Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1895-05-11

Had she, his wife, been his last
thoughts? Oh, the dread, awful
mystery of his death
Milly thought it all over and over
again, with one thought growing in
awful intensity with every throb of
her pulse, each beat of her sorely-
stricken heart, and remorse, not
grief, breaks into sobbing sighs that
yet brings no tears.
And then they took him away
from her. She laid her lips on his,
but made no moan, only Whispers
his name low under her breath as she
has been so cold, so indifferent to
in life.
fearless and white she stands in
her widows weeds and looks into
her guardian S face with an express
sion that fills his eyes with a sudden
rush OF tears.
The funeral was over. Solemnly
and slowly it wendell its way through
the streets. People wept as they
stood by the open grave; but no
tears moistened the eyes of the dead
mans wife.
Ashes to ashes-dust to dust"
Life was over for one of those two,
and they are strangers yet" She
is dry-eyed still as she stood in the
freshness of her Grape and sable gar
ments and hears Mr.. Jarvis tell her
in a voice scarcely audible, that JAS
per Cameron's death has left her
utterly unprovided for, that when he
died he was ruined man, that dur
ing all that long night of agony, be-
fore he bent his head and died,
he knew he was ruined, that the
crash had come at last.
Mrs. Cameron heard him out, and
when he paused, she lifted her face
to meet his gaze.
"But my fortune" she said, slow
ly, she could not touch that"
At her words Mr.. Jarvis shrinks
and starts back as it struck by q
blow, and bends his head low to
avoid the eyes fixed upon his face.
For some minutes there was ST.
lence between them. Then he spoke
in voice so low and broken that
Milly had to bend forward to catch
the words.
" Milly, bear with me-, you have
no fortune. | alone am to blame.n
A little surprise came into her
face at his agitation. He was shak-
ing from head to foot.
No fortune Mr.. Jarvis, | do
not understand you,p she continued.
No fortune, whea the man who
was buried that morning had mar
ried her for her money. A sudden
SILVER makes her tremble too, as she
looks at the gray-bai:ed man beside
her. He lifts his head at last and
commenced talking in a hard, me-
chanical voice, as If repeating some
thing committed to memory.
Milly, have to tell you Of a
promise broken, of trust betrayed.
| have to tell you of the basest, most
dishonoraDle thing man can do, it
being unintentional is no excuse /;
the fact remains the same. Your
father left your fortune in my charge;
you will see how well | fulfilled bis
wishes. Mile, | specnlaied with
that money and lost every shilling
of it. | need not 90 into details now;
you would not understand. Listen,
there was one man I took into my
confidence. He knew the whole IN
happy affair. He was my friend, q
tried, trusted friend, and then be-
tweenus We resolved that you should
never know how your fathers friend
had failed in his trust. He toiled
day and night to replace pound by
pound the fortune that was to have
been yours. The struggle killed
him. Mllly, pity and forgive me
that man was Jasper Cameron, your
husband
Tie grief and trouble str juggling
in her face we're pitiful tosee, though
her words were quiet enough in their
utter hopelessness.