The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-25


 ana he is the one in ali the world that I have remembered most. and to whom I | would give all if dared" and then she | sat still, while the clock measured off il the minutes and hours, and the Are burned itseif down to ashse. and love and pride fought out their battle for the possession of her soul.
 "why do you not send him some ht- tie trife, just a token that you have not forgotten the old dsys7" suggested her heart.
 sNever," said Pride.
 "Tsven casual acduaintances may ex- change gifts at Christmas" urged her Heart. speciousiy.
 He would cast my gift back at my feet" said Pride.
 .sChristmas,' said her Heart, '1s the time ef peace on earth and good will to- wards men. It is . time when old wrongs should be healed. when broken l ties should be mended. and hearts es- | tranged should be reunited. Why do you not Kiss and mshe up. as children
 .what9'' cried Pride. s-aila pe soutsd once more? Have man tell meme that am not worthy of . good mans I love, and that the only thing that I am | brainiess ana as heartiess as myseiff'' Have you forgotten the golden days. I and the long. stiiiy. starry evenings of last sninmer2" asked her Heart softly.
 T dance. ride, I go to parties. balls. lectures. everything. live, in q mad and ceaseless rush of excitement, that may not remember then." answered Il Pride, fierceiy.
 eYou were very tired of the old. empty nfe. with its snonotcnous rounds of in spired gayety," went on her Heart. You | were that loneliest and most forlorn of human beings. d great hairess and an orphan. All your life you had had every thing you wanted, except the thing you Il wanted most of ali-sineere and disin- terested love. Your father and mother had died before you could remember of cold uncle and aunt, who thought that they had done their entire duty to- wards you by seeing that you were prop erly fed. clothed and educated. and im-, planting in you . distrust of every hu- man being who came about ypu.
 You never knew the joy that other girls have of being liked for themselves. fl When suitors came you were told they Ewere fortune hunters. People, in speak ing of you, never praised you for any charm of your own, or any grace or ac- oompiishment. They always said that you were rich, and you wondered some times if they knew how their words hurt, or. how 1t must seem co . giFl to come to believe that there was nothing labout her that could win iove-that she must buy it with the money she hated
 Finally you began to realize that your whois nature was being warped by your environment, that your soul was being atrophisd. and so you ran away from it ali. You persuaded dear old Mrs. Bulion to take you away as her hired compafl- ion to . little quiet piace, where no one Il would recognize yoa. You wore plain httIe cotton gowns. and Asn0es .whc would have flunIkied before the rich Miss Maitland snubbed and ignored you, but there was a man who saw the woman's heart under the shabby gown and the Womape brain under the common hat, and he loved you. and asked you to be i. his wife. we shall be very poor" he said, for I have my way yet to make n the world, but, please God, we shall l fight the battle out shoulder to shcul- der"
 "You remernber," went on her Heart, ''i1ow with your head upon his breast. and his arms around you, you planned , out the future-the little house, with . the rose above the door, the dear Mttls l economies, the struggles, and the final success, and you drank deep of the cup . of joy, for you knew life had made you , rich at last, for you were loved for . yourself alone-loved as woman would , be when a strong man treinbies at her touch. and his smile grows soft and ten der only for you. Then. at last. came { the time when you had to tell him that you were none other than the rich Mss Maitland"
 And he went white as death while he listened. and said that had he known ] it he would never have asked you to be his wife" interrupted Pride.
 | Eav.A lnkA ASfw xv. antly cried her Heart; The loved you. and nothing-not money. nor position, nor anything. could change that. You came home.'' continued her Heart "and your worldly wise uncle and aunt called him a fortune hunter, and said that he was going to marry you for your money. You did not believe them. but, by and by, as you plunged into the old life, with it's sordid strivings, and selfish ness. and disbelief in all that is high and true. the old distrust began to creep up and poison life again. Then one day. partly because for the moment your faith had been darkened by your aunt's ceaseless suspicion. and partly because a woman must be always testing love to see if 1t rings true. you allowed your self to indulge In a silly and puFposeless Irritation you despised."
 "He should have trusted your love. |" said Pride; "he should have known that you were merely playing"
 'IIis life." said her Heart, sadly, had not taught him how to play. It had all been hard, bitter seriousness and so when he saw you smiling into this other mans eyes with the countersett of the look you had worn when your head lay upon his breast. he thought that you were faithless and loveless. and that you l--you who had so much-had come down out of your high estate to rob him of the little he had, and to make life worth less."
 Then" said Pride. desperately. ''hs came and flung back your promise in your face, and told you that he was done with you, and that he was ashamed to have loved so poor a thing"
 Love does not go at any mans bid- ding" sighed her Heart; you saw him the other day. He looked Ill, and worn. and poor. Tomorrow will bs Christ
 'sThink-'' began Pride; but Miss Maitland had risen up with a look on her face of great and exceeding joy.
 Think I can think of nothing but my Iove!" sine cried.
 The next morning Miss Maitland arose early. and spent much time at her desk printing large placard in bold and un- mistakable letters. This dones she donned simple little gray gown, much affected by her the summer before, and