The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-03

suddenly toward him, "you nave novcr
told mo that I nm beautiful? Other mon
have told me of tho wondrous beauty of
my eyes and praised tho rich glory of my
hair, but you, my husband, have mover
told me that 1 am beautiful" And with II
fresh realization of her selfish vanity ho
had drawn her to him and told her that it
was not her physical beauty that had won
his love, but her beauty of character.
How strong and beautiful that character
had seemed the first tiIno he saw her, us
She stood in the crowded church holding
tho vnSt audience spcllbound with her
magnetic voice. How it had thrilled him,
touching and awakening hidden chords in
his being rs no other voice had ever had
power to do. How empty and lonely sho
had made his life to seem, and how deeply
he had longcd for her friendship and love.
Tho first months of their married life
had seemed the fullillment of all his dear
Cst dreams, but slowly and reluctantly he
had awakened to the knowledge that her
strength and beauty of character existed
only i'll his imagination, in his ideal of
perfect woinanhuod. At first tho shame
and disappointment seemed greater than
he could bear. But ho was strong and
would make hor feel the transforming
power of his purpose, and step by step no
would win her from her false and narrow
life to SEQ tho reality and satisfying power
of his. But now that his cup of lifo was
finished md he had drained it to tho drcgs
ho could see that he had given oil his
strength in pursuing a phantom-a will
o'.tho-wisp. For his life had brought him
naught but vain aspirations, f~ruitless
strivings, crushing defeat and nova
namelcss grave. Wa it not sho who had
boon tho wiser of the two? She had gained
her goal. Tho swiftly passing years had
brought to hor all that her heart longcd
for-infucnco, admiration and wealth.
Yesterday, as for many days before, he
had trampcd the hot and dusty streets OF
tho city in u vain search for employment,
until ut last i'll tho carly evening no had
sunk down on one of tho benches in the
park exhausted and thoroughly discour-
aged and desperate with the thought of his
repeated failures. Listlcssly he had
watched tho passcrsby, many of whom but
a few years before had been his familiar
acquaintance. Suddenly, with n sup
pressed cry, he had sprung to his feet as
she had rolled by him in her carriage with
tho renowned and respected Judge Hart
ford, now her husband, by her side. She
seemed the embodiment Of beauty, self
satisfaction and success, while he, q pen
nilcss, fricndlcss, homeless man, had stood
SO close to her that he could have stretched
out his hand and touched her silkcn robes.
AS he gazcd upon the sceno carriage and
riders had faded from his view, and when
memory returned he found himself alono
in tho deserted park, with tho soft rays of
the silver moon falling upon him and tho
tall trees casting their gaunt shadows on
tho white driveway, tho silence unbroken
save by the low signing of the wind in
tho branches overhead. And in the still
ness of that hour was born tho purpose to
return to tho spot made sacred to him by
hallowcd memories, IL there to launch
his soul into eternity. He was so worn
and tired %ctcrGis." might give him rest.
All through tho quiet night and early
morning no had walked steadily OH, un-
conscious of distaEcc, of time, of every
thing but his desiru to stand once again on
tho old spot and there to end it all.
With tho familiar scenes had returned
tho memories of the past. He drcw forth
l:or letter, written months ago, in which
sho confessed her guilt. Slowly he read it,
repeating aloud the words which had
burned themselves into his heart: "Can
you not sec that you have ruined my life,
that you arc killing me by inches? Your
presence STILES me-. 1t is rs If l were
buried alive in tho grave. Dc you not UNI
dorstnnd hat l hats tho people you love?
What arc thoy to me, with their petty
j~ealousics, thor ignorance, poverty and
vice? Why should l seek to uplift and en-
noble them when by SO doing l rob nv
own life of its pleasure and joys? Arc you
SO blind that you cannot sec that | love
Hartford with all tho power of my being,
with n love that is stronger than life! |
will be his. I am his by tho law of an nll
%conqucring love, and NIL tho powers of
oarth and heaven and hell shall not scpa-
rate me from him. Do not charge me with
shameless folly, for on God above rests tho
responsibility of my act. Ho created me.
He fixed my destiny, and l can but work
1t out. l beg of you, for tho love you bear
your God, not to try to rob me of my love
my life. Justice is more to you than
love, and / appeal to your love of Justice
and beg you to give INC back my freedom"
And ut tho cost of his honor, position
and friends ho had purchased her freedom.
He had hoped that his years Of patient
toiling had secured for him tho humble
privilege OF working on in silence to tho
end. But because of his very silence the
world Ind failed to understand him md
had refused to believe in him. IL had cold
ly thrust him out, and even Hose for
whom he had given his lifcblood turned
against him and cried, "Crucify him, cruci.
fy him!' Even God had iors;,kcli him.
His prayer for strength nnd courage To on
duro had been but wasted breath, BEATEN
back by tho gale" and now Lis faith was
dead, his hope gone. My God" lie cried,
"why did you not let mo die before yu;,
crushed my faith and shattered my hopcs''
Arising, he slowly tore up the letter
that no had been reading and dropped it
DiccO by piece uDun tho beach. crinlinu