Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-03-27

a soldiers and great deal more dangerous
most times And fireman / was for six
or eight years, but | never cared to walk
out with another girl when | thought cf
Jenny. ] didn't tell my folks where d
gone, and for years ! heard nothing from
them.
And one night there was fire in a
street off the I}orough--a high house it
was-and went up tho ladder to win
dow whore there was woman screaming,
and directly ! see her face l see it was
Jenny.
fetched her down the ladder right
enough, and she chung round my neck ,ho
didn't know me from Adam) and said.
ooh, go back and fetch my husband"
And | knew it was Wheeler Ia got to go
ard find
Then l went back, and l looked Tor
Wheeler
There he was living on the bed drunk
Then the devil says to me- What call
have you to 90 and find him the drunken
swine: Leave him be- and you can marry
Jenny ana let bygono, be- bygones and
stood there half minute quite still with
the smoke getting thick round me. Then
the next thing | knew there was crack
ing under my feet. and the boards giving
way, and ] sprang across to Wheeler all in
a minute as anxious TO save him as If he'd
been my own twin brother There was
no waking INN 1t was lift him Or leave
him. and somehow or other got him out
but that minute u given listening to
satan had very nearly cLLtkod lis 10th to
our death and we only Just come off with
our lives. The crowd chccrod like mad
when dragged Linn ont
! was burned awful had, ana such good
looks Il. d had burned off me. ard didn't
know nUIniNg plainly for many IA long
day
And when ! "'r to myself was in a
hospital and was :Noct faced nurse
sitting lool;ingtIt me. and. i.y the Lord if
it wasn't ALclia! And She fOll on her
knees beside me- and she says Tom,
must tell yuu. Ever since found religion
I've known what Il wicked girl | was.
Oh. Tom, to sec You lying here 80 in oh,
Tom, forgive me, or | shall go mad, |
know shall"
And with that she told me straight out,
holding nothing back, that what she d said
to me that night eight years ago was II lie,
no better, and that who I'd seen in the
church porch wi ii young Wheeler was not
Jenny at all, but Amelia herself dressed
/ in Jenny Things.
"Oh forgive me, Toni" says Amelia.
Forgive mt, Tum for can never forgive
| myself | knew Jenny didn't rightly care
! about You, Tom, and loved you so dear.
And Nhcclcr wanted Jenny, 50 | was
tempted to play of that trick ON you.
thought you would come round to me
after
| was weak still with my illness, but
! put my hand on hers, and l says 81 do
forgive you, Amelia for after all, you
done it for love of me- And are you IL
nun, my dear" says |.
NO." says she, "Im only on liking,
as it were If / don't like them or they
don't like me, can leave any minute"
"Then leave, for Gods sake" says l,
'if you've got IA bit of love for me left
Let bygones be bygones and marry Iue as
soon as | come out of this, for it's worth
something to be loved as you We loved me-
Amelia, and | was always fond of you"
WHAT says she Me marry you and
be happy after all the harm I've done?
You run away from your articles and turn
ed fireman, and jenny married drunken
bruteg No. Tom; no. | don't deserve to
he happy, but if you forgive me l shan T.
be as miserable as | was -
"Well, says |. if ever you think better
of it, lei me know
And the curious thing is that within
two years size did think better Of it, for
why? That fire had sOb,red Wheeler moro
than 90. 600 temperance tracts and all the
sons of the Phoenix and Bands of Hope
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