The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-02

theirs permission to offer me the life
which he always declared I had saved
he told us frankly the story of his
past.
"He was young man thep-only
27-yet he had already been married
and divorced. His young wife had
been unfaithful to him and after
bearing with her faults and the dis
grace they brought upon his name
as long as he could, they were legally
separated and the care of their only
child was entrusted to him. This
child-his little Lily-was theme OF
which he never tired. For hours he
talked to me of her, praising her
beauty and goodness, planning her
future with us, and begging me, a
thousand times over, to love her for
his sake.
''But he had no need to ask me
that. Anything that belonged to
him was dear to me. Even the faith
less wife who bore his name was an
object of interest to my mind, and
many times I have found myself
plying her for having lost the price
less blessing of Hugh's love. For l
knew that his old love for
her was dead and buried, and that
the whole wealth of affection in his
heart and soul was mine-1nine.
Aunt Margaret paused and the in
tense look which her blue eyes gath
cred in the memories of long ago gave
her face, l fancied, the same express
sion which it must have worn in the
love days of her youth.
YES" she resumed, "our hap
piness was perfect-far too perfect to
last. Our marriage was to take place
on Christmas and after short we'd
ding tour we were to settle down at
once to housekeeping in the city.
He had brought little Lily to see me.
and she was to come to us for good
the moment we returned from our
tour. How / loved the child not
only for her fathers sake, but for the
innate loveliness of her own sweet,
childish nature.
"She did not look like Hugh,
therefore knew that she must resem-
BILE her lost mother and if so, how
beautiful that mother must have been
Lily was blonde, as was, but the
fairness of my skin was snow white,
in hers the blue of her eyes was more
the intense brilliancy of the sapphire,
and the blonde of her hair, the SHIN
mer of FURNISHED gold. I can see
Hugh now, as he stood with fearful,
half-laughing eyes, watching me
carress his darling child, and pre-
tending to tease me by calling me
the young step-mother.
"The week before Christmas found
us as bright and happy as prospec-
tive wedding parting could ever be ;
but it brought new actor upon the
scene, and one who was destined to
change it all in the rwinkling of an
eye.. Hugh's divorced wife having
learned of his intended marriage
made her way out to our village. de-
termined to win back to herself the
husband whom she had deserted.
Had she appealed to Hugh alone she
could never have been successful, for
she had utterly forfeited all claims to
his love or confidence, and his heart
was too entirely mine for her plead
ings to have moved him. Firm and
unyielding, she sought me out"
"Oh, Aunt Margaret !" l inter-
rupted in fearful amazement, sure
ly you did not voluntarily give up
Hugh's love for the sake of that bad
woman"
eyes, child, I did," she hastily
answered, with little choking sound
in her voice. "And you could not
have believed her bad, Madge, had
you seen her, as I did, imploring
with tears and sobs, to be restored
to her husband and child. She was
so lovely-oh thousand times love.
lier than I ever was, though Hugh
had always called me pretty. In
those days, Madge, divorce was, not
so lightly thought of as it is now
| A divorced wife, whether justly OF
not, was always regarded with suspl
cion, and the disgrace even attached
to her innocent children. I thought
of dear, dear Lily, whom I loved SO
we'll, and for the sake of her future
1 helped plead her mothers cause
with Hugh.
"It was long before he would lister
to either of us, but at last he left the
decision of his fate to me. Oh, chic
I can never forget the anguish tha
filed his loving eyes as he did SO
MY life is in your hands, Margaret,
he said in his wife's presence ; yor
saved it once, and it is yours, botl
by right and my own choice. DE-
with it as you will So Madge
decided against myself, aud that i
why you see me an old maid today
"And they were married owe
again? How strange But was sh
good wife to Hugh after that, Aun
: Magaret ?" 1 asked. with girlish curl
osity, not thinking how. my word
might wound the noble heart, until
noticed the slight shudder with whic
she answered them.
eyes, Madge, I heard OF ther
wears afterward, a happy and unite
family. have always found strengtl
, to be thankful that I helped to reco1
cile them to each other. My life
flowing peacefully on to the grea
ocean of eternity, SO am content
But Hugh's last, loving kiss whic
+, he gave me so passionately beside tn
, old we'll, where 1 risked my life
save his, has never been ettaced D
e the touch of other lips"
Aunt Margaret's story was ended
She had never thought of this gran,
S uuselfsh act of her life in the llgl
0 OF a romance, but to me It SCENE
I ..,.ot, t;i>a a oaut1ine one