The Washington herald., 1907-09-15

again and poured ont their sealed tides.
and now the sweet waters oveTaowsd
the bitter. i w2s the man whom she
had loved with "a lifelong. single-hearted
love. the husband of her youth. the
father Of her child, who lay there-his
sins and his s1rr0ws might well be
b.ddcn % stand aside fOr "a while. For
the time II was a rcsUrTeCtiJu-a re-
union rather than a parting. for in that
arst rapture of grief the man al his
best and highest was restored 70 her
again; she must face the other side by
and by, but not noW-not now
As she raised her head from that
mcrciful trance OF healing memories the
late afternoon sunlight was streaming
in through the uncurtained window,
touching the marble features and the
closed eyes which would behold the
sun" no more. Instinct prompted her
20 rise and to screen out the light. when
lifting her dazzed. weary eyes she saw
between her and the light and stoop-
ing over the dead, a pale ethereal face.
set IN the golden glory with which de-
vOut tradition enhalOes the heads Of
the saints triumphant She was 50 up
lifted and carried away from earthly
things that il seemed no strange thing
that the vision Of her daughter in bliss
should be v0ucfsafed 20 her-the pure
soul of the child greeting the weary.
siu-stained, wayworn man. For one long
breath's length her sense Of being seem
ed suspended as she gazed iu r3pt awe
and wonder oh, for one look from those
radiant eyes before the vision was with
drawn
Isobel-my child she breathed. The
sound scarcely stirred the silence. but
the eyes were lifted from the dead face
and met her in mute appeal
Mother" cried a voice, charged with
a passion of grief and entreaty. through
which a trembling hope thrilled.
All that voice, The shock forced her
to her feet This was no celestial visi-
taut-no bright spirit in her daughters
form. Her daughter. her child. her Iso-
bel was lying, lonely, f0rsaken. despoiled
in a nameIess grave amid the dreary
lands, thrust underground by the wretch
who had robbed the poor clay, and this
this-this--
She stood breathing quick and hard
the revUlsiCn was too sudden, IL flung her
back on that primeval instinct which
underlies all motherhood, the fierce, saw
age impulse 10 protect or avenge its
young. Had ever woman been 50 fOully,
so cruelty despoiled aud deceived? And
now there stood her dead childs sup
planter, who 10 her disordered fancy
seemed to have robbed her Isobel Of her
very form and features, as well as her
name and place and the love which
should have been hers. How could her
own mOtheT-heart. her mother instinct
have been so cozened as 70 accept so
blindly this brilliant counterfeit of the
gentle dead?
Isohel fell upon her knees and stretched
out imploring hands across the silent
figure which lay between. It had come
at last-that which she had been dread
ing during the long hours OF Lady Stor-
mont's absence behind that locked door,
and when no summons had come TO her
to join her mother in their common sor-
row. It was the lost IsobeTs mother
burning with grief and outrage who
faced her now-her mother no longer.
y know-I know" she cried in a voice
that pierced. "the very sight Of me must
be terrible to you-that I should be alive
she is-not. / would
give my life to bring her back. and it
would be no great gift. for death couldn't
be more dreadful than that moment
when l learned who | waS-and who /
was notl I never knew what love was
till I knew you; and when I found that
I had no right 10 it." Her voice broke.
But I would not knowingly have taken
what was her due-not one lOok-not one
kiss-if if" Her eyes fell upon the dead
face, and ii silenced her. Can you for
give me that I did?" she pleaded hum
bly,. ut Is my one sin against you.
No." with sudden passion, 'my very ex-
istence is a SIN against you. my presence
here a wrong done YOU I should not
have come; and yet-he is my father
and you have so filed my heart with
love that IL IS hard 70 empty it all at
once. and through this long, dreadful
day" She stopped abruptly. looking
timidly, yearningly into the face which
had always frightened to her glance be-
fore. I will go; butch. If you can for
give the dead-have mercy on the living;
If you can-forgive me-"
She knelt a moment longer. her face a
prayer more eloquent than the broken.
pitiful words, while slowly, hardly, the
storm in the mothers breast died down
as across her dead she looked at her hus-
bands child, and that last despairing ap-
peal rang again in her ears: IF cannot