which had belonged
to my mother fell from the top of "a pile Of
books to the floor, and from between its
leaves there dropped the missing letter.
had thrust it there, doubtless, to conceal it.
sit is addressed to you l send it, herein
inclosed. do not know what it contains,
and do not want to know. Do not try to
find my dwelling place or to see me. Let
this wretched chapter of my life be closed
here and forever. Whatever that letter must
contain, do not blame me- / did not dare
destroy it, and now it is in your hands. Do
with it as you will. SUSAN CLINT.n
With shaking hands Harry Danvers opened
the other envelope Within it he found q
second envelope sealed and directed to him
in the delicate flowing handwriting of Flor
ence Hurst. He broke the seal, unfolded the
letter which was within, and read as fol-
lows: ztclHNN
Harry, am desperate-wild-d despair
ing. Will you not help nle9 will you not
come to mef My father is going to take
me to Georgia, and when there he will force
me to marry Barnwen Leroy. hate
him, Harry; he is a cruel, wicked man,
and l could never have loved him even
had never met You. So, if you still
love me, if you still wish me to be your wife,
meet me at Deadman's pool on the evening
of Thursday, the 18th of this month. am
to be taken to Leroy's for q visit, but will
be home by that time. 1 will go to the pool
on that evening; l will wait there till mid
night, and if you do not come, If this letter
fails to reach you, or if you have forgotten
me. have one refuge still-the waters that
they say are SO deep. l had better die at
once than live to be killed by inches as my
poor mother was But know that you love
me still. Forgive me, Harry, if seem for
ward or unmaidenly in thus writing to you,
lid
"YoUR Own FLORENCE"
A few days later Harry Danvers sat
alone in the dismantled parlor Of what
had once been the stately mansion of Garden
hurst. Without, the hot sunshine glared
down ON what was then trinity shaven lawn,
now planted with corn, and no vestige of the
noble trees that formerly surrounded the
house was to be seen except here and there
an unsightly stump. In the distance flashed
and sparkled the we'll known stream in the
garish sunlight Even Deadman's RI kl,
robbed of its shrouding trees, looked briSNat
and glowing. Men were at work there with
cords and graphing irons and strange APP
paratus, but Harry Danvers never even APP
preached the window or seemed to heed their
toll He sat alone waiting waiting silent,
motionless and pale.
At last the door was opened and one Of the
men that had been so busy at the pool came
in. Harry rose to meet him, and the face
that he turned on the intruder was white as
death ..56
2 swell, Jarvis, have you found anythingF'
s'Yes, sir'
"What is itF'
"Portions Of human skeleton, and this
And he laid on the table a wet, discolored
object--the diamond cross with its wreath of
turquois forget-ms-Iots.
Harry restrained himself till the man was
gone, then he caught the cross from the table
and pressed it wildly to his lips.
30 love, Lowell" he moaned, ''you stood
there in the bleak autumn night, despairing,
wretched, wild, deerning that you were for
saken and that was faithlessl Lowell you
did not know how well I loved you. o my
Florence, my dead darling, what must have
been your anguish, when death was your
only refuge and your only hopel Do you
know now, darling, why failed to heed your
sweet faithful summonsa Behold, / have
kept faith at last. / am here to bear you to
your resting place, and instead of this cross,
our last love token, bring you another gift;
not the wedding ring that I promised you,
my love, my Florence, but coffin and
tomb"