Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-02-28

kuSSlSU UeSlu0 uSI 1duHOL Oh"'A'
"Father." she said, "you must for
give me. am not very happy. do
not mean to be hard, but l can't so
back from my reasoning. You have
pot only mother, but yo1 have me
also 1 will do what / can, am sure
you know that, and after while you
will not miss anything in me-"
"Go back to your seat, command
ed her mother. ''Do you know that
you are in the presence of q broken
heart? Doesn't your father accuse
himself of more than you accuse him
Of? Who are you with your paltry
love troubles to come to MIN 10 time
like this?"
"Hush, Maryl" said her husband
"hush !"
The silence fell again.
Annie sat alone; she was apart from
everything; there was no love for her
any more. Her father had expiated
his sin in the eyes OF the world; IL 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 a mar
rowing of the radius; no mat
Ter for Jack, II her father
were only an innocent man! Love
surely created desire for purity, for,
since she had learned toloye 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 thief On, why
had she met Jack? Why had she al
lowed herself to care for him !! Why
had she let herself feel glad when she
knew that he loved her? Why had
she greatly desired that ne should tell
her that he had gwen his heart to her,
and demanded her own in return?
How mamy 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
thev had ever been before, while she
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 and her father ap-
parently failed to realize how much
she was going through; it was only
her lack of response to their love that
touched them. Her alteration of q
man who might have been her husband
was merely foolishness OF hers, and
not to be placed in the same category
with her duty as a daughter the
daughter OF thief! That miserable
word, that disgraceful word would
come uppermost to her. But for Jack
would this have been so? The daugh-
ter of thief
There came tap on the door, AMI
it SCUM 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 tho things you used to-all the
things you like. OF course, the SER
wants know nothing, Gear; you have
been West, you know. The servants
have only been with rs 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
hushed way. "dere."
every WE'LL" returned his wife. 81
sha'n't be gone long. See, here is all
the old furniture, all your books. just
as you used to like them, and the
pictures. She leaned over and kissed
him before she went out and closed
the door behind her.
Annie was aloLe with her father.
She heard him moving carefully
aroand, taking up book, only to lay
it down again. He went up and looked
at his wife's picture hanging between
two tall bookcases, then at that of his
wiGes father. Before this last picture
he fingered, making no sound, but
looking, looking at the face Of the old
bank president who had fallen dead
the day his trusted cashier and his only
daughters husband had gone to serve
sentence in prison. Annie could not
see him, but she knew all that her
father did. Her back was toward him
as she leaned over her sewing, and he1
heart beat fast when he turued from
the picture at last and swiftly crossed
the carpet.
When his hand was laid upon her
arm she almost shrieked aloud.
"Annie !" said her fathers voice. II
was q firm voice now, no quaver OF
doubt in it, and 1t forced her like a
command she dared not disobey.
She rose from her seat and faced
him.
Despite the physical changes In him
she saw before her his old self
strong, not unbraye, not disloyGl, not
a criminal.
"You have given up yohl lover, he
went on. rapidly. "You have given
him up because of me. Pay attention
tc me. Twill tell you what l had
hoped pever to tell living soul cA
earth. And l must speak before Yopl
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