Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-09-10
) lying here-thinking, thinkir

beat and the tamaracks ratified, be-
gan:
rs 1t the wind Of the dawn that heal
in the pine overhead?
No; but the voice of the deep as II
hollows the cliffs Of the land.
Is there a voice coming up with the
voice Of the deep from the strand
One coming up with a song in the
flush Of the glimmering red?
Love that is born Of the deep coming
up with the sun from the sea;
Love that can shape or can shatter a
life till the life shall have fled!
Nay, let us welcome him, Love that
Keep him away from the lone little
isle"-
Fleetwood started up from his sofa
rStop! For Gods sake" he cried
mot those rhymes! You distract-you
kin me! Oh, that girl-that girl"
The book slipped from Mrs. Lispen-
ards hands.
.'What girl?" she said, in a steady
voice. Surely not the wicked creature
who sought your life?-you cannot be
thinking Of her?-you cannot be talk
ing Of her. for you once forbade me to
speak Of her here!"
eyes, l forbade you to speak Of her,
he answered, wildly, because her
name means agony and despair to me,
and In that way madness lies. Why did
YOU read those lines? You have broken
down the dam, and the long-pcnt floods
are out! / must speak now to some
|one-why not to you, stranger though
you are? Never call her wicked-call
me rather the false husband. the cow
ardly deserter who deserved all that
he5 got!' Is there ever a time when
am not thinking of her-when my
eyes are not filled with her image? If
I only knew that all was we'll with her
this night-that somewhere she was
safe and happy, 1 could bear every
thing else without murmur."
Mrs. Lispenard caught her breath In
q strange way.
as it possible, Mr.. Fleetwood, that
you can forgive one who has made you
suffer so much?"
"Ah, you do not understand! There
Is nothing for me to forgive!-on the
contrary, 1t is for her to forgive me-
She clinched her trembling hands.
Tiff you can find it in your heart
to pardon such injuries as you have re-
ceived-surely you do not-you cannot
really hate your wretched wife!"
His pale face grew paler yet.
"Who said that hated herr" he
cried. wildly.
"Your servants"
"Dolts! Do they think I will open
my heart to their curious prying eyes?
Since the hour l first saw her face,
there has never been a time when /
have not loved her more than my own
life. If she had murdered me, I must
have gone on loving her still, In the
world to which I went. have tried to
find her. but in vain. Once wrote,
begging her to come to me, but she
made no reply. She Is lost, gone
know not where, and lie here, power
less to search for her, unable to reach
her!"
But" gasped Mrs. Lispenard, "she
Is the daughter of Black Dave-have
you forgotten that?"
In his great agitation he seemed to
feel no surprise that this stranger
should know his secrets.
IF 1 could see her once more" he
answered; IF 1 could once more hold
her in these arms, would I ask, would
care, whose daughter she was-whose
blood was in her veins-what kindred
claimed her? God knows would not!
am done with all that folly. Oh, Es-
ther, my wife, my darling! come back
to me-come back!"
He turned his white face down into
his cushions. A door closed softly.
For a few moments the chamber was
az still as death, save for the crack
ling of the fire and the rattling of the
tamarack- -boughs. Then-ah, then, a
light touch fell on Fleetwood's should
er, and he heard voice that seemed
to come from that far time Of bril-
dal bliss, on the long, gray beach at
Cinderville.
Guy" 1t said, softly-"Guy!"
He started, he looked up, and there
she stood betwixt him and the lighted
hearth-the brown, disfiguring stain
gone from her face and hands, the
blue glasses, the cap. the red-fringe
OF hair gone, the ugly, padded shape
gone, too-Esther herself-white and
tall and beautiful, like the sun rising
over the sea, as Rube Dexter had once
said, her great dark eyes dewy with
tears, her red mouth like grieved
child's. She dropped on her knees by
her husbands sofa.
81 am here!" she sobbed: "1-your
wretched, penitent Esther! Forgive
me, for little Guys sake!. I deserve
only curse, but oh. my love, my love
II I do not have your full, free pardon
must die! For your boys sake, for
give his unhappy mother!'
1t was the supreme moment Of those
two lives. Clasped in each others
arms, lips to lips and heart to heart
all was forgotten now but their great
love, all was forgiven. 1t mattered lit
tie whether she was the daughter OF
crime stained Gilbert Wye or the niece
of Abel Lispenard-the girl of Porgy
Island, or the heiress Of millions-they
loved each other still, and Fate had
reunited them after bitter parting
Never had Tamarack Hall known such
an hour of joy.
When the first rapture OF mutual
pardon was over, Esther told her story
Verify, had good cause to love lit
tie Guy" sighed Fleetwood. "Oh, my
poor girl. If 1 have suffered. so, too
have you. And in the midst OF your
great good fortune, when you found
yourself rich and beloved, instead OF
poor and disgraced, could you think OF
nothing but me? Your first act as
the niece of Abel Lispenard was tc
disguise yourself and fly to Tamarack
Hall"
WAS not my heart here?' she Sob
bed. What could 1 do but follow 1t;