Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-07-15


boathouse, you know"
yes, certainly, I understand, of
course" replied Philip bluntly, but
carefully looking away, and then dis
mounting from his tired horse and as
sisting Seymour to do the same from
his.
Poor old fellow!'' he murmured as
be saw the man walk haltingly and
painfully up the road and disappear
around the little bend.
Left to himself, Seymour stumbled
alone along the familiar road over
which a few short months before he
had travelled light heartedly by the
side of Katharine AS he pressed on
he noticed a man leave the boathouse
and climb slowly up the hill. DESTROYS
of escaping the notice of the stranger,
who, he supposed, might be the factor
or agent of the plantation, he waited
in the shadow Of the trees until the
man disappeared over the brow of the
hill, and then he staggered on. A short
time after he stood on the landward
end of the little pier, and then his
heart stood still for second and then
leaped madly in his breast as he seem
ed to hear subtle voice, like an echo
of the past which whispered his name,
Seymour. SEYMOUR"
Stepping toward the middle of the
pier SO that he could see the interior
Of the boathouse through the inner
door, his eyes fell upon the figure of
a woman standing In the other door
way looking out over the water,
stretching out her hands. The sun had
set by this time, and the gray dusk
of the evening was stealing over the
river He could not see distinctly, but
there was light enough to show him
familiar scarlet cloak at. her feet, and,
although her back was turned to him,
he recognized the graceful outlines Of
her slender figure. 1t was Katharine
or dream! But could the dead re-
turn again? Had the sea given up
her dead indeed?
He could not believe the evidence of
his bewildered senses. It might be
a hallucination the baseless fabric Of
a vision, some image conjured from
the deep recess of his loving heart by
his enfeebled, disordered Imagination,
and yet he surely had heard living
voice, Seymour John-oh, my lover
Sitting the beating Of his heart, hold
ing his breath even, stepping softly
lest he should alright the airy vision.
he staggered to the door and stood
gazing; then he whispered one word:
"Katharine!'
1t was only whisper she heard, but
1t reached the very center of her being.
II
with so much passionate entreaty in
his wistful voice that under it's COM
polling influence she slowly turned and
looked toward the other door from
whence the sound had come. Then as
she saw him, lifting one hand to her
head while the other unconsciously
sought her heart, she shrank back
against the wall and stared at him in
voiceless terror. He dropped unstead
lily to his knee, as if to worship at a
shrine
"Oh, do not go away?' he whispered.
IT know it is only dream of mine, SO
many times have seen you ever since
the night the frigate struck and / sent
you to your death on that rocky pass
in that beating sea. Aye, in the long
hours of the fever-but you did not
shrink away from me then; you listen
ed to me say love you, and you an
swered" He stretched out his hand
toward her in tender appeal. She bent
forward toward him. He rose to his
feet, half in terror.
Kate" he said uncertainty, lis it in
deed you? Are you alive again?''
10 on <~Yo6 o,-xy
broke from her lips He was in her
arms again and she was clasped to his
heart-a real woman and no dream, no
vision! What the wind could only
family shadow forth upon her cheek,
sprang into life under the touch of his
fevered lips, and color flooded them
like wave Laughing. crying, sob
lbing, she chung to him, kissed him with
little incoherent murmurs, gazed at
him, wept over him, kissed him again.
All the troubles of the intervening days
of sadness and privation faded away
from her like disused chrysalis, and
she sparkled with life and love like
butterfly new born.
He that was dead was alive again;
he had come back and he was here!
AS Tor him, IN fearIul surprise, ne neid
her to his breast once more, still unbe-
ieving. She noticed then an empty
sleeve and raised it tenderly to her lips
II lost it after an action with the
British ship Yarmouth. It was only
flesh wound at first. We were long in
reaching Charleston. The arm had to
be amputated. 1t was fearful ac-
ton"
II know it, she interrupted II was
there
You, Katharine! All, that woman
on the ship! / was not deceived then,
and yet could not believe it."
yes, twas I. / gloried in your
bravery until / saw you lying, as
thought, dead on the deck. Oh, John,
the horror Of that moment! Then
called you and you did not answer
Then wanted to die. too, but now ]