The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-08-15
AN OLD LOVE STORY
By MISS REBECCA CAMERON.

ter with all the love of which 1 was
capable. / had but n wish in the
world, that was to marry her, and as
soon as.my fathers questions showed me
what / had done Ilost no time, and spar
ed not myself in the effort to at once ex-
plain and ask forgiveness.
He believed me and was very kind as
he was convinced of my sincerity, but
he said / would find it difficult to satisfy
his sister.
He went off finally to intercede in my
behalf, and presently returned saying
she would see me if [ insisted, but she
would rather be spared the meeting, as
it would be useless pain. I insisted on
seeing her. | would have fought my
way to her if it had been necessary. She
came immediately-pale, cold and chang
ed; like an ice image instead of the low
ing, tender, clinging creature l had part
ed with.
L disregarded her c~oldness; 1 seized
her hands and poured out my story.
She listened like a statue, cold and inn
movable. Then she said:
why did you not write?"
L never thought of it."
And yet you say you love me! You
let pass six months of unbroken silence
between you and the woman
who had promised to marry you in less
h a year., and o can give no reason
for it, except that you never thought
of writing! Which means that you did
not care for tidings from her. You cared
to tell her nothing, and yet you say you
love me!'
Il do love You! l swear that l love
you!'
Il cannot believe it! Stop! Hear me
out. | know l loved yOQ. l know the
thought of YOU ran like an invisible
thread through every conscious moment
of my life. l know how i lOnged for
letters from you, how l hoped for them;
how | lOnged and agOnized; how bitter
was my disappointment; how deep my
hurt; how keen my humiliation as days,
weeks, months dragged by in utter abb
sUlUte silence.
And at last your name fell into 81
lence. My family hurt and shamed for
me, were too kind to add to my anguish
by question or word.
Il know what love is, and, therefore,
l cannOt believe you love me. I do not
know what motive brings you here now;
why You insist upon seeing me.
Il do know that my faith in your love
Is hopelessly quenched, and l am worse
AAA"AA W NN' " Il ~ NNNH III
memory of love to comfort me!'
She wrung her slender hands together
with Il gesture Of unutterable desOlatfOn
and stood still lefore me.
/ was stunned and silent for a while,
then l stammered out.
Il cannot defend or excuse myself. 1
have told YOU the simple truth. / only
repeat before the Almighty as my wit
ness that i love you rs dearly as | ever
did. / have not changed one atom. Will
you not try to believe me? Put me to
the test, set Your own terms, only give
me. one more chance!'
She looked at me with an agony of
longing in her eyes, but at last she said
despairingly:
i cannot believe you: oh let me co."
F. I stood out of her path. l opened the
door for her, and she went past me and
down the long hallway without one back
ward glance. In less than an hour 1
had taken the road again.
But you tried again! man alive, you
didn't let it stop at that!'
Il never tried again. / gave it up
there and then. If you had seen her
face and heard her voice. you would
have understood, as l did, the hopeless
ness of it."
Il came back home utterly broken up.
Father died very suddenly in the early
summer, and / went to the dogs hand
over first. l drank, swOre, gam
bled, fought. was an absolute reprObate
and ruffian for ten straight years. Then
| b~cthoHght myself and pulled up, II
led 4 decent life for the rest of the time.
l finished building my house, and came
over to live in it. That was something
over thirty years ago.
L have never cOurted any other wO-
man, nor wished for one to be mistress
{ Of my home. l built the house for
Laura and it is and shall be no other
WOman's home"
And you love her still?'
Il love her today as we'll as / did forty
years ago when l first kissed her blush
ing cheek under that great chestnut tree
the evening she promised to marry me"
rs she still living?"
Il do not know. Man she died to me
that night when she walked across my
heart to) reach the door to escape from
me-"
But, Uncle John, did he really love
her." l asked as the story was ended.
"Oh, yes, dear, there was no manner
Of doubt of that. | never saw a man
show more feeling in my life. 1t is a
very curious story / never heard one
as odd in my life, but he certainly loved
the woman, and he believed she loved
him. 1t was all very strange and very
unfortunate, but he certainly loved her.