The Republican., 1899-08-03

nm ana promised 10 De MS Nlle. ne
paid me marked attention before every
one. When my old lover heard of it he
came at once to my fathers house.
Taking me by the hand, he said: My
girl, they are saying in the village that
you have grown tired of me and that a
man has come between us. | have come
TO give you your freedom. am glad you
have a chance to marry fine gentle
man, for | was 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 love
you with all my heart
II blushed before his honest eyes, but
| could not deny the truth. | was in
love with the city young man and want
ed to marry him, SO | thanked my old
lover for his kindness and bade him
good-by. l 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
a day.
We'll, | married my New York lover
and went to the city to live. At first |
was very happy, but as the weeks went
by | found out that my husband had
many vices. | learned with horror that
he was a gambler, and was also dis
honest. The stylish clothes which he al
WAYS wore were not obtained honestly.
He drank and gambled a good deal. He
oil in, tpl nd
covered with keen sorrow that the win
ter he had spent in the country was
while he was avoiding the law. He had
many disreputable companions, and
often | was obliged to listen to tiendlsh
plots. | was heartSick and discouraged
and knew not what to do. Twice dur
ing the first year of our marriage he
struck me while he was under the in
fluence of drink. In less than two years
he deserted me. Deserted me for an
other fair young girl whom he had won
by tiattering speeches as he had won
me. He left me without a penny. and
with baby girl only a few weeks old.
God alone knows what ! went
through then. | was a sad, broken
hearted woman, grown old i'll two short
years. | was weak and ill. utterly poor
and so terribly wretched that prayed
earnestly for God to let me and my poor
baby die. But we did not die. y poor
woman who lived in the house with me
was kind to me and nursed my wee baby
for me. ! could pay her nothing; she
knew that, but she helped me because
she was a woman and knew what Il
woman could suffer.
Two months after my husband de-
serted me | read Of his death. He was
killed in a gambling saloon by man
whom he had robbed, and all the New
York papers published scandalous 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
as he would have cast aside suit of
worn clothing.
with no money or friends in New
York, | knew | 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 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 | had married so
well. The neighbors were all kind
and good to me, and | learned then that
country bred people are not the kind to
love you in prosperity and hate you in
adversity. | found | had many good
friends at home, and no one was more
true and loyal than my old rejected
lover.
"A year after | returned home my
father died and his old place was sole;
for the mortgage. Again my baby and
were without home. Then my old
lover came to me, and, taking my hand.
he said L love you, my lassie, the same
as ever. Be my wife and forget all the
trouble you have had. The baby needs
a father, and my home is all ready and
waiting for you both. VIII you Gomez
I'VE 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 atfectonate to my poor
little baby girl that she has never
| known that he was not her own dear
father, and now she is grown woman
and has lovers of her own.
There, dear, do not cry; it was
| best that you should know the story
| Father and / have known all along how
you have felt about your lovers, and 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 is good
| lad and true, and father is as fond of
| him as he would have been of his own