The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-09-26

DeIOTe budii IOllOWt anu tne tuOuBuL
gives me great comfort. On this side
of the river l have nothing; on the
other side everything Why should
/ fear to cross to those who love me
and whom l love?
am going to unfold for you a leaf
of my early life. Perhaps the skep-
tical among you will not believe what
/ am about to write, but II so, pray
ascribe whatever is improbable and
unreal about it to the wandering
vagaries of poor old woman, and
think no more of 1t.
| was the daughter OF an English
country curate. OF course my father
was poor--curates always are. l had
one brother, older than myself, a
wild, reckless, unprincipled fellow,
whose conduct broke my fathers
heart at last.
Gerald, that was my brothers
name, was continually getting him
self into trouble, from which only
money could extricate him. and there
was on one to help him but my poor
father, and the consequence was that
the family purse was always at the
lowest ebb, and my mother and my
self were put to all sorts of shifts to
keep the family wardrobe in state
of shabby decency,. Until my mother
died, l don't think / ever had a new
dress. All my dresses were made out
of hers, for she had been the child
OF wealthy father, and at the time
of her marriage her outfit had been
lavish and costly.
When she died-I was sixteen then
Il had suit of mourning. They
were my very first new clothes, and
dating from that time onward there
has always been to me sort of
funeral significance about new
clothes. l always shudder when l
put them on, so vididly do l remem-
ber the dismal stiffness and coldness
of that mourning bombazine, with its
heavy folds of charnel-horse smelling
Grape.
year after my mothers death,
Richard Earle came to the rectory to
board for few weeks. He had come
down from London for his health,
, and meeting my father in the village,
:. had asked for rooms in our little
house. He made no trouble, and old
Bess, our one servant, declared 1t was
pleasure to wait on him-he was
such handsome and sweet-spoken
young gentleman.
1t is not hard for you to guess how
1t terminated was young, simple
natured country girl, with a lonely,
desolate heart, and he was a new rev.
elatlon of love and life. I loved him
there was no other way for me. and
he loved me in return.
1t will not seem vain for me to
speak Of 1t, now that l am gray and
wrlnkled, but in my youth was very
beautiful, and almost every young
man l met told me so with his eyes,
II not with his lips.
In all my life | had never know
what happiness was until, looking
into my eyes, Richard Earle told me
that he loved me. All, then for me
rose the new heaven and the new
earth created, and all the hours ran
in golden sands; for, no matter how
tenderly she may have been shielded
and cared for woman never knows
what Joy is till she loves and is be.
loved; neither does she know the
meaning OF pain until love has made
her heart soft enough to feel 1t.
There was some mystery about
Richard, which he could not ther
make clear to me. He trusted the
time would soon come when he could
claim me as his own, and until ther
he asked me would / wait? Would
I? would have waited for him unit
the grave covered me. and never have
thought 1t long II had constantly tn,
assurance OF his love.
So he went away, and for man,
weeks his letters came-oh, SO ten
der. so gentle, and lovingl Then the,
ceased.
A month OF anguish, and my fathe
brought me a London paper. In |
read notice of the marriage o
Robert Earle and Lady Arethus,
Cleares.
After that felt like a stone
cold, passionless and apathetic.
1t was at this time that Lord New
Dulg plCboCQ ulo suit. lie naQ ION
loved and admired me, and my poo
father was very earnestly bent O.
the marriage: for Lord Newhury wa
very rich and generous, and my poo
father had faced poverty all his life
and no wonder, now that old age wa
approaching. he coveted little rest
and home where privation was nc
q constant guest.
Lord Newberry was three time
my age, but he was true. loyal
hearted English gentleman. and / rs
spected him highly. When Richar
was lost TO me, what mattered 1t whs
became OF me? AS well one thin
as anotherl
To hurry matters on. Gerald bt
came involved in daring forger,
and the prison stared him In the fac,
Then my father pleaded with me I
save him. II his SON was sent I
prison, he could never hold up h
head again. II valued my father
life, would become Lady Newbur
and then my husband would tax
care OF his wife's family honorI
SO ! suffered my lord to marry m
and Gerald, for the time, was saved
Three years went by, and I ha
drank my I'LL OF the worlds admir-
tion. was great favorite in soc