The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-12-11
CHAPTER vi.

ma" pleaded Adele Hall with her stern
mother, "to stand in the way Of my hap
piness as you do. I do not deserve it,
nor does the man love and who wants
me to be his wife. -
"You can wait. I have waited for the
desire Of my heart IS long years.
"Oh, but-mamma! just will not
wait any such time. Neither will John.
Eighteen years! Why, it is an eternityp
eff the time seems long for youth to
look forward to what must it be for age
to look back upon?'
"But what good have you done by
waiting? And what good will it do for
me to go ON waiting with you perhaps
all our lives for that which may never
come?''
"Oh, yes. It will come. Prayers like
mine must bring it. cannot die until
it does. Twill not die until your fathers
name is cleared and vengeance is
wrought upon the man who ruined him
and u.s. Can you forget that the wretch
not only robbed him, but made it appear
that his endeavor to regain possession Of
his own was an audacious attempt at
robbery? That stain has never been re.
moved. 1t is as perjurer and an in.
tended thief that your father lives in
mems memories today. And would you
offer that smirched name to the regard
Of the honorable man who loves you?
Would you put it in the power Of other
men, his enemies, to point the finger Of
scorn at him and say, He married that
thief's daughter? Can you, as you are,
know any gr,e1 that Will bite your heart
as deep as would the consciousness that
you had brought shame to himp No,
girl. Better remain as you are. Keep
the vow you have taken to remain by
my side until justice is DONE"
"But, mamma, John would not feel
ashamed Of me. He is too noble, too
Just. And he knows the truth. He un-
derstands that poor papa was not to
blame, and if he was not surely can
lot be-"
Remember your VOW"
II did not know what I was doing
when you made me promise that. How
did I know then that I would ever fall
in love with anybody? did not even
know what love was. You should not
have required Of me such promise.
And now it is your duty to release me
from it. It is not fair to hold me
to it. It is not right. John would
be good husband to me, for he is a
good man, and he loves me well, as I
do him, and I want to marry him.
Think Of how you and my father loved
each other Oh, yes, you must have
loved him very much, for it is that love
which has inspired you all these years
with such bitter hate for the man who
wronged him. In memory Of that love
do not be so hard with your poor child,
whose heart is as warm as yours was,
and will break if you are 80 cruel with
her."
"Have patience, my child. It may
not be for long. Heaven surely will not
forever continue to prosper that man
and deny its justice upon him. do feel
for you. Oh, yes, my child, indeed /
do, but cannot release you from your
VOW. cannot let you go from me. My
thoughts would madden me If were
lelC alOue.
"But, see, mother. Would it not be
better for me to marry and then we
would have John, who is q man Of en-
ergy and brains and steady purpose, to
help us2 What can we two women do
unaidedp Nothing but wait. 1t advances
nothing for us to sit still and wait for
the slow moving Of fate in our behalf"
''It is my VOW"
"But suppose John should weary Of
waiting for me, say that did not love
him or would not ask him to do so,
and should marry some other girl. Oh,
mamma, it would kill mep'
mo, no, my child. IL would not.
Don't cry so. Don't, dear, don't Grief
does not kill, not even when shame is