The Penn's Grove record., 1895-11-15
FAITHLESS WIFE.

horizon the SKY was Iuu VI udilrnS
brightness, that mirrored itself in the
blue waters that seemed to meet it.
Higher up, the sky was full of purple
shadows, shot through here and there
with lines of gold.
Two persons walked along the
beach-s man, who saw only the
brightness in the face of the woman
by his side, realizing in a vague way
from her features, that held such 3
charm for him, the splendor of the
sunset pageantry.
She was looking out to sea. The
sunset fires seemed to glow beneath
the lashes of her eyes; its crimson RAJ
dance made her cheek bright and
touched her bair with shifting lights.
81 shall be gone three years." he
said, softly, his eyes still on her face.
"Three years are a long time" she
answered, slowly.
II know that" he said; stbut they
cannot be longer to you than they will
to me-"
She did not reply, but kept her eyes
upon the fading brightness in the
west.
"You will write often, I know" he
said, taking her hand. "Your letters
will help to make the time seem short
err"
"But you are not sure Of getting
Them" she answered. "You are GO
ing far away, and into a country
where one doesn't enjoy the means of
correspondence with a great deal Of
certainty or reliability"
"But | shall know you have written
IL l do not get your letter." he said,
trustingly.
John Derwent had a vast amount of
faith in Agnes Brent. He loved herr
consequently he trusted her.
"And you are going Tomorrow"
She asked the question with q little
shadow in her face.
eyes, / start tomorrow" he
answered. 81 shall not see you again.
i have come to bid you good-by."
She dropped tho long lashes of her
eyclids to hide the tears that gathered
there. Her betrothed husband was
going away for three lonesome years.
She should miss him.
Like most women, sweet words and
tender caresses were pleasant to her.
No one had ever cared for her before
as John Derwent did. To know that
she was loved by some one-that in
that persons regard she was the one
woman in the world-was q knowledge
frailght with pleasant emotions.
They walked up and down the beach,
while the sunset died away into SOM
bre grayness, and till long after the !
yellow moon had started on her voyage
up the sky. |
Then John Derwent kissed her good
by. She hung upon his neck, her
warm tears falling swiftly, and would
have kept him back. But he must go;
and, with his kisses on her lips, he !
whispered his words of parting-and
was gone.
wonder if the moon looked down
on other enc like that that night2
Did it see other lovers kissing good
byes and parting with trust in each
others faithfulness through the days +.
or months or years of separation?
HH.- i
The days went by.
John Derwent reached his destina-
lion safely. The situation offered to
him was a lucrative one, and in his !,
new Australian home he was quite
contented, feeling that love was wait
ing MIN by and by that would amply
repay him for the long days of lone
some hours that were sometimes his.
Letters came regularly for the first
year; not half as often as he could
have wiahed them to, but as often as
he could expect them. Pleasant, loving !,
letters, that were full of tender little
wishes for his comfort AMI happiness, !
and of longing for him to come back
to her. 1t was 10 lonely after he left. !
1t wa pleasant for John Derwent to
read such letters-to know that at
home one heart was q true and tender,
that one heart thought always of him,
and yearned for his return. il
"If every man could have a love
like that which life has given to me
your love, Agnes" John Derwent
wrote home in one of his letters, s.there
would be much more happiness than
there is at present-fewer men who
scott at woman's truth and c~onstancy.
/ neverthought for a moment of doubt
ing you, Agnes; l should not forgive
myself if l were to do so. You are
my ideal of all that woman should be
true, tender, womanly." /
You al see from that how much he
maraA for har- rVhot Ea,%k H. l-l =,
her.
The day was dying again in a pomp
of purple glory. The sky had a gloomy !
look about it, despite its lurid bright
ness where the sun had gone down. /.
The wind moaned across the beach, /
and beat against the rock, where the
waters had dashed themselves into o /:
white foam of fury.
1t had been a terrible day. The
had spent its violence now; but
The ship that had struggled so nobly to
ave its crew had fallen a prey at last
wind and water, and lay a helpless .
wreck a little way out at sea. =
Men and women gathered on the i,
'hore. They cast anxious glsnces sea-
ward, and watched the waves to see il
my semblance of humanity was swept :
land by them. .
A woman stood a little way off from |.
he others-a tall, handsome woman in !
ich garments. She looks towards the s
wrecked vessel with a little pallor on !
Ter face.