Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-04

"Irma-you working for a livelihood here among strangers, you poor, pale and struggling, what does it mean !? Whatever your fault, however much I have suffered, I did not desire this.'
 Lester" faltered the girl, "after you left me, one misfortune followed another, father failed and died, my home was shattered, and I cast adrift upon the world. I have suffered and through no fault of my own
 No fault?" hotly. '.Irma, why did I leave you--tell me, child?''
 Lester" and the wistful eyes met his bravely, "for mad, headstrong jealousy without cause or reason, for pride that refused all explanation, for lack of faith in love that had never failed you. You cast me off without a word, went abroad for many years. left me to my fate.''
 ''Irma," and he caught her hands in an eager clasp. If this be true, what punishment is heavy enough for me to bear. I who have condemned you to lifelong suffering and servitude. and linked my fate with that of an- other, equally innocent"
 "Hush, Lester!" exclaimed the girl. as she lifted a face transfigured with pitying love to his darkened one. s.The past is ours, buried in our hearts--the future belongs to her; let no shadow of our sorrow and loss fall upon her happy youth and serene confidence. Go, dear, they are coming" and she pushed him from the room, as the sound of laughing voices crossed the hall and came nearer.
 Lester Walton fingered on in the quaint old town by the river, under one pretext or another. Daisy, inno- gently happy n his presence, came and went at his bidding, and yieldeL herself to the passing p4easuie ol the moment.
 Little she dreamed of the passionate heart beating under his careless, laughing manner; the thoughts that burned, the words that craved utter ance, the bitter-sweet romance that was awakened in the quickening l springtime, with it's old time force and 1 meaning, to hold him in cruel thrall- 1 Eom
 Cruel, for the dream which a few short years ago was his happiness, the handspring of his existence, was now sin to dwell upon; weakness to be 1 trampled under foot. Yet still he fingered on manlike for taste of the forbidden fruit; stray word, 8 1 glance from pair of dark eyes, a 1 glimpse of graceful shape at the win dow, playing at comedy with the girls | practicing strategies of which his manhood was ashamed.
 An abyss had opened at his feet; he now read as in letters of fire the past the never-to-be-forgotten past-in which he played so ignoble role; the headstrong folly, the unreasoning | rage, which condemned an innocent l girl unheard, and made shipwreck o1 two lives in moment of madness. 5 But repentance, as ever, came toe l late. Blame himself as he would he could not retrieve the cruel mistake which had led to lifelong separation and sorrow.
 breeze, silken-soft and honey-sweet stole through the open window like ar invitation on to poor, pale Irma, sit 1 ting listless at her sewing. The gnarleo : old apple orchard was all abloom, the ] grassy way tangled and green, agolder robin famed and fitted through the
 blossoming boughs and filled the si lence with the ecstasy of song.
 The house was very still, the girl: had wandered away on pleasure bent
 and she was so weary; weary of hel lonely unloved youth, her work with out aspiration, the dreary vista of tht I coming years, the happiness all about 1 her that seemed as mockery of hel
 own woe.
 She left her work, and went out into 1 the sunshine, trod the mazes of tht
 blossomed orchard, opened her hear
 to the robins thrilling message
 sought to lose her cares in the joyou.
 springtime; to think-to resolye-tt
 put from her with a strong hand thi
 wild longing for a happiness, so far ans l yet so near.
 For he loved her still; she read i
 in his glowing glance, the accents O
 his voice, felt it to the inmost fibe.
 of her being; she had but to stretch ou
 her slender hand to call him to he1
 side once more, to break the fetter'