The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-06

| muttered. But let her dress IN black
If she wants to. She never looked
| half so handsome in anything else"
and he laughed to himself. She may
marry again some time. would hold
up both hands for it,"
! Constance would have been deeply
| offended If she had mistrusted his
thoughts. Her heart was with Vane
in all her musings. 1t was as if she
had put on widowhood and carefully
buried all memory of anything un-
pleasant which may have arisen be-
! tween them in the long past. Always
! good, always thoughtful, Vane was the
one perfect man she had known. Now
he was dead, she would fulfil every
wish he had ever expressed, and would
endeavor to do in other things as he
would have done had he lived.
! A branch of a famous marble bus
mess had recently been opened in
| Grovedale, and though Mr.. Allen, the
| manager, had been but a few weeks
in town, the time was quite long
enough for him to become conversant
with the history of the savings bank
cashier, and to know Mrs. Hamilton
well by sight. He was somewhat mys-
| titled, therefore, by her coming to him
to consult about procuring a monu-
ment to place over the remains of her
| husband.
Mr.. Allen had two pet phrases of
his own which he usually met his
customers with. He would look as
mournful as his jolly face would let
| him, and ask either, "Ah, when did
Mr.. or Mrs. AS the case might be
dep or ''Have you any
graVestones or monument up
now that you wish to exchange
| toward the new?" and in this
case, as the first did not seem to be
| exactly appropriate, he chose the last
phrase.
NO" said Constance, in her sweet
low treble; but I wish something to
be set as soon as the spring opens;
something plain, yet rich and ele-
CANT"
"A monument or a tablet, MADAME"
"A monument
"But-ah!-is it quite sure that your
lamented husband is dead. Mrs. Ham
ilton?'
There is no doubt of it, sir; none
whatever"
Mr.. Allen without word placed be-
fore her some cuts representing the diff
ferent styles in Scotch granite and
Italian marble, and she finally chose
one of the finest marble with granite
base.
Have you chosen the inscription" he
asked, hoping that she would not have
1t commemorate his virtues as a
faithful cashier. She was quite like
ly to, thought he, and if so, a deface-
ment was possible by the more igno-
rant Gloss of people who believed in
the guilt of Hamilton. he had been
told. But her good taste saved her
this
II wish the inscription to be very
simple" she said. Just his name,
Vane Hamilton
Very chaste, madam, both the mon
| ument and inscription. 1t shall be cut
as soon as possible, and set up in the
spring as soon as the frost is out of
the ground"
Thank you'' she said. 20 Vane.
Vane!" was the cry of her heart, as
she walked home. Il may not put the
inscription on the marble, but on my
heart are engraved a million loving
words"
Mrs. Hamilton and her two children
always attended the Congregational
| Church. Whether Mr.. Carter accom-
| panied them or not, they were always
| in their places. The Rev. Mr.. Ham
| merly was a most eloquent preacher,
| but never until since Mrs. Hamilton
| donned the black had he Ventured to
consider how much help to him was
| the pair of large, brown-orbed, express
| sive eyes turned upward to his face
| every Sabbath. She was usually very
| punctual, but always when she en-
1
merly arose and began to read the
morning lesson. There was a large
| and growing audience, for the town
| was also growing The mill people
| those who were not Catholics-came
| to church here, for the minister was
| deservedly popular always having a
| pleasant word for every one. Few of
| them paid any pew rent, but by COM
mon consent several seats in the rear
| of the house on the north side of the
| church were left to them.
| Constance took very strong inter-
| est in religious matters; indeed re-
| lgion and love for her children were
| the only subjects unimpaired by her
trouble, and these were more intense.
| Therefore she never entered the church
| without glancing in the direction of
the mill peoples pew to see if they
| were as well filled or better than
/ usual On the occasion of which l
| write, the one following the day when
| she had chosen her monument. as she
| entered she glanced that way as usual.
| and for a moment her heart stood
still Then it gave a tempestuous
| bound. Constance never paused. but
| with flushed cheeks and startled eyes,
walked up the aisle to her own seat.
and the minister laid open the big BIZ
BILE, adjusted the long velvet bookmark
| laden with Maltese and Roman crosses
MRS. Hamilton's gift to the church,
| and began reading with well-modulat-
| ed voice the morning lesson. But he
could not prevent his heart from recog-
nizing the pink flush on one woman's
face and the fact that it made her
| marvelously beautiful.
| And what occasioned it? Only a pair
| of shoulders in the mill peoples pew;
| a pair of shoulders of square cut, yet
peculiar mould, that reminded her in
stantly of her husband. Nothing else,
less than nothing else, for the head
| above them was covered with dark,
almost black hair, and her husbands
was golden brown of light shade.
| AS Constance settled herself in her
seat she felt angry with herself at her
folly, and put the matter from her
| thoughts as she bowed her head in
prayer a moment later. God was her
only refuge now. Though He had seen
| fit to try her in the fires of affliction,
she would have faith that all would
come right some time, some where;
not in this world, but in the next.
And back of her, though she did not
| know it, two eager eyes were fixed
on her bowed head and white neck.
while his lips whispered in a dazed
manner to himself, Beautiful"
Finally, emotion gaining the mas
terry, he whispered to Dan Fry, who
sat nearest, who is that?"
"Who?"
Yes, the one that just came in with
| the children"
Mis- Hamilton" said Dan, frowning
and turning away as he thought, Like
| enough never went to meetin' afore'
IlrrN h. Oh, - 49,