Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-05-06

A deed of gift. An anonymous deed
of gift-that would be the thing, the
girl decided. She would not keep one
penny of it back. There seemed some
thing calculating and mercenary in set
ting aside part for herself; besides, it
would be all the same in the end. A
deed of gift of 6 500 year to BERTHE!
1t was worth all the waiting and the
pain and the work. This was her re-
ward.
So the girl carried out her secret
plans with light heart and happy
brow, and the joyful message went
across the sea to the man, in the copper
plate caligraphy of the lawyers clerk;
while the girl herself-in the willful-
ness of near bliss-sent over the sea
also just q scrappy little letter, the
most matter-of-fact she had ever sent,
cheerful and friendly, telling of outside
pleasures and daily trifes, of little
picnic in the wood and village concert
Ia little letter which would bring back
a loving remonstrance in the midst of
the tale of good fortune, and which
would be joke against her afterward
when the happy secret was known to
the full. And she smiled as she sealed
and sent 1t on its way. And then she
waited,
There were four and twenty days of
the waiting, and the girl never forgot
them-never quite lived down the strain
of the painful Joy, the rapturous an
guish, as she pictured her lovers pleas
ure and endured all the minutes which
were bound to pass before she would
receive sign.
what will he say? Will 1t be won
der? VIII it be only happiness? VIII
1t be-himself?"
At last 1t came-the first sign of her
sacrifice. It was letter, rather short,
because written in hurry by busy
man; and the girl was able to read It in
the ten minutes which were hers before
morning lessons:
Dearest Ursula: This letter will be only
a scrap, I'm afraid, but 1 know that you
will forgive that, and viii make It up
next time. Truth to tell, am dreadful1y
pressed for time. I've had little windfall
left me In rather an odd way, and I've ac-
cepted It. Some one has taken fancy to
me, 1 suppose. (You can understand that,
can't youD So am going off on good.
long tour to see all the places I've wanted
SO long to see-Italy, Greece, and I don't
know where else. It's jolly to have o
little money at last. Rather large party
of US are going-the Gleesons, the mother
and daughter I've written about sometimes
and some friends of theirs l know fairly
well; SO expect we shall enjoy ourselves.
So glad you are having such good time,
my dear. Picnics and concerts are pleas
ures which seldom come my way. will
write again as soon as can, but am un-
certain when and where we halt. Yours,
in haste. BERTHE"
"a little windfall!" "And have ac-
cepted It'll"
The woman's limbs shook and her
face became awful as she read. Then
she shivered; and then the children
came in to lessons.
One more letter crossed the sea from
the woman to the man on his wander
ings. The word "good-by" was writ
ten across a bare sheet of paper, and
the man considered that he had been
uncivilly treated, and he felt very sor-
ry for himself; but he never looked on
the woman's face again.
The silly tale leaked out in time,
and the world laughed ct the comedy
of it. But the woman failed to see the
humor, and 1t was the tragedy which
lay at the back of her eyes In all the
long years till she died.-The Sketch.