Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-08-15

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an agonizing blush of shame?
when will the girl dare to pity me,
as that poor wretch, her father, doesT
she thought.
This gentle, yielding, timid creature /.
became her mothers angel Of vengeance. |
Mrs. Brothertoft never met her after an
hour of separation without a wild emo
ton Of terror.
HAS she discovered? Does she know
what | am? Did some tattler whisper it
TO her in the street? The winds are al
ways utiering q name to me. Has she
heard it, too? Did she dream last night?
Has her dream told her what her mother
is? If she kisses me, am safe"
Yes. Sweet Lucy always had the
same eager caress ready. She so over
flowed with love to those she trusted
that she was content with her own emo
ton and did not measure the tempera-
ture Of the answering cares.
All, this miserable motherl As false
to maternal as to marital love. 1t be-
came her task to poison the daughter
against her father. If these two should
ever understand each other, if there
should ever be one little whisper of con-
hdence between them, if she should ever
have to face the thought Of their con-
tempt-what then?
Agony would not let her think, "What
them She must prevent the under
standing, make the confidence inpOs-
sible; it must be her business to educate
and aim the contempt
How perseveringly, craftily, ably she
accomplished thisl How slowly she in
stilled into her child's mind the cumula-
tive poison of distrust Often the inno-
cent lips shrank from the bitter potion.
One day she might reject it. But the
next there was the skillful poisoner-
her mother.
"You cannot doubt me, Lucy" the
woman would say, looking aside as she
commended her chalice. IF it dis
tresses you to hear such things of your
father, how much bitterer must it be for
me to say them"
These pages again refuse to tolerate
the details of this second crime. Let
that too pass behind the curtain.
Closed doors then, for the mother is
at last saying that her husband has
grown baser and baser-so utterly lost
to all sense Of honor that she must ex-
clude him from her house, and that her
daughter must herself tell him that she
viii never see him again.
Closed doors. while the innocent girl
filings herself into the guilty woman's
arms and weeping promises to obey.
Closed doors, and only God to see and
listen while Lucy, alone in her chamber,
prays forgiveness for her father and pity
for his desolate and heart weary child.
Closed doors upon the picture Of this
fair girl, worn ont with agony and sleep.
And walking through her dreams That
grisly specter Sin, who haunts and
harms the nights and days of those who
repel hardly less cruelty than he haunts
and harms them who embrace him.
1t was a fearful April morning Of sew
enteen hundred and seventy-fiye when
this final interview took place.
"Let me understand this" said Ed
win Brothertoft, with the calmness of a
/ practiced sufferer. "Aly daughter has
made up her mind never to see me
agains"
"She has" said Mrs. Brothertoft.
With what quiet, cruel exultation she
| spoke these wordsl EMULATION mixed
with terror for the thought, Il have
schooled the girl But she may still
rebel. She may spring TO him, and
throw herself into his arms, and then
the two will turn upon me and poin.
with their fingers and triumph"
Il cannot take my answer from you,
madam" he said.
81 have no other answer to give" said
Lucy.
"None?' he asked again.
"None," she replied.
Her GOODNESS was the result of utter
bewilderment and exhaustion. Itseemed
to him irremediable hardness and coarse.
ness Of heart.
"She is her bad mothers base daugh.
ter" he thought. 81 will think Of hel
no more"
Does this seem unnatural? Remem
Der how easily a lesser faith is slain
when the first great faith has persisted
The person trusted with the whole heart
proves a lie; then for time all person;
seem liars; then for a time the deceived
if they are selfish, go cynical; if they
are generous, they give their faith t.
great causes, to great ideas and to i'm
! personal multitudes. Household treach
cry keeps the great army Of reform re
cruited.
"This girl" thought Edwin Brother
loft, cannot be so blind as not to know
why her mother and / are separated
And yet she chooses her and discard
me. knew that the woman once IN,
wife could never be my wife again.
knew that our lips could never meet
our hands never touch. But hoped
yes, was weak enough to hope-that
when sin and sorrow had taught us thei
lessons, and the day for repentance ant
pardon came, we might approach eacl
other in the person of our daughter, be
loved by both alike. / was father AM
my wife mother in the honorable day
gone by. Our child might teach tn
father and the mother a different love
not of the flesh, but of the spirit. Thi
was my hope. let it go. Why shoul
l longer keep up this feeble struggl
~. l..