The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-05-12
can weep and told her of his love

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for you.
"Elbert Lindsey is my child. Mrs.
Lindsey's baby died at birth, and
persuaded my sister, who was her
nurse, to put my baby in its place.
Il is the old story. I was poor and
she was rich. Elbert Lindsey need
have no fear of the Lindsey taint.
There is no consumption in the
Norman family he comes of strong
healthy stock.
Forgive a dying woman and God
bless you both.
MARTHA NORMAN.
The shadow of the coming night
fell about the roon and chased each
other like playful children. Here
and there, in sportive glee, phantom
shapes clasped and reclasped each
other, then dissolved into a blanket
stEeaked with red. The log burned
up bright, then emitted thousand
sparks. The woman sat in death
like silence. The full import of the
letter had not yet been grasped. She
was stunned.
With the Consciousness of the truth
great senseof JOY swept over her f.;
but with it a feeling of fear. Per-
haps he might not feel the same now.
She had been too sure of his love.
The fanciful visit to his Office now ap-
peared bold and brazen, and she hid
her burning face. She had been fool
ish not to reason before. Five years
make a difference to a man, and all
men were fckle. She recalled see
ing man only the week before who
had protested undying love to her
cousin and yet he was happy in a dull
marriage with another. She shud-
dered. A numbness crept over her
and she shivered with cold. She put
another piece Of wood in the CRATE
andwatched the hungry flames devour
it. In few minutes it was charred
red and blackened hull. eff I were
to try ever so hard could not bring
life into that log she murmured.
She di6 not hear the door open, nor
see the form by her side.
Again she buried her head on her
arm and sobbed. There was a new
pain in her heart, keener than the
other. Until now she had cherished
the hope, the certainty of his love,
and now she realized how unlike her
practical self it had been. She felt
she hated the old nurse who had twice
robbed her. The first theft was moth
ing compared to the second. No
sense of gratitude entered her heart.
She hoped the man had been away
when the summons for him came. 1t
was selfish, yes but the possibility
of retaining the dream was greater
if he always longed for her. It is
the love we cannot have and the love
that is lost that we carry with us to
the grave.
Yet he seemed so near. She thought
she might almost touch him if she
g.gs gat ont sfff ssfffng s9fsa e even think Of doing
but no one would know, and, per-
haps, she was imaginative she might
fancy she felt him.
Timidly, with her head still bowed,
she thrust her hand back of her. It
felt so foriorn and empty she would
have drawn it back had not pecu-
liar little thrill stolen over her whole
body. 1t seemed to start from her
finger tips, and, yes, warm hand
was holding hers. She dare not move,
and a half-unconscious drowsiness
chained her to silence. She recalled
having always felt that way when the
boy was near her. It was mixture
of satisfied contentment and emo
tional abandon. She wondered vague
ly how long she could stay asleep
and why it was she was conscious she
was asleep. She hoped she would
not awaken very soon. She remem'
bered of dreaming of him before, but,
somehow, this was so different.
She did not move for several min
utes, but she was getting more used
to the hand now, and her own was
becoming tired from the strained po-
sition. She felt the muscles twitch-
ing, and, yes, there was decidedly
realistic squeeze.
She jerked her hand away quickly
and turned around. There, with his
deep gray eyes full of love, stood the
Living Dream.