The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-19
THE ROANOKE TIMES, TUESDAY. MAY TO- 1896.

wife knew that letter and knew my
brother.
land the devil knew me in the hour
or my wicked weakness. The letter
intercepted and hid.
II knew his spirit of sensitive pride
so well that when the tempter whis-
pered, He will never write but once. I
knew it well.
4 knew If he never had an answer
from you that there would be no other
word from him to you.
Il have lived with the torture of
that stolen letter, which your heart has
wrung from mine n thousand times in
our silent spirits war, with you ever
conquering. am dying, but the
home and the brother are here.
Come in unto him and dwell with
him.
Preside at my chair, sit at my plate
drink from my cup, and may God grant
you a double blessing and me double
mercy. Amen
And so Eunice wept. Not for herself
her sufferings had been years in dark
ness, and here was light And through
such she looked into the soul of that
other woman
And then she prayed. She was beyond
the dear Thomas-a-Kempis and Tileston
gems Of her agony hours.
She went to God with that other
woman.
And when she arose from her knees,
instead of opening that letter she dried
her eyes and smoothed her hair for the
tea table
When gentle little old lady put her
head with jerk i'll at the door and
said. Tea is ready, Miss Eunice," she
followed her without word and drank
tea with her same daily precision. And
when, tea being over, she and the gentle
little old lady sat out on the quiet
piazza together, with only the song of
sleepy insects and the great beauty of a
mountain night, she said:
Miss Annie, have story to tell
you"
And the gentle little old lady heard
with an amused interest Eunice Ravens
romance.
Nov, Miss Annie, what ought to
do? Pray for me tonight and tell me
when you call me in the morning" fin
ished Eunice.
Tell you what you ought to do!
Why, Miss Eunice marry himl Just to
think, You poor dear, as much as have
liked your quiet way rs boarder and
that bad, too, rs I dreaded taking YOU.
You have never given the trouble of n
kitten, though. I should miss you moro
than hull orphan ifsylum."
Remember, Miss Annie, it is 10
years, and l have not read his letter
yet, returned Eunice
"Not read the letter yetr' exclaimed
the gentle little old lady. "Wcll, you
do beat all. But one beau, and never
had but enc letter, being 10 years COM
ing, and you not read it yet. Land o.
love, Miss Eunicc, 1 IN amazed. should
go right up stairs and read that there
letter this very minute
Eunice Raven went slowly to her
little room, but as soon as she entered
the very dots i'll the curtains began to
dance before her, and the white chair
covers and bedspread all seemed shrouds
that gave her shivers.
Going to her trunk, she unpacked n
picture OF herself in youth. She held it
critically before the candle glare. 1t
mirrored fresh, bright, happy face.
She compared it with her poor, worn
one. The significance of the act was the
last and saddest truth of her wretched
misery. Sorrow beauties only tho
heart, not the face of woman"
"AhV' exclaimed Eunice, holding the
image OF her girlhood at arms length.
That night there was disorder in the
chamber of Eunice Raven, and the tu-
multi of her soul was great, but as the
gray dawn crept gently about her the
woman arose from her knees and, bear
ing herself erect and firmly poised, stood
beside the writing table Mt her eastern
window.
Beneath her lay the unopened letter
that had awaited her hand these 10
years. She smiled at some grim thought
i'll abstract and looked out over the sun
tinted mountains.
In the shadow of their quiet, mighty
grandeur there lay strength With cold,
narrow lips she pressed the letter-once,
twice--and then, with steady, unerring
pen, she wrote across its surface:
"Only heart, face and o name"
She laid it and locked it away in the
very bottom Of her trunk And when
she had done that she simply went on
with the life Of Eunice Raven
"T,arks ,,