The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-08-04

y
you have grown tired of me and that n
man has come between us. have come
TO give you your freedom. am glad you
have chance TO marry a fine gentle
man, for was a fool to think / was wor-
thy of you. hope you will be happy,
but ! shall not forget you, lassie, and
wherever you may go to live remember
] shall always be your friend, for l love
you with all my heart
81 blushed before his honest eyes, but
/ could not deny the truth. l was in
love with the city young man and want
cd TO marry him, so | thanked my old
lover for his Kindness and bade him
good-by. ! shall never forget his look
of pain and sorrow as he took my hand
and said 'Good-by,' and the real tears
in his honest eyes troubled me for many
day.
"Wcll, | married my New York lover
and went TO the city TO live. At first |
was very happy, but as the weeks went
by l found out that my husband had
many vices. ! learned with horror that
he was a gambler, and was also dis
HOltSl. 4 llt 81 liNl NlbNlitS WIN iiN "a
ways wore were not obtained honestly.
lie drank and gambled a good deal. He
was always in debt and trouble. l dis
covered with keen sorrow that the win
ter he had spent in the country was
while he was avoiding the law. lie had
many disreputable companions, and
often | was obliged to listen TO tiendish
I i,.l- nd liennnrn rra1
and knew not what to do. Twice dur
ing the first year of our marriage he
struck me while he was under the in
tlucncc of drink. In less than two years
he deserted me. Deserted me for an
other fair young girl whom he had won
by flattering speeches as he had won
me. He left me without penny, and
with a baby girl only "A few weeks old.
God alone knows what | went
through then. | was Il sad, broken
hearted woman, grown old in two short
years. | was weak and i'll, utterly poor
and so terribly wretched that prayed
earnestly for God to'iet me and my poor
baby die. But we did not die. \ poor
woman who lived In the house with me
was kind to me and nursed my wee baby
for me. 1 could pay her nothing; she
knew that, but she helped me because
she WAS a woman and knew what n
woman could suffer.
"Two months after my husband de-
serted me l read of his death. He was
killed in a gambling saloon by man
whom he had robbed, and all the New
York papers published scandnlous ac-
counts of it. How / suffered then! But
had he lived l should never have seen
him, for he had cast me aside as easily
us he would have cast aside suit of
worn clothing.
with no money or friends in New
York, 1 knew l could only starve or beg
in the streets, so for my baby's sake
wrote and told my father everything,
and he came to New York and brought
me home, back here to the Berkshire
hills. How sorry was that had ever
left the dear, peaceful old place!
"The news of my husbands disgrace
full death had preceded me, and every
one in the village knew that he had
been a gambler and had shamefully de-
serted his wife. 1t was an awful blow
to my high spirits and pride, and to
my old fathers, too, for all the towns
people had thought l had married so
well. The neighbors were all kind
and good to me, and l learned then that
countrybred people are not the kind to
love you in prosperity and hate you in
adversely. l found l had many good
friends at home, and no one was more
true and loyal than my old rejected
lover.
"a year after l returned home my
father died and his old place was sold
for the mortgage. Again my baby and
l were without a home. Then my old
lover came to me, and, taking my hand,
he said: 1 love you, my lassie, the same
rs ever. Be my wife and forget all the
trouble you have had. The baby needs
father, and my home is all ready and
waiting for you both. win you come 2
1--WE were married soon after that
and came to live in this farmhouse. |
fully appreciated then all my old low
er's manliness and goodness of heart. !
loved him dearly then and ! love him
dearly now. He has been kindness it.
self to me all these years and has made
me happy wife. He has made us very
happy here and done for us all he could.
He has been so affectionate TO my poor
little baby girl that she has never
known that he was not her own dear
father, and now she Is a grown woman
and has lovers of her own.
There, dear, so not cry; II was
best that you should know the story.
Father and have known all along how
you have felt about your lovers, aud We
want you to marry John.
"What is that you are Whispering
lassie? You have loved John the best
all the time and that he Is coming to-
night for his answer, and you are sure
now what it will be? All. | know YOU
will never be sorry, for John il IA good
lad and true, and father is as fond Of
him as he would have been of his own
son."
For moment there was silence. then
rs a distant step was heard as If some
one were approaching, the mother
arose from her armchair and said: at
has grown quite dark already, and
there is some one coming through the
orchard. Yes, dear, know il is John
coming for his answer, and you may
run into the orchard and meet him and