Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-08-30


caught ~ hsk n his hands, aad ktsesH
b over and owes Don't look away. Aalg
-den 3 turn freFn me. mnst I'LL yca
a., evsrythlna, OF okss you wont soAaE-
stand. Eoe've ksAed hard thinss said
about mA; 1 know deserved them all;
bat never meant 10 do wronsk-I dki
hen rnaitas t--Rot till then.
He lsoksa Hp sgain wound rnghst
close srOxAa nay throat TIL gasned.
Wasn't u stAngo-vasa't Il horribls2
"Hseapee could XII Yo1 /" he hissed.
Then he laughed. "Do you rememtHr
thisT sAd he quoted:
".Booaass 1 fear you. he AnsR~esds-
Reeeuss you are far toe
Azd shhs 10 strAnsle my so.
In . nssh Of your golden hAirr'
and before the last words fairly passed
his lips, he thYast nae from him and stag
ss.'Fed back, fer hhere-oh, Nellie. there
- the doorway STOOD hs vifs-his wife,
.;ellie, Who had head every word
1 see her every night, iusb as she
looked then, in = white wrapper. white
checks like corpse, only with little red
spoos in them, and eyes like Goals of fire.
Sne had not been down stairs before for
days and days.
Give me back my husband p
That was all she said, in a feebie,
uut her hands to me, but they fell, the
rp.or went out Of her cheeks and there
wi4r little stream of blood staining her
rnite dress.
John Avery gathered her up in his arms
as IL she had been a baby. She had
tainted. some one said, for several had
seen her gliding down the stairs and had
gathered near the door.
No, no, don't you trouble me. Why
cant you sit still and listen? l feel we'll
enough-not tired bit. You sea, l am
getting well so fast. Ii you would only
be patient and let me talk.
Some one came to me after few mo-
ments, for l had been left standing in
the room. 1t was Arthur Richmond. He
just put a shawl around me, and led me
out on TO the piazza into the cool air.
hardly knew 1t for was stunned. L felt
numb a.. over. but after while l seemed
to 2et my senses back, and | thanked
him for being 30 thoughtful of me.
1T Was generous OF you" [ said, "for
I've treated you very badly, Arthur.
"Hush !" he said 'its a selfish gener-
osity. l can't have you talked about,
i"r you're too precious to me. Oh,
hid, you've hurt me cruelty, but
oHght TO have saved you from this r and
his arms we're close about me.
Nellie, never meant he should love
me-not so much-Gnd l was frightened
awfully. for I know what l had done.
You didn't know Arthur Richmond but
he was so strong, so passiona o. So
Do stop sewing, Nellie; it makes me
nervous to see your hand fly so fast l
an little tired. but l must finish my
story. Ysu must hear 1t all now. l
shirk when I've told you 1t won't trouble
n'e so, not 30 much, and l may go to
sleep tonight. II 1 only could
l struggled away from him.
Don't don't" cried, and that was
all l could say.
What do you mean, Alice?" be said,
catching one of my hands again.
| raised the other to show him my dia-
mpnd ring flashing on my finger l
thought he would understand, but he
didn't.
II am engaged to Col. Masury," man
AGED to say. II am to be mnrried in
three months"
Oh. Nellie, it's one Of the things that
haunt me-that face When hers goes
away for al instant, his comes. In the
darkness | see them all tho palmer. 1t
must be the fever; don't you think 80,
Nellie?
lie didn't soy anything not word
WIS crying hard, but tried to tell him
now sorry was, and begged him to FOR
give me. tried to make him speak, he
,as 50 still, and looked at me so.
Il never supposed you considered ii
lnything but a pleasant Irritation" l
said, in my desperation. Then l hid my
lace In nay hands, for l could not bear
mis- eyes, and In another moment he was
gone.
uInoco -oI.o ,,n .n,I, +ho ,,il,,ua
there, that will do. am 80 tired, l must
Tell the rest quick. II 1 could only
breathe easler-R it wasn't for the pain
in my ehest-and--
What was l telling you about-John
Avery? No, l remember now-Arthur
Rlohmond l never saw him again; 1
never saw either Of them again. But l
shall. Nellie, Of course l shall; and l
shall tell Mrs. Avery how it all b ap-
u-ned. Sho viii 500 did not mean 10
Do 1t; and Arthur RichMond, he must
have Iorgiven mo by this time. fog he
say hog badly felt.
Oh, Nellie, cay something! Don't sit
and look like that 1 know what you
are thinking about. You hoard that
rrightful story about Arthur Richmond.
and you believe it-you think it's true.
Why, Nellie, it isnt-I tell you it can't
De, Don KNOW
They said l had driven him wild that
be never in his life touched liquor until
those last two weeks; that they found
him the next day, shot. Oh, such shock
ing thinga as they se i'd But | didn't
Del eve hem. He would die, they sale,
no hops FOR him. and then l screamed
and screamed.
Oh. Nellie, If 1t hadn't been for this
sickness, the burning fever and the
cough l took cold that night, sup
pose. 1t seemed TO me- / was all On i,rc
50 l rat in the open window and when
IL began 10 rain didn't shut It.
could have explained everything, II
had only had chance ; then they
wouldn't have blamed me SO - they
wouldn't have understood. 1t was bad
enough. bat | ws5 not so wicked as they
said-I mean, didn't intend 70 be-I
didn't think, that was all.
Wait minute Slrsnge that my
breath troubles mo SO at times. There
is such "a weight on my chest.
II coud only get ono WORD from Col
Masury, Nellie. | know how it is--ne
has heard those terrible stories, 700.
Those friends Of his told him, and that
Ia why he never comes or writes. 1t =
cruel, cruel whom l want him so? Why;
l love hhn-dot't you know l do? And
he ought to believe mo- he used TO.
when lt-'e faith in YOU, shall lose
faith in GosiiS That NSas what hc valid
when he put thIe ring on my fnger. see
hNxu AaaiIv "a n1ip<