The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-23

say that at last his ship had come home
that his position was better and his In
come even little above the coveted
amount. But he said nothing beyond
these facts, for John had delicate and
scrupulous sense of honor which for
bade him to claim her. lie was faith
full, and it was for her to speak now
and she knew it.
Two hundred a year? To the old
Lucy such a sum had seemed 4 vain
dream of opulence, but now she spent
nearly that in dress and amusement FIR
Uncle Marsh with a view to future
profits, was exceedingly liberal to her.
Two hundred a year seen through the
golden haze Of the Rushton wealth
looked ridiculous, absurd almost TO
vanishing point. OF course she loved
John, but it was a great sacrifice, and
she would wait a little before answer
ing definitely A month passcd--tWo
months-and still she waited out a
sense of unworthiness dimmed even the
auriferous atmosphere in which she Nv
ed, and she was irritable and III at ease.
Bottles, too, felt ailing and weak, and
one wet evening, he made a despairiug
rush-for the last tme-to Lucy's room.
! lie reached it trlumphantly, and flung
himself, a little muddy, trembling heap
of joy. upon her dinner dress of white
silk. In the far-off days of serge dress S
they had neither of them minded mud
dy paws, but now he had done irrepar-
able mischief, and in ordering his in
slant dismissal she struck him 1ngrilN.
He Whined piteousy as they drove
| him away, but not with the hardness Of
the blow.
The next day as she was starting for
drive with Mr.. Rushton. the stable
| help sent message that he thought the
! dog was ill.,
I'M she repeated doubtingly 'Ie
was quite well yesterday, I'll go ard
see him at once"
But Mr.. Ruehton protested, declaring
that his horses would not stand and
that they were losing the beauty of the
day Hell be all right" he said; 'let
me help you in
And she yielded to his impltience.
They Were out all the afternoon, ana
when they returned the stable help sspt
another message to say that III dog
was dying.
The butler who gave the message saw
the healthy bloom fade from her f,tce,
leaving it deadly white, and, if ever L
word had power to rouse sleeping con-
science into agonized palpitating life it
was the one she repeated.
Dying! Bottles dying! oh may
God forgive mel"
The sudden shock striking at the rock
of her oblivion, shattered it to atoms,
and the living waters of love and re
membrance gushed' out in a burning
flood that bore her down and drowned
her in remorse. She went across the
yard to Bootles's distant corner, where
he lay in his box as though asleep. She
touched him lovingly--fearfullY.
"Bootles, my darling, what is it?'
But for the first time since they mad
belonged to each other there was no re
sponse-not culver of motion. AS she
lifted the brown head up her voice
caught in a deep sob.
MY Boobies! come walking with het"
His JOY at such an invitation mad
always been pathetic, but now death
had blinded his glazing eyes and deaf
ened his ears even to the passionatcly
loved voice. The tired brown read
dropped out of her hands and Boobies
was gone.
AS she looked at the thin little BODY,
so wasted with fretting and heartbraak,
and remembered how she had betrayed
his faithful affection, letting him sink
out of life Undecided uncared for, With
never a kind word, and her last act Of
which he was conscious, a blow, tine
bitter waters of remorse closed above
her head. With everything blotted out
but her sin and it's consequences, she
wept angulshed tears over the piteous
little victim of prosperity and the sta
blemen standing round, amazed and
sympathetic, knew that this was no
maudlin grief but a deeply sorrowing
woman in an agony of penitence.
She could remember her other friend
now, and her treatment of hinl--the
disloyalty she had contemplated stood
out a scarlet sin against the pain of
loss. They We're the only ones who had
loved her faithfully through many
years, and she had betrayed them both,
the one to death, and the other Sup
posing God had punished her by taking
the man, too, so leaving her no place of
He had not written for two |
and it might easily be So The |
fear and terror mastered her complete !
ly; she could not look at such an appre-
heneion without turning giddy as
though the solid earth rocked under her |
feet There was only one way Of |
one voice in the whole |
world which could comfort her then, |
and, turning to the helper, who, in his |
rough way. had been kind to Bottles, |
she begged him to get the dogcart |
ready, and drive her to the station.
Il must catch the up train. l nust!'
And the man plying the suffering on
ler face, which had changed it so utter
" in a few moments. did her bidding
wordlessly But the anger of Uncle
Marsh and his contemtpuous indigna-
ion at her folly, was by no means word
ess, nor could she answer him any
hing, for he would have not under
stood, being worldly wise only. More
,ver to her standing al last face to face
With the tremendous issues of life, he
md his like were merely shadows. she
aw nothing clearly but her remorse and
he chance of atonement which was as
city of refuge against unquenchable
ire
without one look back she pressed
N to it, grudging every precious mo-
nent. The man drove fast, but fear
hurried before her. If he, too, should