Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-09-29

any one until his recently
~ acquired wife, with CO.
Tx &J qucttish pretcnse of shy
hess, had so addressed him.
He had known her but short time
when he won her. And now, at the
end of six bliSsfUl months, he was
sitting in his splendid library. per-
picked and miserable, and gloomily
cycling the emhers of a CRATE fire and
trying to persuade himself that the
shadow which threatened to wreck his
future could be explained away If
only he had the courage to ask her
On coming home that afternoon he
had gone 20 the sitting room and had
found j. empty. Turning to leave, he
saw a piece of note paper lying on the
1oor, as though it had been brushed off
her desk as she rose in hurry. In
STOPPING to replace it, his eye caught
the two words. Dear Tom Dear
Tom! Could it be that there was a
dear Tom in her life of whom he knew
nothing? The letter read:
Dear TOm-If | were to be asked
why | am writing to you l should
have to admit that | am yielding to an
impulse. My whole life has been made
up of impulses and | never battled
with them but once-alas, the very
time should have yielded. You know
well what mean, that night you re-
nounced me. renowned me while your
blood was on fire with love for me,
which knew and felt and revealed in,
when your eyes dumbly begged me to
refuse to be renowned and your lips
told me it would be better to part. All,
if I had only yielded then to the i'm
enough 10 share your poverty and the
task of caring for your poor, helpless
father! How well / remember that
dear. delightful, cruel summer in
Dorking.
you came dear. and you stepped
into my heart with that first smile on
your brave sunny face. Then. after
ward, Aunt Sarah. when told her Of
our betrothal. said in her icy. sncering
tones: L congratulate YOU upon your
discretion. 1t is a fitting thing that
you should marry Tom Spencer and let
your early poverty be merged into
middle-aged and elderly poverty. AS
Tom Spencer's wife you will have the
satisfaction of knowing that you have
before you such life as your mother
has led, only intensified, since your
life will be encumbered by his helpless,
paralytc old father
tom. dear, do not utterly despise
me when tell you that her words had
their weight. did not fear the pow
erty, for l knew YOU were bound to
succeed. if only, dear one, you were
not hampered in your career by your
father. | knew you ere fond of him.
and that while he lived you would keep
him with you-that even ! could not
influence you to send him away. SO,
when you told me we had better part,
/ offered no protestatiOn. | knew your
heart was aching and that you needed
comforting words from me. | knew
had only to speak one word to break
down the barrier and have you take
me to your heart forever. did not
speak that word. Though my heart
cried out to you, ] could not tell you
that loved you well enough to share
your burden. did not speak that
word. l am married now. My hus-
I'm nd I ~, "A
my fondest expectations. | have all
those things which my luxurious and
expensive tastes craved-yet l am not
happy. This is indeed my farewell,
dear one You know now-cvery wo I'd
in this letter has told you-what you
are to me. You will not misunder-
stand-you will not come to me. 1t Is
over, Tom. and"
Here the writing ended abruptly.
Robert Malcolm was a loyal man,
and though the evidence was against
her he refused to believe his wife
guilty of all that the letter implied
He told himself that If he dared to
ask her for an explanation she would
give II, ana IL NOllu ne SATISFACTORY.
TO ask her to confess a diShonorable
act was also to confess lack of con
fidence in her.
While he was sitting there the door
opened noseleSSly. A slight girlish
figure stole across the thick carpet and
behind his chair. Two soft small hands
were claspPd before his eyes and a
voice whispered:
"Guess who it is"
His heart gave great bound and
he took the hands down and kissed
them. Finally, as If satisfied with
what he saw, lie asked:
"Have you been shopping?"
She seemed surprised mt the trivia
question following so closely upon the
scrutiny she had undergone, and said
as that all, Mr.. Bluebcard? Graci
GUS, how you scared me. | expected t
hear you say in sepulchral tones. 'Wo
man, there Is guilt in your face
where have you hidden the body?
And instead, after that soul-searchini
gaze, you ask the commonplace ques