The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-02-20

to say. Now, when was in my grief
nv desoIation- could bear neither adj
vice nor pity. Pity could not tighten
nv burden: advice from people fun Of
the comforts and hopes and vitality Of
life could not in the remotest degree
affect or serve me. You may feel as
i did. Jane. You may know, as knew,
what it is to be in place where no.
friendly voice has power to reach, and
where, for a space, Gods light even
seems to have gone out, too"
She turned round quickly; she looked
at him very full.
eyes, Mr.. Follett. have been in that
denth-I am there now! No other soul
can ever have been as dark as mine IS.
/ can't hope-I can't pray-and don't
want to do either Oh, my God!"
1t was the nearest thing to passion or
to life that had passed her lips for
weeks. Mr. Follett's face gave no sign
that he had observed her emotion, but
his heart beat quick, and he felt that
instinctively he had fallen upon the
best way Of rousing the inert, listless
mind into attention.
liam speaking Of a great many years
ago. .Jane-of time before ] had ever
seen you-when l speak Of my mar
rage. We were both very young, my
wife and l. We married. mean
married-for love. Our income was
sufficient for the remote country vii
lage of which / was then curate.
had everything / coveted in the world;
and for year yes, for one year, Jane
II believed I knew what happiness
was. My wifes health was always
delicate, and at times, even from our
wedding day, I thought there was
something wearied and detected in the
expression of her face. But / looked
forward to the future, TO the time when
she should have grown more used
to the monotony of my quiet life, to the
time when a chiId's voice should fill
the silent little parsonage with life, and
/ suppose / saw less plainly than others
did how pale and thin and spiritless
my poor child really grew.
"Great love blinds us Jane. and my
love was very -idolatrous, my
best friends took care to impress upon
me afterward. Margaret was the only
woman had ever cared for. In pos
sessing her / thought | possessed all
that could make my life worth holding.
| could no more have admitted to my
self the possibility Of losing her than
could have realized the terrible thought
49, Il Il .aox5ox 1Ouod mo
sAs the first year of our married life
drew to close she grew more cheerful
than I had ever known her, and took
pleasure in getting ready all her work
for her expected child with her own
hands. In the long May evenings,
Jane, when the laburnums and lilacs
are in flower, I sometimes think ] see
her as she used to sit, with the soft
evening light falling upon her trans
parent face through our little parlor
window, her work upon her lap, and
her patientfsmile ready to meet every
word, or look, or faintest wish of mine.
Patient-not loving, Jane; but it was
only afterward I came to know that
early one fair June morning my
child, my little daughter, was born to
me. 1 remember, as walked abroad
in my garden soon after sunrise that
day, thanked God, almost with rap
ture, for the mercies with which it had
pleased Him to crown my life. l felt
in that state of happiness, Of love with
out fear, which l know now is not
meant for any man or woman to DO
more than taste of. If we look upon
the face Of some gods, child, we der
II have tasted such happiness, too"
broke IN Jane. IT have known what it
is to look forward to life without
single cloud"
"And, like me, you have known that
such a state is only to be tasted Of"
answered the vicar, gently. Like me,
only in a different degree, you have
known what it is TO have done with
life, even in the very height and full
ness of life-to lose in day, not what
you loved only, but all hope, all capac-
ity Of loving, out Of your own soul.
even think that, when you have heard
me out, you will say that my expert
ence of disappointment has been
harder, more fiery one than yours.
(To be continued)