Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-12-18
cHoLLlE's LAST FAREWELL.
It Was "on the Dead" But Failed ia
Draw Tear.

Draw a Tear.
With nervous clutch Imogenc drew
the fatal note from the envelope and
read It's burning words again and
again, soaring into her very soul like
molten lava flows into the sweetest
plain and wrecks is bloom forever with
devastating wrath. For three days she
had left that note lying face downward
upon her inlaid escritoire-left it lying
face downward across the torn en-.
velope where she had thrown it in the
first agony Of reading its fatal message.
1t had come into her fair young life
like death to the wedding feast. With
ashen face and quivering lips she had
gone numbly about her household duties
with hollow stony eyes that burned
with the fire of woe, heart-consuming
and agonized. Cold as ice had grown
the touch of her lily hand. And this
was the day that he always came. AL
ways. For fourteen. months his step
had never failed to ring along the
vaultcd court and down the tesselated
hall at precisely ten minutes past seven
o'clock. For fourteen long, blissful
elysian months the row of cold wads of
chewing gum under Che. Rantelpiece
had grown as q virgin nSShth dashed
down the usurper's cheap regime and
welcomed back the princely blood of
the chocolate caramel to the throne.
For upon this evening Charles Almont
had never failed to bring this tribute Of
affection and beet sugar. And now
was it all over? Had the dream ended?
Was love unrequited? Was her light,
her love and her life blasted at the
threshold of happiness?
Again and again she read the words
of that fatal note: >.
''Imogene: We must part forever.
Love has withered at its fountain head.
Ask me not to explain. Seek not to
see me more. Suffice it to say that
fondest dreams must end, and circum.
stances over which have no control,
even though would, inexorably separ.
ate us forever. Farewell, farewell! All,
Heaven How have loved you! Yet
all is ended Forget me If you can.
Forgive me if you will! ! shall vanish
from the scenes of your life, and blot
your name and face and memory from
my dreams forever, forever, Aforever
Farewell, farewell, farewell, one long
last, sad FAREWELL All is over Life is
black and dead before us both. But Il
/ ,,,,,et ba eo We ebol1 payar roaat n no ir
on earth. Farewell, and may kint
Heaven, in this so cruel, deal kindly
with you, if for only the sake of oul
dear, dead love. CHARLES ALMoNT.
"P. s. Farewell! This is on the dead
Imogene. Farewell! FAREWELL"
A strange light shone in her eyes
Crushing the fatal missiye into tn,
bosom of her dainty, though disheveled
tea-gown, she tottered to the head 0
the great stairway. Hundreds of fee
below lay the cold, hard marble floor
Just over the heavy, carven ,balustrad,
swept the empty air as If waiting al
eagles flight One moment che paus
ed, gasping for breath and peering int
4 the dizzy depth Then, collecting al
her energies, she sprang to the railing
and, leaning far over, shrieked to th
hired girl, who was washing the spit
toons in the closet under the stairs:
"Rikky, Rikky Make fire in tn
parlor right off Chollie Almont will b
up to call as usual this evening, an
Bm not stuck on freezing"
Then, with bitterly sardonic smil
upon her marble face, she laid the fata
note beside seventeen others just like
that Charles A. had sent her during tn
last fourteen months. 1t took a goo
deal to feaze Imogene. Cincinnati Con
mercial Gazette