The Helena independent., 1893-07-16
should have prayed Him 70 strike theni
both down dead ~ thsv stood. \.

why did l hAto them soS And ron Gals
yourself = man and pntson: and ons that
knows tho hsast OF msn! Why did hAto
shsmp becan.e loved him - no woman
for being 80 bold, X you live 70 bo thou
sand.
..He would havs understood all about
svarything with half what I have bean tell
Ing you. A. tis, ] sometimes think that
mo and kind. not making TOO much 81 Lillian
whsn was by. yet never with \ look or a
word that want tho look and tho word OF
her good. trne lover; and she was very
happy, for she loved him as muoh az that
blue md white tsaoup kind of woman can
love; and that's moro than thought for at
the time.
"Ilo was an orphan AMI we'll of. and
there was nothing to wait for. 40 the we'd
ding was fxed for early IN she New Year:
nnh sewsd at her now clothes with mar
row OF lead In every bone Of my fingers.
"A truly undet standing person might get
that loved her IN my Ecnrta the time
that was hating her. and ths devil himself
must have aest out my soul and made use
Vt this rest Of ms on that night shall tell
you ab0nt presently.
III was In the sharp, short. frosty days
that brought In Christmas that uncle came
homo one day from Loves. looking thun-
der black and with Al eye like fra and n
mouth like stone. And he walked straight
into the kitchen where We three wsrs max.
ing toast for ton, for Edgar WAS ons Of us
BY this time. and lent hand at all such
little things as young folks can bo merry
over together. and unce says:
Leave my house, Young man; its an
| honest house and clean. and no fit place
for . sinful swine. Got ont. he says. FOR
without are dogs---'
with that be won't out with long text
OF Revelations That won't repeat to you.
| Sir. for know yeur cars are nico and it's
ous OF one OF the plainast spoken parts of
the Bible. Edgar turned q white a. a
| shrct.
81 swear to Cod he said. i wasn't to
bnMe. know what you have heard. but If
can't wilton myself without blackening
woman I'll live and die az black rs hell. he
says. But don't need whitening with
them that love me- he says, looking at
Lillian and then at ms--oh, yes; he looked
| at me then.
II said. mo, indeed and so did Lillian.
but she began to cfy. and before we had
time 10 think what it was all about. he had
taken his hat and kissed Lillian and was
gone, but he turned back At the door again.
"'Yl w,ite to you.' he says to Lillian,
but don't cross th 10 door again until those
words are unsaid,' and 90. he was oonc.
Him being gone. uncle told rs what he
had heard in Lswes. and what all folks
there believed to be the truth; how young
Edgar had ca rlsd ON, az men may not.
with . young married woman, The grocer's
wife whore he lodged. ths end OF It being
that she d owned heEsolf in pond near by,
leaving ~ her last word that he was the
cause Of IL; and 30 hs may have been. but
not the way my uncle and the folks at
Lewes thought, III stake my soul. God
makes his troubles in dozens. he don't
mako new patterned ono for every back.
wasn't ths only woman who ever loved
Edgar Linley without encouragement and
without hope. and riske d her soul because
she was mad with loving him.
| But when uncle had told us all this with
| black look on his face I never had see
before. he said:
"'Girls, l have always been clean liver,
and have brought you up in the fear OF
the Lord. l don't want to judge any man,
and Lillian is Of age and her ewn mistress.
It's not for me 10 say what she shall or
shan't do. but If she marries that scoun-
drel, she has my curse here and horeafte',
and not emo renny of my money. If 1t were
to save her from the workhouss.'
After that We were sad enough at White
G oft. But in two davs come a letter from
Edgar to Lillian. and whom she read 1t. she
looked at me and said: Ohio. Isabel. what
| ever shall do? Inever csn marry without
dear uncles consent and turned and went
from her without word. because couldn't
| bear to see her arguing and considering
what to do, when the best thing in the
world was to her hand for the taking.
"Atl the next week she CT led all day and
most of tho night. Then uncle went to
London, my belief being it was to alter his
will so that if Lillian married Edgar she
should feel it in her pocket. ANYHOW; and
he was to stay all night. And then the
farm servants slept ont of the house, and
We were without maid at the time. so Lii
liam and me were loft alcns at Whitecroft.
"Lillian and didn't sleep in one room
l hnd 10 IN. c1n
| the other sico OF the house, because
couldn't bear TO wake up of mornings and
| see her lying there 30 pretty, looking like n
lilv in her white nightgown and her fair
hair all tumbled about her face. It was
| more than ANY woman could have borne to
see her lying there. and think that early in
the new year it was him that would see her
| lying like that of morning.
"And that night the place seemed very
quiet and empty. as if there was moro room
in IL for being unhappy in. When LILLIAN
had taken her candle and gone mp to bed,
habit was-to see that all was fast for til e
II light. 1t was az l set the bolt on the door
| of tho little lean-t0 shed, wheio the fag-
eots were kept. that the devil entered into
me all in a breath; and thought of Lillian
upstairs in her white bed, and of how the
pretty she looked and white, and said,
| NO! ii never shall; not IL l burn for it,
| too
II hope you are understanding me.
sometimes think there ia something done to
! folks when they are learning TO be parsons
as tnkes out of them Fart of a natural er.
| sons uudsrsta n dingness and would rather
have told the doctor; but then he couldn't
have told me whether these are the kind of
things Christ died to make his Father for
give. and l SUI pose YOU can.
What did was this: / clean forgot all
about uncle and how fond was Of White
| croft. and how muoh had always loved
Lillian (nnd loved her then, though know
you can't undo stan me when say 80 J, and
took all them fnaGots. dragging them 40 oas
| the sanded floor of the Kitchen. and put
them in tho parlor III the little wing to the
left, and just under Lillinn's belr oom, and
l laid them un Ter the wooden corner our-
poured oil and brandy oil over, and set it
aliaht.
"Then put on my hat and jacket but.
| toning it all the way down. as quiet as If |
was going down to the village after pound
of candies: and | made au all was burning
| Tree. and out of the front door went,
| and up on to the Downs, where set me
down under the wall whore could see
| Whitocroft.
Anu l watched TO soc the old place burn
down; and at first there Was no light to be
| seen.
But presently see ths pnrlor windows
| get edder and redder. and soon knew the
| curtains hnd caught, and then there WAS q
| light in Lillau's bedroom. See the bat .
| of the window as you do in the ruined mill
whom the sun is setting behind it; aud the
light got more and more, till see the stone