Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-09-03

heart would De DrOk0n Dy the truth, neA reasons for refusing to link hers with the unsmirched name of the man she loved. She was not strong enough to put her finger under the flap of that i envelope and read single line, and | then persist in doing right. Perhaps, ,'u spite of the repulse of the morning, he had again called her darling"
 Sh durst not risk the seeing. She had st, ~ength given her to keep the reso- lution, h, Ut she did no more that night The answe,~ must wait until morning. The letter was hidden under her pillow, and her hand touched it while she slept and while sue lay awake. In the still, purple dawn, she arose quietly, not to disturb HesteT. dressed herself and knelt for brief pr.>yer, such as the busiest member of the household had time to offer. While she prayed she held the unopened letter to ger heart' Arising, she kissed it, lingeringly'
 "GoD, bless my loveI' she whisperSd'
 With steady fingers she wrote upo2 the reverse of the envelope: "I can not read tAis. Do not scrite again." slipped 1t into larger cover, ad- dressed 1t and, before the family was astir, sent Homer with it to the nearest letter-box.
 She had acted bravely, and, she be- ieved, decisively, but she had blundered withal. An unopened letter, unaccom- panied by a word of extenuation of the fragrant discourtesy, might damp the ardor of the most adoring lover. Yet March's eyes were lit by a ray of affec- tionate amusement in receiving back this, the first love-letter he had ever penned. He kissed the one-line sem tence before putting the envelope away.
 'Perhaps she is afraid of herselfP' May had suggested, sagely, apropos to Hetty's avoidance of his visits.
 The bright-natured suitor's conclusion after reading what was meant as quietus to his addresses, was not dissim- liar. If the case were hopeless she would have written nothing. Never theless, he bowed to the laconic: "Do not write again." He did more than she had commanded. Without attempting to see Hetty again, he escorted his sis ter in the second week of July to Long Branch, and stayed there Q fortnight, then went with her to Mt. Desert for ten days more.
 The malign influence of a dog-day drought was upon Fairhill when the pair returned. The streets were deep in dust; the sun, a red and rayless ball, had rolled from east to west, and taken his own time in doing it, and was stain ing to dingy crimson horizon vapors that looked as dry as the dust, as brother and sister paused upon the piazza for look over the familiar landscape.
 Ut is stifing after the sea-shore" breathed May. But it is home! am glad to be back!"
 And I-always!"
 March said it, in stopping, hat in hand, to kiss his mother. There was the ring of sincerity in his voice; his eyes were placid. He had como home to her cured of an ill-starred fancy for an ineligible girl. There was no sign of any thing more than neighborly fn- terest in his face when May asked at dinneEtime how the Wayts were.
 "Well, I believe" replied Mrs. Gil christ. ''I have seen comparatively little of them while you were away, ex- cept at church. It has been too hot for visiting. Yesterday I took Hester out to drive. She misses you sadly, May. She is thinner and has less color than when you went away"
 "Dear little Queen Mabr' said He's ter's friend. I must have her over to- morrow to spend the day. I have some books and sketches for her. And Hetty?"
 ''Is as busy as usual, Hester tells me. She goes out very little, believe. The young people hereabouts call her a recluse."
 The unconscious judge came to the relief of all parties.
 "Mr. Wayt's congregation continues large," he remarked. "He preached atruly remarkable sermon last Sunday. At this rate we will have to pull down our church and build larger by next year."
 The wife looked gratified. It was much to have her husband speak of tour church."
 May was content to wait for the nor rows meeting with her pet. Hester was wild with impatience to be again