Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-09-29
the ceremony till morning dawncd.

N--~
1t was far into the next day before
they stopped at little country hotel
miles from the city, and Annot, haggard
from sleeplessness anG red eyed from
weeping. was conducted within.
st. Ives ordered breakfast and went
out afterward, as he said, to look for
minister. Annot waited, still very much
depressed and not feeling at all as she
had supposed people did who were about
to be married. Some one knocked.
Blushing guilty, she opened the door;
but instead Of st. Ives and his expected
companion, a woman glided into the
room, and throwing back her veil
showed a face of surprising beauty,
and fixed upon the shrinking girl pair
Of dark, burning Italian eyes.
"Who are you? What do you want.n
stammered Annot at last, rallying her
self.
The woman's glance softened.
"You are such a child, F" she said-ssso
young. am very sorry for you"
Sorry for me? I-don't-understa
you" Annot said, wishing that st. Ives
would come, and thinking that this
strange woman must be crazy, and then
with low cry sprang to meet st. Ives.
who had just entered the room, and
stood glaring at the stranger with en-
ragged eyes.
Banging the door to behind him, and
pushing Annot from him almost saw
agely, he spoke to the woman with the
dark Italian eyes.
"Have you told herr he asked.
The woman shook her head.
He laughed bitterly.
lyon thought it was too pleasant
task for me to be deprived Of, eh?"
st. Ives turned sharply toward her.
There's no use in dilly-dallying now,
Annot," he said abruptly. Il couldn't
deceive you any longer if | wanted to.
think you and won't be married this
morning"
Annot dropped trembling and unco1n-
prehensive into chair.
For the very singular reason" he
went on, ethat have already one wife,
and she's too much for me-"
The strange woman glided to the side
Of the bewildered girl.
Il am his wife, DEAR" she said almost
tenderly. Don't mind, it might have
been worse, yon know"
st. Ives seemed touched by the face Of
white despair Annot lifted at the wo-
mans words
you're only ten miles from Jaynes-
vile, Annot," he said almost remorse.
fully, ''and there's a stage, l believe
You can so right home and nobody be
the wiser. Here is money to pay your
way"
Annot rose mechanically, and as she
did SO the bills he had upon her knee fell
to the floor
He picked them up and offered them
to her again, as she was tying on her
bonnet; but she left the room without
looking at them or him, and went slowly
out of the hotel, with her veil down, her
head dizzy, and her heart so heavy it
could hardly :hrob.
The stage drove up at that moment
and while it waited she eagerly entered
it, and took her seat, without glancing
toward the single passenger who was
already there. An exclamation caused
her to lift her eyes.
1t was too much, tuo much, that that
face of incredulous surprise should be-
long to Rollin Dracut But it did. He
caught her as she fell faintins.
She walked from that swoon to burn
ing fever and the Inconsistencies Of
delirium; and Rollin, supporting her all
the way till they reached home, gath
cred from her crazed lips the whole sad
story, or enough of it to wiring his heart
and make his own brain whirl.
She lay i'll weeks, and he went every
day to see how low she was. Then,
when she was pronounced out ot danger,
he left Jaynesville without seeing her at
all.
Two years after he came back. He
went to see her as any old friend might,
and he found her 50 sweetly like the
little Annot who had been his promised
wife once, 50 gently penitent for the
past, 50 resigned to any fate that might
await her il punishment, that he fell
more deeply in love than ever, and asked
her TO be hi wife as though nothing had
happened. Annot had long since walked
to consciousness Of his worth, and sh,
did not say no.-C. G. in New York
News.