The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-02-13
4 cannot. l will not" cried pas.

You can and you will" she replied
There was Il bright spark in her eye Th
other features of her face indicated onl
sympathy, kindness.
"Good-by," faltered.
''Rather say adieu," she said softly
She took my hand and pressed it kindly
so kindly that 1t almost seemed that he
regret was not entirely on my account
II shall have word to say to you befor
you CO. she added. May l see You her
tomorrow evening, when the moon rises!
"Better go at once" l replied bitterly
"Shall | sec your" she repeated.
I bowed u silent assent.
The interval between this parting ant
the next evening" on which l was to b.
accorded one more interview, seemed in
terlninable. l believed her decision tt
be irrevocable; but what lover will not
hope so long as there is desire! Still
wished it all over and l steaming on &
train-anywhere to get away from hel
! who / had suddenly discovered was tt
emDitter my life. AS the hour of oul
meeting approached I paced the porch
walking chatting, waiting for-the moon
I had consulted the almanac and set my
watch carefully. Nevertheless it seemed
on this evening that all astronomical cal
culations We're in error The time would
not go, or SO slowly that whenever ex-
amined my timepiece the hands seemed
| scarcely to have moved. At last there
was a frightening of the heavens, but
ah! how slow! 1t gathered and deepened
and grew until, far out on the dark ocean,
a tiny wave leaping higher than its fell
lows caught spark of gilt. Soon others
were touched by the gliding moon, and
at last broken stream of light shot from
the rising orb to the shore. When the
moon stood full out on the horizon Iheard
step behind me. turned. 1t was Edith
Ward.
She was cladin the light drapery of
midsummer. ehe moonlight fell on her
advancing figure, softening the gauzy
folds of her dress and blending them
with the environing shadow. She was
to me human appaIition; substantial
yet unsubstantial, spiritual loneliness in
human beauty. Why was she not less
beautiful or less conscientious?
AS she approached my eye was caught
by flash of something, evidently me-
tallic, where a lace handkerchief crossed
her bosom. l was led by some unac-
countable attraction to fastnn my gaze
on this object, which l knew I had not
seen before, and which, as she drew
nearer, shaped itself more distinctly. In
another moment it flashed upon me
what it was.
And what was it? To this day the an
swer brings thrill of pleasure, causes
my blood to quicken, my pulses to throb
faster. What was it? A trinket, a bit of
gold and stone, asouvenir. 1t was the
mate to my cameo.
l sprang across the short distance that
us.
''And you are Delia?'
''No, Edith"
"Then how did You come by that
..You gave it to me-"
"And the name Delia?-explain."
..That was my Fathers doing. It was
irst Edie. Papa corrupted it to Deedie.''
Twelve years. K
"And you have kept my souvenir
Il was forbidden to do So l went to
he park the day after met you to re-
urn it. You were not there"
mo, was not there. And you re-
me-"
Il have not entirely forgotten she
said. dropping her eyes, ''though l was
pretty young to-
She did not finish.
"Love?' l asked trembling.
There came aa expression of earnest
ness i'll her face which, mellowed by the
moonlight, l can lilIen to nothing else
than that OF II divine messenger from
another sphere. And she said, looking |
straight out on the ocean and speaking |
as one in dream:
Would you kill him because you in |
suited him? because you struck him."
A kind of awe crept over me: there |
was something in her appearance SO far
beyond mortality, something SO typical
of a reverse d that descent into the
accursed region of remorse which had
once threatened me.
Edith! Edith cried, the words of |
the night before bursting involuntarily
from my lips, II will kill no one. am
no longer boy. Thank God, l escaped
the dreadful result of that boyish folly. i
1t was you who prevented; you who
taught me what is true courage; teach
me now what is love"
..And You have repented that you ever
thought of taking life-the life of a
friend:''
'Repented? Yes, often, now, forever"
She stood silent a moment and then
said softly, Then keep your VOW"
A smile broke through her serious
ness. In twinkling she was the little
witch who. twelve years before, had
decorated me with ribbons.
| have a little daughter years old,
with blue eyes. My wife and | are con-
tinually wrangling about the name. since
/ call her Decide and my wife calls her
Edie. Her mother says that the child
shall remain in America: that children
should not be allowed to play in public
parks to make prolniscuous acquaint-
ances. especially of reckless young men
who have no higher ambition than to
cut and slash and shoot one another at
the slightest provocation. l do not OBJ
iect to my wife guiding her daughter,
but | do object to her referring to Inc in
as proiniscuous acquaintance
THE END.