San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-15

4
over the thought of it, thanking God
| for it flor she had meant him to forget
her, and yet she was but woman, with
a woman's heart), clasping the lifeless
paper that contained it as if it had been
a living thing to her breast. Oh words
that had come to her in her utmost
need-blessed words, strong in theil
faith and love-words,' that had brought
back life when life seemed almost
spentl She read them again in the
morning when the light came. ThQ
were her sun that rose for her again
when the dawn broke.
1t was two days after this that let
ter in hand he did not know was de-
livered to George Gilbert.
"Who is that from?" his mother ask
ed him.
81 don't know" he answered care
lessly, and broke the seal of it.
But the next moment he turned
quickly away from the light to hide the
color that had started into his face.
- ''Oh, it is about some business" he
said, and put it in his pocket, and went
on Immediately with the work he had
been doing when it came-and half an
hour had passed before, with the door
bolted, he was standing in his own
room, eagerly reading these poor sad
words s.
"DO you remember" Esther had written
to him, show before | went away YOU told
me that you would help me if you could?
You could not help me then, and perhaps
have no right now TO recall what you said
months ago, but have no one else to ap-
peal to: l cannot of myself learn some-
thing that | want to learn, and you can
tell it to me. | have always found YOU
generous and kind: will you be good to me
once more?
1.-TWO days ago, for the first time, in a
torn paper of | do not know what date, L
saw an advertisement, that Mr.. DunStan
had put in, addressed to me. Until that
moment had never known that he made
any effort to find me. / do not know still how
long ago this advertisement was in
serted: | do not know in what mind he
is concerning me now. You know
all my story-yOu are the only creature be-
side him who knows it all (for | do not
think you have betrayed me-: will you
then, for Gods sake, tell me what l can ask
of no one else, and write to me what | am
breaking my heart to know
will you tell me how and where he is,
and II he is recOnciled yet to my going away,
which panied him at the first. l know it
panied him when he wrote those Words
but perhaps that was long agO-near the
beginning, | mean,-more than two months
ago. He may be contented now to have
can-if you have any pity for me. For, you
know it was my very love for him that
made me leave him: told you that before
l might have stayed, believing Gas | should
have been right to believe y that even after
he knew my story he would not of his own
rrlN
you know, because l loved him more than
my own life. If l had thought that he
could marry me, and never as the years
went on come to feel my shame like bur-
den on him, do you think | would have left
him as did? l would have taken the bless
ing then that he offered me, and instead of
being what | am should have been his wife
now. But l thought, and think still, that
l did the one thing that was right-the one
only thing that l dared to do-when went
away.
Yet, you see, am very weak, and the
thought that the pain have given him may
not have ceased yet is like knife in my
heart. 1t is this that makes me write to
you. | am fainting for news of him-will
you give me what l want? Tell me the
bare truth about him-that is all l ask. If
he is cOntented do not shrink from saying
it frOm,any fear fOr you are kind, knOw)
of hurting me by telling me so; if he re-
Slets me stili-aiii teli me Ilat 100! prom,
Use you that will not write to him: / will
not let him know where l am: will not
marry him. You may tell me safely: will
never harm him any more.
Il need hardly ask you to keep this let
ter secret, for you will do that, know.
Burn it, and tell no one that you have heard
from me. Address your answer to me. if
you write land, oh write, for Gods sakeD
to E. H., Post-office, Leeds. Tell me some
thing too about them all-especially about
Gabrielle.
"Will you forgive me for troubling you
like this? / think you would, if you knew
how great the service is that you can do for
me owe you this one kindness more. 1t will
not cost you much; and it will earn you
-fOr gratitude is worth gaining
even when it only comes in thanks and
from desolate woman's lips"
George Gilbert read this letter three
times over before he folded it up at last:
and then after he had read it for the
third time he sat down to think. 1t was
almost the end of March now, al d about
a week had passed since Mr.. Dunstan
had come home. 81 don't know what
my uncle means to do" Gabrielle had
been saying to him only yesterday-'I
suppose he will go away again soon, for
/ don't think he will ever rest till he
finds out where Esther is; but he tells
us nothing, you know, and we are all
getting afraid of him, so that we can't
ask" Gabrielle said this with little
pathetic culver about her lips. 1T
seems so strange to be afraid of him,
but he is so changed we can't help it.
He is changed to everybody; he even
gets cross with Helen now," said Ga
brielle, with her sorrowful face.
And all this was true. One thing,
and one thing alone, since Mr.. Dun
STAINS return, had seemed to give him
one ray of genuine pleasure, and this
had been the news of Gabrielle's en-