The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-02-25

tFuc tut utucptfon Of any KIM.
Homo did not seem homo TO Hattie any
more. She herself was so changed that
unconsciously her parents demeanor
changed toward her. Generous checks
from Frank much more than supplied her
wants, and what she did not positively
need was carefully boarded to furnish the
lovely home that seemed yet so fur away,
and many hours were passed in making
pretty trifles for the same purpose. Much
of her timo was spent at Franks homo.
His mother was dead, but with his father,
aunt and cousin she seemed content.
Ono day "A gossipy neighbor bantered
her about strange widowhood and re-
marked that likely DR.. Hartley was hay
irg a fine time playing agreeable to other
ladies, for of course no one would suppose
him to be married man. The shot struck
home, for only that very week he had
mentioned In his letter q lady that remind
ed him of her. To be sure, how did she
know in what manner he was spending
his timer And could she blame him If he
did sometimes forget his loyalty to herr
And then she thought, with shame, of her
own promiscuous flirting of the past
That night she hunted up the piece of
paper that was legal evidence that the
twain was one. In that last year that lit
tie paper was one of her greatest comforts,
and thankful she was that she was bound
to DR.. Hartley, for that same contract
made him hers.
Hes mine. He will be true to me.
He will come back, she often sobbed to
herself in tho wee small hours when
haunting thoughts would not let her sleep.
And thus that last summer approached its
zenith. II Frank had dreamed Of the tor
ture she was undergoing, he would never
have planned tho little revenge that was
so foreign to his nature He wrote that he
hoped to be home to celebrate their ami
versary, but the party was unavoidably
detained, and he yielded to the impulse to
repay her for her old tormenting trict.-
and forgot to write" Her letters of late
had boon brief and unsatisfactory, but lit
tie he imagined that 1t was because the
poor girl could not write cheerfully and
would not write any other way. She
seemed to care so little that he thought
little anxiety would make his welcome
tho warmer.
The wedding day was a fair counterpart
OF that other one, and Hattie was feverish
with alternating hope and fear. She start
ed with every sound and listened at every
football but the day and night came and
went, and no Frank came. Worse yet, the
week went by and did not bring the mis-
sive that never before had failed her An
other week went by and still no tidings.
Poor Hattie WAS wild with despair She
was fully convinced that some terrible ac-
cidcnt had happened on the homeward
journey, and she was indeed a widow.
but he's mine, he's mine" she
moaned, clasping that piece of precious
paper to her heart. She was at Frank q
fathers. The other inmates of the house
were sound asleep that lovely July night,
but poor heartbroken Hattie sat by her
bedside, with her face burr Il in the pretty
covcrs-somo OF her own handiwork--
brooding over her desolate lifo and won
dering how many years she would have to
live before death would reunite them, and
wondering she fell asleep only to dream Of
an ominous yellow envelope being placed
in her hand. 1t was telegram, and her
nervous fingers refused to open it, for she
knew but too well what it contained
A sharp rap at the door reused her from
her half stupor, and instinctively she rose
and started to open 1t, thinking of naught
but the dreaded messenger boy, with the
yellow envelope
who's therei" demanded the old gen.
tleman, Weakened from his slumber by
second rap.
Her hand was on the knob when an
eager living voice from the outside ex-
claimed: Frank Hartley. Is Hattie herei''
The door opened, and after three long,
weary years Of waiting husband and wife
were reunited.
1t needed the clasp of loving arms to as.
sure Hattie that she had not slept her last
sleep and walked In heaven. --Philadelphia
Times.