The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-08-10

quainted with the ISLANDERS their false
tongues spoke respecting me. Well, you
knew them to be liars, but you were
willing enough to listen to them after
ward, when their tune was changed.
But what does it matter what a lot of
g%ossiping, tittle-tattling women say
about a man? He is strong to bear it,
and IAN laugh at them for their pains.
And you! well, you could defend me in
my absence, but you could find no word
in defense of her who is dearer to me
than my life-than a hundred lives, if |
had them! You hater her from the mo-
ment spoke to you of my love for her.
Why did you do so? You threw doubts
then upon her goodness, as you have
thrown doubts this night upon her pur-
ity. If you had done what you should
have done when Mabel returned home,
if you had gone boldly into her house
and spoken to her plainly, all this mis-
cry, all this torture, might have been
avoided. But you had condemned her
in your heart from the first, and were
only too willing to believe all the bad
things that were said of her. You, a
who, for my sake, if not for
her own, should have defended her, a
young and inexperienced girl, from the
malicious tongues of Slanderers and
liars, who were striking at my life and
my happiness, sided with them against
her, and had no word to speak in her
defense.
What could have been in Mabel's
mind on that happy Christmas night,
three years ago, to cause her to win
from me a sacred pledge of trustful-
ness in her faith and love, l cannot
with certainty say; but some shadow
of fear was upon her. Perhaps she
suspected you were not her friend; per-
haps, with the knowledge that her
own mother was against me, she dread
ed hat circumstances might occur in
my absence to cause a breach between
us, and she wished to strengthen both
herself and me. Anyway, she drew the
pledge from me, and she gave me hers,
and | believe in her faithfulness with
all my soul. The harder task of faith
fulness is yours she said, as she kissed
me; and she told me that while l was
absent from her she would have three
tal1smans with her-hope, faith and
love. L should never doubt she said.
My love for you and faith in you have
become a part of my life Listen now
to the words I spoke to her; they are
craven on my heart: 'Henceforth this
good season holds a more sacred place
in my heart because it has brought me
the priceless blessing of your love; be-
cause, also, of the lesson it has taught
me, the lesson of faith, to live forever
undimmed in my SOUL Well, whis-
pering these words to her from my
heart of hearts, shall I, on this ami
versary of that happy night, bitter as
it is to me, prove them, even by the
shadow of suspicion, to be false? No
Henceforth l have but one task before
me. When that is done, and not til,
then, you and I, mother, shall meet
again."
She crept to me, and laid her weak
hands Upon me.
What are you going to do, Amos?'
81 am going to act toward my wife
and child as my father, Amos Beecroft
would have acted toward you and yours
had you been %slandered in his absence
as my wife has been in mine. 1 will
never put foot inside this cottage agar
until l find her; and when she is be
fore you, and you are face to face, you
shall ask her pardon, for the wrong
you have done her"
81 ask her pardon now!" sobbed m!
mother. Il have been weak anC
wrong-I see it! 1 ought to have dom
as you said. No, no, Amos; do no
leave me without a word of pity ant
forgiveness! AS 1 kneel to you I will
kneel to her, my SOM" Her tear
choked her utterance.
God forgive you for what you hav
done!" I answered, not looking at tn
PROSTATE form at my feet, land sen
comfort TO us both. 1 go away tonigh
a crushed and desolate man, and Their
will henceforth be no light in my lif
till l have found my wife and child!
Thus in the blindness of my grief
spoke, throwing, in my %unreason, a
the blame upon my old mother; an
as I stepped out into the cold and wir
try night, her mournful cry, "Oh, Amoi
my SOM" crept after me like a wailin
wind. I knew that a ship was lying &
Gravesend ready to sail for Australii
and for that I was bent. I trudge
doggedly through the snow, haltin
but once, outside a house in which, no
w~ithstanding the lateness of tt
night, m~erry-making was going o.