Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-02-16

and that can love only you. ala
not know then, bnt it has not taken
me five years to find it out.
""Kitty, dear Kitty. Wait; want
to tell you something frst-something.
How I love you! But Kitty, I cannot
say what I expected to say when
when this time came. How I have
waited for this, how 1 have longed for
it. At first with a longing that nearly
drove me wild. I lost hope, ambition
everything except love and-and-I
oh, Kitty, I am not much OF man
not to have borne the waiting and the
pain, as a man should bear up under
the trials of life. I am not worthy Of
you. You see what I ana wreck
pitiful wreck. Five years ago, dear,
I should have been strong had you
married me. / could have won my
way in the world; but, why talk OF
this? I am not worthy of you.
"'Dick,' she cried wildly, Dick,
you do not know what you are saying;
you cannot mean it. After all these
years of waiting, after all these years,
for me as we'll as you-oh, you cannot
mean it, Her face was very white.
"He put her away from him gently.
IT'S too late, DEAR he said tenderly.
I cannot ask anybody to share my
life-now.'
"'Dick' she said again, Dick, think
O moment. You misjndge yourself.
If you are not what you might be it is
my fault. I am to blame. 1t is not
too late yet. You are not rold, much
of life is before you. 1 will help you.
Let me make reparation for the past
for my mistake. 1 am strong, can
work. Let us begin life again-to'
gether.
"But Dick was firm. 1T is too
late,' he said. You would not be
happy. I could not make you happy
"She sat down and hid her face in
her hands. He let his hand wander
over her hair, and when one of hers
stole up and held his, a tear trickled
slowly down his cheek. He shook it
away with toss of his head.
Il want to tell you, he said brok-
emily, that as long as I live you will
always have my love. God bless you
"He looked back at her as he was
halfway across the room, and seeing
her shoulders shake with sob that
gave no sound, stepped back quickly,
and kissed her hair. She did not hear
the door close, nor the firm footballs
as he passed out and down the street.
When at last she walked quickly up
and down the room holding her hands
over her bosom, she suddenly saw
herself in the mirror. Her face was
pale and drawn and strange lines
were about the eyes. She gazed at
herself for long time and then she
sank down close to the fire, and shiv.
ering, wept."
SIS that all the story?" asked Tom.
linson.
,Rawlins shook the ashes from his
cigar and laughed.
CALL" he said; "well, perhaps I had
letter finish it. The story is one that
I'll call him Dick-had in one OF
the magazines. 1t was true as gospel
up to the point where the girl asked
him to wait FIVE years. She did ask
him, but Dick was not the kind of a
fellow to wait"
He paused and pulled his cigar.
"Then," said he, quietly; "then
Dick, believing that she loved him,
wrote the story and took pains to see
that she read it and saw his name at.
tached."
"WelI?" asked Tomlinson.
"Oh, she sent for him at once"
"'Dick,' she said. I am afraid to
wait. I do not want to wait. think
love you now as we'll as I can ever
love anybody-and that's very great
deal. lift I am-am mistaken-'"
",'I'll take the risk said Dick. ,"