The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-04-14

truth would have made you unhappier,
and wished to tell you myself. She
loved you as she loved me. One morn
ing one of your letters came, and until
l could read it to her, she asked me to
let her hold it. An hour later we
found her with the letter held up to her
heart, and she was very white and
quiet. There had been no struggle
whatever, no pain. We laid her
beside father, whom she had never
ceased grieving for, and who mad given
her every comfort in life, even when,
l am sure, he could hardly afford the
extravagances ordered her by her ply
slclans. 1t is all over, and happily
over, for both OF them, dear; and you
were always kind and good to them"
A long, low sigh broke from the
man. Then silence fell; the sound OF
the car bells iu the street came dis
tiuctly to them, aud the ticking of the
clock on the mantel was strangely
loud.
There was a movement on the part
of Annie; she rose and came and
kneeled beside her fathers chair.
Father" she said, ".you must for
give me. am not very happy. l do
not mean to be hard, but / can't 60
back from my reasoning. You have
| pot only mother, but you have me
also; will do what / can, am sure
you know thai, and after while you
will not miss anything in me-"
eco back to your seat" command
ed her mother. do you know that
you are in the presence of broken
heart? Doesn't your father accuse
himself of more than YOU accuse hum
of? Who are you with your paltry
love troubles to come to him III n time
! like this?'
Flush, Mnry!" said her husband,
"hush !"
The silence fell again.
Annie sat alone she was apart from
everything; there was no love for her
any more. Fer father hal expiated
his sin in the eyes OF the world in her
heart the sin that had been his still
lived. For there was Jack, and she
had given him up because of her
fathers guilt. There was mar.
rowing of the radius; no mat
ter for JACK, il her flther
| NNLS OhlI uu utu LOND
surely created desire for purity, for,
since she had learned Glove Jack, her
fathers sin had grown and grown
upon ler, and before that the sin had
been tempered by her plying love
and her prayers for heavens forgive
ness.
The daughter OF q thief! On, why
had she met Jack? Why had she al
lowed herself to cara for him WHY
had she lei herself feel glad when she
! knew that he loved her? Why had
she greatly desired that he should tell
her that he had given his heart to her,
and demanded her own in return?
How many sadly confused questions
did she put to herself as she sat there
in the miserable silence her mother
and her father farther from her than
they had ever been before, while sac
vainly tried to accuse her heart and
her daughterly affection OF trans
crossing, even though Jack called
through the silence, that, but for her
fathers crime, she might have claimed
woman's perfect happiness on earth.
Her mother AMI her father APP
parentIy failed to realize how much
she was going through; it was oily
her lack Of response to their low that
touched them. Her alteration OF a
man who might have been her husband
was merely foolishness OF hers, and
not to be placed in the same category
with her duty "a n deughter-the
daughter of n thief! That miserable
word, that disgrlceful word would
come uppermost to her. But for Jack
would this have been so? The dauch-
ter OF q thief!
There came tap on the door, an
it souu led on her ear like thunder.
Her mother went to the door and
opened it.
"Mark," she said to her husband.
sit is cook; she wishes to speak to me
about dinner. We are going to have
all the things you used to--GIl the
things you like. OK course, the ser.
wants know nothing, Gear; you have
been West, you know. The servants
have only been with us since we moved
here. Would You like to come down
stairs, or will you stay here il the
library?'
81 will stay here, he said, in his
hushel way. "Jerc."
Very well, " returned his wife. 81
shrn't be gone long See, here is all
the old furniture, all your books. Just
rs you used to like them, aud the
pictures. She leaned over and kissed
him before sho went out and closed
the door behind her.
Annie was nloGe with her father.
She heard him moving carefully
around, taking mp book, only to lay
it down again. He went mp aud looked
Mt his wife's picture hanging between
two tall bookcases, then ut that OF mis-
wiic's father. Before this last picture
no fingered, making no sound, but
looking, looking ut the fac5 OF the old
bank president who had fallen dead
the day his trusted cashier and mis- only
daughters husband had gone to serve
n seutence in prison. Annie could not
see him, but $40 knew all that her
father did. Her back was toward him
rs she leaned over her sewing, and her
heart beat fast when ho turned from
the picture at last and swiftly crossed
the CARPET
NVIr, H. I.-I 49, 10