The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-17

/ We became engaged. and life was then
at its brightest for me. However he
was going out TO India to be a tea plan
ter, and he said when he was settled
there and had made a fair amount of
money that ne would send for me.
Alas. alas. that promise was never
kept"
why wasn't it?" asked Hagar.
bIuntIy.
Who can teII?" said Margaret. sad
~ Not !; not Jane. She was as sur
prised as I was when the end came.
Although blind, my dear, I can write
fairly well, and John made me promise
to correspond with him. did so for
more than year, and he answered
faithfully"
Who read his letters to you?"
Sometimes Jane, sometimes Lucy
Dyke. All, they were both good friends
to me in my trouble. At first Johns
letters were very affectiOnate, but as
the months went by they grew colder
and colder. Oftentimes Jane said that
she would not read them to me. wrote
to John, asking the meaning of this
change, but his replies We're not salts
factory. At last eighteen months af-
ter his departure, ] received back my
letters"
Really! Did Jane or Lucy bring them
to yOU?"
mo; Jane was absent in London.
seeing friends. and Lucy was at the
moment out Of the house. The little
maid brought me the packet. ! opened
it, thinking it might be a present from
John, as he had given me nothing but
the silver teapot, which lie presented
TO me before he departed. I made the
little maid wait till I opened the pack
ct, and I asked her to read the letter
from John inClOsed."
Did she?'
Yes. Oh, the pain Of ftr' cried Mar
garet. He said that It was best that
our engagement should end and that
he returned to me my letters, thirteen
in all. Not an excuse, or a sigh. or q
regret. Only two curt, cruel lines.
breaking off our engagement, and the
packet of my letters. I was distracted
with grief, and I placed my letters in
my bosom while I wept."
What did Lucy say when she re-
turned?"
"She was very angry with the little
maid for having read the letter to me
and causing me such pain. She wanted
me to destroy my own letters, but re-
fused. I kept them by me day and
night; John had touched them and they
were all that remained to me of him.
Then I saw that my romance was dead
and done with l took my own letters
and those he had written me, and. ty-
ing them up in a bundle I placed them
with my own hands in the silver tea
pot Then I went to a jeweIer and ked
the lid closed. It has not been opened
since"
Did you tell Lucy or Jane that YOU
had done this?'
'I told no one. I. kept my own Sc
cret, and none guessed what the teapOt
contained of my one hour of happiness.
Then shortly afterwaTd misfortunes fell
on me. 7 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 I heard she had married John
Mask"
Did she write and tell you 500"
mo; she never wrote to me, nor did
he. AS for myself, after receiving back
my letters with those cruel two lines.
after enshTining them in the teapot. I
strOve to forget him. I never wrote a
line to him; I never mentioned him.
He had treated me cruelty and he was
dead to me. That was the end of nv
romance, my dear"
And how did you come TO London p"
Il lost my all, as 1 told you" said