The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-07-07
Copyright. 1899, by the Author. ]

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the links OF the chain of fate, and she
would have to begin at the lowest rung
of the ladder again.
Still she would be content Every
crust of bread that she earned would be
her own, and sweet would be the taste
thereof-it would be better. far better
TO sweep a crossing and to live content
edly on the pence earned by sweeping it
we'll than to live in luxury earned by
the loss of all her womanly self respect.
There came to her mind more times
than once Il verse out of the Great Book
-"Better dinner of herbs where love
is than Il stalled OK and hatred there
with. "
How true, how true! And yet the
poor soul above struggling with the
rapids of life and death had never seen
the beauty of the dinner of herbs. She
had lon2ed to be as the stalled OK, be-
lieving that the smoothcst pathways
must always be the most pleasant and
the best for us Well. she had enjoyed
her brief spell of tho stalled OK to the
full, and it was probable that she would
slip away over the great barrier with
out ever knowing that there had been
hatred at all. And if that should be so,
Mary Conway felt that she would be
able to face all the rest of her life fear
lcssly and with thankful spirit
Late in the evening messenger ar
rived bringing Il letter by hand from
Mr.. Lawson.
DEAR NRs. CoSwAY-it said-l do not ask,
do not seek to know the reason that your hus.
band left SO strange and almost inhmnan
will behind him. 1t is enough for me that you
are woman, aloAu, young and in trouble.
Will you accept tho inclCsCd as Il gift from
who knew your husband for many years and
who liked and respected him? | beg you to
accept it as kindly it is offered to you Sin
ccrcly yours, HENRY LAWSON.
Inclos,d with this letter was a check
for e1U0.
1t would be hard to describe Mary's
feelings that night The kindness. the
distant dignity of the few words i'm
pressed her deeply. She never thought
of refusing the kindly gift, so welcome
to save her from unheard of horrors. She
only longed tierccly and passionatcly
that she might, nay could, would, go
and tell this man everything tell him
the whole story of her marriage and the
cause pure and simple why Captain
Conway had left n cruel and wholly un
just will behind him. Il sinister blow to
strike her in vulnerable part and
from which she had no chance of de-
Tending herself.
She went to her bed that night with
fixed intention of going in the morning
to seek out Mr.. Lawson and to tell him
everything. with determination that
she would JUSTIFY herself in his eyes.
But morning brought different feel
ings. In the early dawn change for
the worse came over Mrs. Hamilton,
and the nurse called Mary from her bed,
believing that the end was nigh at hand
And as she stood by the side of that
poor, hickering, feeble light. so soon to
burn out into nothingness so far as
concerned this world, voice came to
her telling her to do nothing to say
nothing-the voice Of strange, curl
Gus, wise instinct, which said: "You
are free. Don't fetter your freedom by
troubling about the past With good in
tentions you did what you thought and
believed was for the best. The sacrifice
was made, served its purpose, and you
are released. Do nothing. Accept the
kindness of this stranger, take it as it is
offered and endure all in silence AT the
very worst his suspicion, if he has one
is only suspicion. No good can come
to You by blackening the memory of u
dead man. If you speak, you will but
save your fair fame at the expense Of
his. If he has been ungenerous to you,
so spiteful as to aim blow at you from
his sailors grave, do not you retaliate
by striking back at him now. Best, far
best. to suffer in silence wisest, far
wisest, to cut yourself off as completely
as may be from the mistaken past, to
begin life afresh on your own lines and
as free as is possible from the influences
which have dominated you, hurt you
and poisoned your better self hereto
fore. -
Mary Conway knew that her instinct
was wise one. that the strange mystic
rious voice was that of friend in the
best sense of the word. She made up
her mind during those few terrible
hours of watching that she would follow
the advice which had como to her from
her inner self, that she would bury the
past and begin a new life with the day
that she turned her back upon the homo
of her brief married life the house
which had been in no sense home to
her.
And the following day Henry Lawson
received this note
thank you with all my heart for your kind
and generous gift. 1t will be my salvation and
will enable me to start myself afrcsh. / am
quite alone in the world now. My mother died
at o'clock this afternoon. Yours with deep
gratitude. MARY CONWAY.
TTIADrED WITT