The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-03-16

1890
shape-the white bed, the white figure
near it, the chair and table. Clearer
and clearer it grew, and then the pol
ished moon dipped into the triangle of
spangled black between the hills. And
still the woman slept her cheek in her
| hand.
Suddenly came soft, low rumbling,
the distant beat of hoofs, and soon the
voices of the returning party brought
the guests out to the piazza. They
crowded up the steps, they sat together,
it seemed, crowd Of happy young peo-
Pile, at one end of the porch, and went
into little vying ecstasies over the
moon. The nurse shrugged her shout
ders impatiently and looked at the
! woman; their voices came up so clear
ly. But she slept quietly.
Then the touch of a mandolin, a
handful of little ripping chords, per-
feet silence, and from below soft rich
contralto pealed out. So sweet, so
deep, 80 vibrant, yet somehow, so full
of tears. Or was it the song? To the
watching woman came a rush of re-
membrance too keen for pleasure, too
dear for pain. So old, so sweet
"Forsaken, forsaken, forsaken am /"
The woman in the bed opened her
eyes. "Hushl what is that2" she whis-
p ,red.
like a stone in the causeway"
ooh Rchardl Are you really there2
Richard, how we'll she singsl Be
careful-she'll fall Play those strange
minors you composed for her-Why
don't you teach her the Germanp-
Love her? why who could help it? But
how can you, Richard, how can you
live with her? Marry-marry-my God,
Richard you cannot marry her motheri"
And kneelins. weep there, my love lost for
There was a hush and then quiet
talking below. Presently began soft
humming, repeated and corrected; they
were practising something evidently.
The sick woman's eyes cleaned like
stars. She rose on the pillows. "Rich-
ard, are you really here?" she whisper
ed. "Oh, have hunted for you every
where, 80 long, 80 longl l wanted to
tell you'll wanted to have you forgive
me-could you, Richard, could you? 1
have ruined your life, have broken
your heart, l know. II she had died
you'd not have cared so much, it was
harder to have her voice die-you see,
l know you, Richard,-I loved you
more than month! / know it was hor-
rible, but oh, how did know l could
do such thing? How could l? Many
women wish worse things than that
pray them-and they don't come to
them, truly they do! You'll not mark
me a murderess, Richardp Say you for
give me, before die l don't ask you
to love me-"
Only the tinkling mandolin broke
the stiffness of the perfect night out
side, but within the room the passion
of a Inverted, tortured soul throbbed
and echoed. The nurse stared at her,
motionless, terrified - this pleading,
perishing soul, sick beyond her ills of
body, shaken with fear infinitely
greater than the fear of death.
"Richard-I came so farl l followed
wherever l got clue-nobody seemed
go to Paris alone-that was the only
place / didn't gol They said you were
here-I was 80 sick on the way, and they
brought me in here-I never dreamed
you'd be here-and now I'm going to
die-it's my heart-Oh, Richard, / pray
you, for Christ's sake! Richard, am
a murderess, if you won't forgive me-"
The nurses face was drawn with pain,
her eyes closed to shut out that hope.
less, pleading face before her. And
into that endless, terrible, whispered
prayer, drowning its pitiful babbling,
came the very soul of love in song.
Against a soft, crooned harmony rose
again that tender voice-a boys turned
passionate, woman's grown pure-in
glorious abandon of grief, that Rugged
the hopeless truth to its breast, and
turned it into music.
"Forsaken, forssken, forsaken, am l."
"Oh, Richard, for her sake!"
like stone in the cause way my buried hopes lie;
!go to the chqrohysrd, my eyes fill with tears,
And kneeling weep there"
The woman turned her head to the
nurse, Clearly her strength - ras almost
gon" Jut she had no longer any de-
lirium. "Could you have them stop
it hurts me so, that song-I-Oh stop
it, stop It'll"
In second the nurse stood at the
window. "One momentV' she called
clearly. The voice died away abruptly.
"My patient" she began, but there was
hurried apology, and instant silence.
She thanked them quickly, and hastily
turned to the bed. The woman lay as
when she had slept, her cheek in her
hand. AS the nurse stood over her she
opened her eyes. "You are very good
to meD she said slowly hut alond
"and have been hard to tend, know.
must have been crazy-I thought
thought Richard came in. 1 have told
you everything, haven't 1? l meant
to. feel as if had. And now III
die when you like. 1 have tried ten
years for forgiveness-I have done my
best. God knows how l have repented.
l think if Richard could understand, he
would forgive me, even though have
broken his heart. Don't your"