The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-05-19
THE EVE OF HER
WEDDING.
by Hortense Il. Wales.

Helen Workman sat In her owl
room, her head bent forward on tn
writing desk, sobbing bitterly. Nea
by Was trunk nearly packed, ani
on the bed carefully spread out
beautiful dress of illmy white anC
bridal veil. Tomorrow was to b,
her wedding day. The rehearsal
over, she had. with excuses OF weari
ness, escaped from the merry com
pany of bridesmaids and ushers, and
was at last alone
Take the paper with YOU" hei
sister had said gayly. kissing heI
good night. Read the description
OF your approaching nuptials."
She still held the paper automati-
cally, though she had not looked al
the paragraph concerning the we'd
| ding, Some headlines, unnoticed by
| her sister had caught her eye and II
seemed as If she should always see
them. Brother OF Supposed Forger
Confesses His Guilt on Deathbed,
Richard Mcclellan In Town. limo
cence Proved.
"Oh. why did | ever believe him
guilty." she cried aloud II was all
so clear now How wildly she re-
membered when he had bravely told
her the charge against him OF forg-
Ing his uncle.s signature. II could
not deny It,. he said, as he released
her from her engagement. Then, de-
spite his manly dignity her love for
him, and her previous confidence In
his absolute honesty OF character,
she. like those who knew him only
by sight or not at all. had at once
Judged him guilty.
He thought / would have faith IN
him., she wept.
That had happened nearly two
years ago. The matter was somehow
settled Richard had quietly left the
city, and Helen, angry mortified at
the publicity which their well-known
engagement had given her, had de-
termined TO efface him from her
mind as completely as he had effaced
himself from her life Never in all
the weary days since then had she
realized as she did tonight how
thoroughly she had failed
After Richards departure she had
entered with more zest than ever
Into the social life Of her set and
engaged in various kinds OF church
and settlement work. trying to keep
from her mind the one subject that
really interested her-Richard Nc
Lellan. How brayely she bears It"
her friends had remarked How
shallow, how faithless | was,' she
now sobbed In agony
She raised her head and the we'd
ding dress caught her eye, forcing
upon her anew the irreyocableness OF
the situation. 1t was too late to draw
back. Tomorrow by this time she
would be the wife of Gerald Law
renee. the wealthy clubman. She
at the thought, wonder
Ing how she could have consented.
Her humiliation was unbearable.
The big roof with its cosey fire in the
CRATE seemed sitting. Hastily slip
ping on long cloak she glided down
the back stairs and out of doors.
From within she could hear the
sound of voices and laughter as the
wedding party still discussed final |
arrangements.
The house faced park where she |
had often walked and where she and /
Richard had wandered that last /
night. She fastened across the street |
and through the broad entrance. |
Here alone under the light of the /
stars In the cool air OF the Septem- |
Der night she might arrive at con
illusions. Absorbed In memories she |
had sunk upon the bench before she |
saw the figure of a man emerging |
from the shadow by her side. He |
would have passed on. but her evil /
dent distress made him pause I'M
certainly. The light shone full on |
his face.
Richard" she exclaimed family. |
Helen, can this be your" he ask /
ed, dropping into the seat by her
side
With hysterical sobbing she fell 4
into his arms. "Oh, can you ever for
give me for having so little faith In
you?"
They sat there. regardless of time, |
even of the horseman /
who passed on the bridIe-path be-
hind them and then slowly returned. /
with a sense of relief and of reli- /
ance upon his stronger nature, Helen 4
related all that had happened, and /
told OF her coming marriage Of /
which he had already heard, That /
her fate was inevitable, she was fully 1
since any escape would only ,
bring unhappiness to Others. Rich /
ard encouraged her. praising the /
kind. generous nature OF Lawrence, +
whom he had formerly known in a
business way.
II was only when they finally rose /
TO go that he betrayed his own feel /
Ing May | not have one kiss. Hell /
en-. TO carry with me through the