Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-07-17

their looks. for happiness was written on their countenances, and beamed fro.si. their eyes. Carol had seen people happy before and such sights had gladdened her own heart in sympathy with them, but pever had she been so impressed with all that true happiness meant.
 They saw that Carol had been crying = saw that, although the light of day had dawned for them, sho was still groping through the darkness of night, and their hearts were filled with pity such as can only come from loving parents.
 Carol, said the white-haired gentle man, his voice vibrating like string of harp, and as he spoke he held out his arms, as if longing to enfold her in their shelter, ''my child, can you over forgive me for the wrong have done you? ad- vance no plea; was crazy to do as I did, and thank God it all failed. Can you ever look upon me as your loving father again? By the memory of the love you bore me, by the love of this dear woman, your mother, who has forgiven all the cruel wrongs of the past. implore you, my child, to have mercy upon me, to come to my arms and forget the dread past in contemplation of the near fu- ture."
 For the first time in her life, Carol saw her fathers pride humbled, as he stood there, with outstretched arms, hls face showing the pleading of his heart.
 She was overcome by the spectacle, and with a little cry, she rushed into his arms. Fiercely, as might a lover, the old gentleman strained her to his heart. She had been lost to him, and was now found again. He had suffered much during his eventful life, but it seemed to him now that he was fast nearing the harbor of peace.
 Reconciled to these two-wife and child-what had he to fear in the world? For the time being he forgot that Capt. Grant held secret over his head-the motive of much of his action in regard to forcing Carol into the union she ab- horred-and, when he did let his mind rest upon the subject, with that evasive- ness common to human nature, he kept putting the dread responsibility away from him, hoping that in the meantime something would occur to relieve him of this danger altogether.
 Heaven had been exceeding kind to him thus far, and he hoped on, taking courage from what had already been meted out to him.
 He forgot the vindictive nature of the man who held such power over him, and that he would not be apt to hesitate at anything in order to accomplish his ends.
 Carol was happy for the time being in the consciousness of the fact that those she loved so well had, by the interposi- tion of Providence, as 1t were, become reconciled, but she could not long forget her own troubles, and her heart seemed to sink like lead as she suddenly realized how fate had parted Roger and her for ever.
 A wan smile crept over her face when her father, in something of his old cheery way, told her not to fret, that he would fix all matters with Roger.
 An! there was time when this could have been done, and all would have been as merry as a marriage bell; but now, oh God help her, she had placed a barrier between them as high as the mountains, as vast as mighty Niagara.
 What would she not have given to have undone the events of the past few hours? If tears could have plotted out the record, surely sho had wept enough to have done it.
 He had been SO close to her, his brave arms outstretched, and she had repulsed him, had driven him from her with charges that It made her cheeks burn to even remember. While she drew breath she would never forget how he looked, standing before her with his white face, from which her insulting words had driven every vestige of color.
 She felt like one who had given the death-b1ow to the man who loved hG beat on earth, as If she had wounded fatally some dumb animal that still crept to her feet in it's dying agony.
 Remorse preyed upon her until she could have cried aloud in her agony, and yet she suffered in stony silence. Would he be merciless when he confronted her with the evidence of his innocence? How his cutting, scathing words rang in her ears:
 'Some day shortly will seek you to show you the proofs of my innocence seek you to prove all that ever claimed to be; seek you to show that 1t was the taint on my family name that feared, not because I had ever done aught that could bring disgrace upon myself or the one loved; and, having done this, I will throw your love from mo like tattered glove, for it was false-false!'
 Terrible words
 To her they were as the sentence of death declared by the judge upon the con- demned prisoner, and she shuddered when recalling them.
 Could nothing ever retrieve that fatal step?
 Sadly she reflected upon it, and then, shaking her head, realized that such a step once taken could never be recalled. All now rested with Roger. Would he forgive2 An had it been herself, would she not forget all when he asked 1t? Then the burning blush crept into her face again as she remembered that she had shown anything but forgiving na- ture when she accused her lover of such frightful things.
 Poor Carol