Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-02-05

! Every fresh name made the matter
worse. Tho stranger saw it. ST can't
remember the names OF the others" he
said comfortingly; "but there aren't
many-seven or eight, maybe"
SIS he happy?" inquired Miss Matte
still cllnging to her romance, as only q
woman can. She would not be harsh
or unjust 10 Reuben. While she staid
al home and dreamed her life away, be
! had gone into that vast new country
and won a living from the soil. He had
worked out the grief from his heart,
and-and forgotten her. She might
have known that his strong, loyal
nature could not fail TO find an apprecl-
alive helpmate. This Canadian girl who
! had loved him had not staid TO thiLk OF
social position; she had grasped the sub
| stance instead Of the shadow. POOR
Miss Mattie's tears flowed freely. Per-
haps Reubens grief when his wife had
been called away had prompted him TO
think OF her, Miss Matte.
"Wh-what is his message to meP"
! she inquired.
Mr.. Winterbottom came little nearer
to Miss Matte. well, you see," he
| said gently, "she was kind Of jealous OF
YOU. Madam. Reube told her you'd al
ways be first in his heart, and so when
| she was called away, she asked him to
send for you Toto look after him."
"And-and what did he say?" asked
Miss Matte.
"WeH. YOU see, Reube hadn't the
I heart TO tear you from your old sur
roundings, even If you'd been willing 10
come. So he sent me. Tel her, he
said. "tell her all my life I've turned TO
her in sorrow and JOY alike; al my lie
she's Deen my guiding star. In the
woods I've seen her walking before me,
! clearing the way, and everywhere she
| stepped the corn grew greenly. Tell
her" he said, Gin all that coarse, rude,
rough life, with It's struggles and trials
and pains and successes, she's never
! left my side for one moment. She's
! been the angel of my life, the pure,
sweet English girl, who l know has
been true to me all these years.
| The"
"Stopw said Miss Matte, quivering
with excitement, as the tears stredmed
down her cheeks. please stop, Mr..
Winterbottom-stop. To say this TO me
means that he was dislOyal to her.
/ Don't let me think the man l loved all
nv life could have been false to US both.
! Please Leave me that. Don't take that
away from me. lit has been the
only thing which has sustained me in
nv loneliness. / have lived quiet,
| faithful, uneyentful life, keeping and
! guarding the love which God put int
our hearts. Don't tell me that now,
after all these years, he could send me
/ such a message as that. 1t must be
! some dreadful miStake"-in her excite
ment she laid her hand upon Mr. Win
! terbottom's arm-"Some dreadful mis-
| take. 1t is natural that he should
! turn to me now; but he must have loved
! her while she lived. II is only his sor-
row which makes him seem to forget.
| Tell him l will be mother to his chill
| dren-eo 10 them-cheriSh them; but
unsay those words which have Destroy
/ ed nv ideal, the ideal which l have
taken to my heart all these years. The
/ sacredness Of love must not be broken
| like this. Tell me!-tell me! On, l
would rather be the humbest beggar
that ever craved charity than believe
! the man l loved could win some other
woman's heart and profess to have loved
me too"
MIR. Wlnterbottom gently took her
hand. "My dear Madam" he said, my
dear Madam, l know he never loved
any woman but you"
Miss Matte buried her face in her
! hands. Disillusioned by both the men
who had loved her-disillusioned in one
evening! Well, she had had five and
twenty wears of trustful loving faith
and hone and now she must hide her
! grief and try to live it down. She
wanted to get to her own room-to be
alone-to think over this shock. And
all the time she grieved the strangers
gentle pressure grew frmer still. 1t
comforted her. She experienced a
| strange thril--a thrill which she had
never expected TO feel again. And then
she strovc to withdraw her hand, and
accused herself OF immodesty.
/ Matte" the strangers voice sound
ed in her ears-"Mattie, don't you know
me? ] am Reuben! l have never mar
rIed-never loved any one but you; and
I have come home to stay, TO comfort
vour life, to give you back the years you
| have spent without me, 10 guard and
! love YOU with the firm, strong love of
manhood, and 10 atone TO you for all the
! sorrow OF the past. Look up,dear, look
up. Say TO ne"
She looked up through mist Of hap
py tears as he caught her TO his heart.
"What can say TO you?" she whispered.
| "Oh. Reuben. Reuben, have waited so
| long, I have doubted the goodness Of
God. And now He brings you back to
/ me-He brings you back"
Reuben put his strong arm round her.
Dear, forgive me. l wanted TO know
il you still cared for me. l could not
come until l had made money enough to
! give you a higher position than that OF
a tanners wife. And now let us be
happy"
She put her hand in his. "Ah, Reu-
ben" She said, chow often our pride
places before it everything else and
robs us OF the years. am not the girl
Won knew and loved-Tm only an old
maid"
But he gazed into her truthful, low
inc ewes. blue with the blue OF heaven,
| and then be kissed her.
They will call it an old maids mar
rage" she whispered with smile upon
her lips.-ChdmberS' Journal
Five years ago the Empress OF Austria
did not know q word Of modern Greek;
to-day she speaks it fiuent!y, writes Il
correctly. is familiar with every folk
song. poem. ana novel in the language,
and has composed original matter in the