Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-10-18
TOM AND l. gaaa

from the mOm6nG UlaU lOIn IndnlleSUeu
the first glow of passion for me he was the
most sensitive lover any girl ever had Not
jealous and selfish as many lovers are, but
proper and punctilious in his bearing to-
ward me, and allowing nothing from me
that wore the slightest appearance of in
difference or neglect.
! Tom and were sweethearts and engag-
ed. Why we never married 1 will tell you
also. Perhaps you would not have been
interested in this story from the start had
told you l am q spinster at whom men
no longer look. Yes, have lost the laurel
wreath of youth and beauty, and conse-
quently have no friends among the other
sex. l am u spinster, loveless and lonely,
and do not know in all the world where
Tom is, if indeed he be in the world at all.
IT'S strange that l can control my heart
to speak of all my woe and disappointment
and would not were it not that Others
may profit by the warning this love tale
will convey.
When we had been engaged about six
months Tom went away to live in another
city with the hope of making more money
before asking me to leave my fathers
home, in which l lived n life Of ease and
luxury. At first we wrote to each other
every day, but of course that grew tire
some at the end Of few weeks ana by
mutual consent we limited our letters to
two week.
Now it was generally acknowledged
that l was u pretty and attractive girl and
certainly it was not my fault-either the
opinion or the fact. And | was not to
blame either that as soon as Tom left it
got out that we were no longer engaged.
This brought other suitors about me. l
was modest and did not stand on the street
corners or climb to the hOusGtOps and
shout: II am engaged to Tom! Don't
look ut mo or speak to mel" My love and
betrothal were so sacred to me | never felt
inclined to discuss them with the world.
Moreover, my nature was human nature,
girl nature at that and l could not for the
life of me feel offended when men admired
me and asked my hand and heart. One of
the hardest things a woman is over called
on to do is to turn her back on admiration
and conquest They seem essentially
part of hor existence and mission. God
has given her quecnship; to abdicatn her
throne is pronunciation not to DC asked nor
expected.
Now, evil has many agents and cmis-
saricS in this world, and they serve with
willing hearts and prompt action There
fore it was not long until | got u letter
from Tom telling of his great anxiety oo-
casioned by the reports which had reached
him Of my interest in other men. He said
he had strong reasons for believing that l
was tired of him. Unfortunately for sew
eral weeks before the receipt Of this letter
l had been Frustrated with an unyiclding
cold, and on two dates had not written to
Tom just on time. Putting this and that
together, he credited the rumors and wrote
as l have described. / replied promptly to
his letter, denying that there was any one
in all the world beside himself to whom
gave n thought. poured out many sweet
things in that letter, which would not
be willing to repeat here. had the right
of course to utter my whole heart to Tom,
and tried to make him believe how i'm
possible it was that l could be untrue to
him.
waited anxiously for the answer to this
affectionate letter, feeling much pain in
my own heart to think had caused Tom
suffering. When week passed and no
letter came from him, wrote again, tell
ing him of my former letter and begging
an immediate response with assurance
that he still loved and trusted me. This
was the sweetest most pleading letter
Tom ever got from me, and then waited.
Alas! am waiting STILL though 90 years
have fled. heard through the papers that
Tom engaged for service with rich trad
ing company and had gone away to India,
and that was the last ever knew Of him.
grievcd and wcpt and prayed. That is
all woman can do. What could have
faE I1onO It1cf
silly, idle rumors? That could not be, for
my letters contradicted them all, and Ger
tainly Tom knew l would not tell a lie.
will not dwell on the anguish of that
year and of all the years that have fol-
lowed People might say, as they often
do that woman is weak and foolish to
love man after he has been false and
shown himself unworthy. Tom was nei-
ther false nor unworthy
From the moment that this great sor-
row fell across my life l believed that he
had reason for his mysterious silence and
action, and that some day it would be
made clear 1t has been.
Five years had passed since that terrible
pain entered my heart, and from happy,
merry girl l had settled down into sad
faced thoughtful woman, who cared no
longer for society for nothing indeed ex-
cept the companions love does not shrink
from, books, music and solitude. My par
ents died, and decided to part with my
old home and go to live with IL relative in
another city. The old place was dear to
me, and before leaving it paid many low
ing calls to every nook and corner within
its precious walls. Passing one day
through the old attic, opened the door to
an obscure little closet, into which l had
not looked for years. Indeed l had for
gotten it's existence. There hung an old
coat, thick with dust and moth eaten. |
took it from the hook wondering who of
my loved and lost ones had worn it. 1t
was my brothers coat, Robert, who was
now married and happy in his own home.
dropped on little stool near by and,
womanlike, began to rummage in the
pockets. . God to think what foundl
My two letters to my loverl In a moment
was weeping and calling Toms name
aloud and begging him to come back to
my lonely heart. Yes, l had given them
to Robert TO mail, but here they werel
The sad mystery that wrecked Toms
life and mine was explained.
That coat had travelled over mountain
and stream, toying carelessly and cruelty
with my destiny as it carried about my
last ASSURANCES tO Tom of n love which