Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-02-27
THE SEQUEL Y
TO THE STORY.

''Yes. dear; for it all comes up so plain
| before me now-the dim, old fashioned
| parlor. with two girls kneeling before The
| fire. | was one and the other my sister
| Claire.
".AIy children said a soft voice behind
us, and. half ashamed of our childish 20
| sition and noticing the slight reproaeh
| in Aunt Heen's voice, we sprang to OH
| feet as Charles Roland bowed courteous y
| before us.
"sThis is Claire my aunt said, pre-
sentinc Claire first. and this Evelyn
"Win ever forget that evening at
Aunt Helens. where / FIRST saw Charles
| Roland?
"After that we saw him constantly. for
| he became visitor at my fathers.
slow q;iickly that winter passed 10
me. for before the spring came | knew
| loved Charles Rolandi
eyes, loved Charles Roland. but
never dreamed that my sister Claire loved
| him as well.
"Claire is dead now. Linda, and lying
| at rest. but | cannot tell you my story
| without speaking of wrong she did.
"0ne evening Charles told me his love.
| Our wedding day was fixed, and the per
| feet joy of the intervening time serves
/ 10 ilN even nDN.
"a few days before the wedding he
| went up to the city. We were to be mar
ried on Tuesday. and on the Friday be-
| fore. with one sweet, lingering kiss. he
| left me, saying he would be back on Sat.
urday evening. But Saturday evening
| came and Charles did not.
SUNDAY passed. and when Monday
morning came without bringing my lover
| l grew strangely nervous
my wedding day dawned bright and
| clear-oh. so bright and clear for the sor
| row it brought me. for, Linda, Charles
Roland had not come!
Father went up to the city on Mon
| day evening, for l said my darling must
| be sick, for no thought of falseness to me
had entered my mind.
Even to this day, Linda, my heart
| grows faint at the memory of what was
| not my wedding dey.
"As the evening shadows began to fall
| my father returned alone.
Il ran to him. One glance at his face
| was enough.
"Father, father cried, he is dead
| Your Evelyn win never leave you now,
father and then / fell seuseless at his
| feet.
"Charles Roland was not dead. The
last that was seen of him he was stand
ing on an outward bound steamer, and
that was all that was known.
| Two years after that Claire married
| a wealthy merchant and seemed happy.
| with gay. careless happiness.
"Her husband worshiped her. She
seemed TO have everything that life could
| give, but in the midst of it all death
| claimed her.
"She asked me to be alone with her
on the day of her death. and. with her
! head resting on my shoulder, my beau
| tiful sister told what she had done and
! laid this letter in my hand:
Il loved your lover. Evelyn she said,
: loved him passionately, and when
knew he preferred you my anger and en-
| w were intense.
Evelyn, there came a letter for you
( the Monday before your wedding day.
/ Il kept it,
| "My darling had been called to Europe
on summons he could not disobey, FOR
4 it was a case of life or death--this was
Z what the letter sad-and asked me TO
I patiently await his return.
"'He will come back. Evelyn-he will
come back Claire said, her head droop-
! ing lower.
| Evelyn. say you forgive me all-allv
~ forgive you everything, sister,
said. 4 forgive you what / know as well
7 as what do not know
! 'Then, with her head on my shoulder,
/ her spirit fed TO its God.
THAT was eight long years ago, Linda.
but Charles Roland has never come
/ back"
| Linda Craven bent over aud kissed
| Eyelyn's fair face. then quietly left the
/ the letter lying al her feet the letter
that had awakened old memories of the
I heart
A half hour passed. and still she sat
| idly dreaming.
Miss Evelynr and Evelyn's old nurse
laid her hand on the girls shoulder.
Dear, there is somebody and then
| she stopped short.
Something in the kind old face made
| Evelyn's heart stand still.
do not look so pale, Miss Evelyn.
| Oh. my child, my child: it is he, He has
| come back.'
| Pale and fair. unable to realize the
| truth. Evelyn passed down the stairs,
| but before she reached the parior door il
was opened from within. and tail, state
| ly man stood before her.
MY darling," was all he said. There
| was low, glad cry from Evelyn's lips as
he folded her in his arms. and after ten
| years of weary waiting, peace and hap
| piness. she knew, had come to her heart
| at last.
| In the evening a long. long story was
told TO Evelyn Gage. He told her of his
| sudden departure and of the fever that
| had laid him helpless for many weeks.
| of his slow recovery, of the long, weary
| waiting for letters that never came and
| then the letter from Claire announcing
| the death Of her sister Dit was for that
| she must have wanted forgiveness when
she said "alrD and then the feverish
| longing for change that came over him.
'My darling dead. was the only thought
my mind could form. Evelynr' he said.
'and when the longing for change came
over me | yielded TO it. for | would not
return TO the place where my dead dar-
ling's memory would haunt me, and SO
became a wanderer in foreign lands till
Mt the end of fen wears n wish tn SEQ old