The San Francisco call., 1906-08-26

had the lid closed. 1t has not, been
opened since."
Did you tell Lucy or Jane that you
had done this7''
Il told no one. I kept my own secret
and none guessed what the teapot con-
tained Of my one hour of happiness
Then shortly afterward misfortune fell
on me- lost my money through the
wickedness OF my trustee and had to
give up my house and dismiss Lucy and
my little maid. Jane went to India to
an uncle, and she took with her Lucy
as maid. In six months from her de-
parture l heard she had married John
Mask"
Did she write and tell you so?'
No; she never wrote to me. nor did
he. AS for myself. after receiving back
my letters with those cruel two lines,
after ensi1rining them In the teapot, /
strove to forget him. ! never wrote a
line to him; / never mentioned him.
He had treated me cruelty, and he
was dead to me. That was the end OF
my romance. my dear"
And how did you come to London p
Il lost my all, as I told you," said
Margaret, simply; and as ! could not
bear to live poor where had been well
on ] left Christchurch and came to
London. oh, my dear, why should I
tell you of the iniseries / endured.
Blind and poor and friendless, I suf-
fered greatly, but 1t was all nothing
compared to the suffering of that hour
when John broke my heart. Finally
l drifted here to earn my bread by
weaving baskets, and here / die. Alas!
poor Margaret Snow,
And John Mask and his wife?"
They live In the West End. In
Berkeley square, rich and prosperous,
with sons and daughters by their side.
Lucy Is the housekeeper. / learned
II all from friend OF mine In Christ
church. All! how happy-how happy
they are''
Did you reveal yourself to themr
No. Why should +? They would
not care for me to haunt them like a
ghost - the past. They are rich and
honored and happy
And you lie here, poor and dying
said Hagar bitterly.
Yes, II Is hard--hard. But | must
not complain. God has sent you to me
TO make my last moments happy. You
are good--Eood, my dear You have
done much for me; but one thing more
you must do. Opon the teapot"
WhatP cried Hagar in surprise,
open what has been closed for thirty
years.
Yes: ! wish you to road me Johns
letters before die Let me go to my rest
'."o" f6 siiat nc loVeu me once. To-
morrow, dear, you must do this for me.
Promise"
Il PROMISE" said hagar, folding the
blankets over her. Tomorrow / shall
nave the teapot opened. and bring you
the letters-your own and John
Masks"
Ihe next day Hagar left the shop in
cnarge OF Bolker and took the silver
teapot to jeweler in the adjacent
tnoroughfare. He soon melted the sol
der ana opened the lid Within, be-
ncath pile Of dried rose leaves, she
lound the packet Of letters, tied tip
with blue ribbon. There was some
thing sacrilegious TO her imaginative
mind IN thus disturbing the relics OF
TINS dead and done with romance. and
~ was with reverent care that fagar
carried the taapot and its contents to
the house in Carby's Crescent After
thirty years OF moldering under the
rose leaves these letters, yellow and
laded, were restored to the light OF
day, and the woman who had written
them when young and fair was now
iying withered and dying in the winter
OF ncr age Hagar was profoundly
moved az she sat by that humble bod
side, with the ancient love letters on
Read thcm ALL" said Margaret with
the Tears running down her face: read
the letters of John In which he told me
ol ms rove thirty years ago. Thirty
years An, dear God. when was
young and fresh! oh, oh. oh. Youth
ana love-. she wept, beating the bed :
clothes with trembling hands-"love
dyingr'