Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-04-04

TO the remorseful pain which shot through
her as Peter returned, swinging his hoe and
calling out Justify:
Hes gone, Aunt Liz"
"Gonei No, it can't be-" she stammered.
"Dead sure" said Peter.
Miss Elizabeth went to the barn door and |
sent her eager gaze over the level pasture |
lands sweeping to right and left. What was
that dark object three fields away moving
slowly by the low stone walls
"That's him." said Miss Elizabeth, catching
up a sun bonnet hanging on a rusty nail near
by. 81 must speak to him once, Peter, for
for the sake of old times"
She ran down the pebby stable path,
jumped as lightly as a girl of l6 ov, r the bars
at the end of it, and ran across the fields until
she was only few yards from him As she
waited to get her breath she noticed how
weak he was, and how deathlike his face in
its ivory whiteness He did not see her until
she stood beside him.
"You might have waited for your break
fast" she said rather awkwardly.
why annoy you furtherF' he asked quiet
". "You were far kinder than had dared
to hope. Few homeless wanderers fare as
well | thank you for the charity you gave
me before you knew who | was | thank you
very much"
After an effort she spoke again.
| 81 followed you just to say that I-I-bear
no grudge for what's past. The sermon yes
terday was about forgiveness, and | forgive
you. This is all | thought to say to you
/ But there's one thing now I'd like to ask.n
| She looked away from him, piteous tremolo
in her proud tones "Why did you do what
you did, Dick Aspelll Or why did you do it
the way you did, Twan't by no means nec-
essary to throw me over without word and
sneak offs if I'd have kept you when you
wanted to 60 If you'd told me you cared
more for that other girl than you did for me
| and told me in the right way I'd have seen
| you couldn't help your feelin's, and 'twouldn't
have been Elizabeth barrow who'd have
made you stay, not if the glvin' you up had
broken her heart, and that's why"-
She stopped, losing the thread of her long
speech in growing inclination to burst into
tears.
"What are you sayingl" asked the man be-
fore her in a slow, amazed tone; 81 didn't
think you could be SO unfair. You ask me
why went away when you sent me off your
self, and in a spirit of pique married the
woman had been only flirting with"
81 sent you away!" exclaimed Miss Eliza
beth, scarcely believing her ears. "A likely
story. You mustn't say that to me, Dick
L
yesterday"
And so do |. | remember the letter you
sent me; the bitter letter, where you told me
in pretty plain terms what you thought of
me. But perhaps that existed only in my
! fancy, tooF
! II sent you no letter, said Miss Elizabeth
! brcathlessly, and stood with her eyes
I looking past him as if peering into the van
ished years for some explanation Of this APP
palling fact. "Oh, wait!" she cried; II see
it all. How everything becomes clear Oh,
Dick, Dick, listen," and she held his arm in a
tight clasp; "Mary-you remember my elder
sister, Maryl-she never wanted me to marry
you. She thought you would come to look
down on me because your father had given you
O such good education and she thought you
| too wild When people began to gossip about
you and that actress she grew very bitter.
She sent the letter, and this is why know
When she was dying she said she had done
: ME a wrong and wanted to confess. She
{ struggled hard to tell me. | thought it only
the raving of the fever when she kept NUT
| tering about a letter, and before | could
make out anything at all plain she died. Oh
y Dick-oh the dreadful years that hav,
passed-and never knew
There is little more to be said. Miss Eliza
: beth content to gather up the tattered
| threads of her old romance, and there &
I double wedding on the June day set by Peter
II and Lucy
/: And to think" ruminated Miss Elizabeth
she walked up the aisle dressed in rust
ling gray pophn and leaning on her lover:
arm, that might not have followed hin
if my heart had not been made tender by
thinking of that other Easter morning"
EVELYN MALCOLM.