Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-01-31

plunged without preliminary. He told
her everything from the moment they
parted at the garden gate. Nothing
was left out, nothing extenuated, moth
ing enlarged or even commented upon
by the writer. Her heart was beating
wildly long before she reached the end
of this plain statement. She had for
gotten all about his confession. This
rang true; this rang true.
Sweetheart" he went on-"for l
must call you so once more-I cannot
tell you how feel, for vary from
hour to hour. Now and then ] feel the
murderer they say am, now and then
an abjat coward without the pluck
to show iD, now and then a sort Of
christian martyr. But with Gods
help | hope to finish up man. Do
not grieye for the ugly way of 1t.
Th,fe's no disgrace In that, since it's a
mistake, and If there is a God never
fear but he will make 1t up to me one
day. Oh, but it is,sweet to talk to you
again! used to tell you everything,
and so must until the end.
"The turkeys are looking through
my grating now. They are telling each
other what l am at and coming back
and back again to have a peep. My
Christianity isn't proof against that |
say nothing, but 1 could do the thing
I am going to die forced help me,
may do it yeti! You see how 1 change.
There is only one thing in which l can
never change-my grateful love and
reverence for the great girl soul that
forgave me and would have given me
another chance If this had not hap
pened. Sweetheart, my love for you
has grown in prison; 1t has been my
only comfort in this vile place, and 1t
will go with me where I go tomorrow
1T will stay with my poor soul
through all eternity. Only do not
grieve for me, Claire, for never was
worthy Of your sweet love. | would
not leave this behind for you, would
not have you reminded Of me for
single day, but for o2e selfish thing.
Sweetheart, 1t Is to make you believe
in me. You have not done so yet.
Why Should you? Nobody knows what
you know and have SO nobly hidden,
but, for all said to you, l am inno-
cent He was alive when eft him.
I cid give him the receipt, and we
shook hands at the end. That is Gods
truth. tell it you with the last words
my hand will ever write. / meant to
write to the kind fanatic who paid for
my defense and Is working still (they
tell mel for a reprieve, but now can
not If you could find him out and
thank him for me, should be CRATE
full. but my last words in this life
must be to you. God bless you, dear,
and give you somebody much better
than ever could have been. Only do.
know that never did this thing, and
when you realize that think no more
of me, my dear love, but pray tomor-
row for the soul Of your unworthy
boy
His signature followed, better wit
ten than the rest, touching effort to
Finish up a man" All the last pages
were blurred with the condemned
mans tears, and now after seventeen
months her tears were raining, raining,
on the same paper, on the same words,
that bore the blots of his.
u-i.t. rayn inad.
'Reprieved at the last moment!
shall not send this now, but | hope
that it may reach you when l am
gone" .-,i
Claire went to the window, and the
rings ratified along the rod as she flung
the curtains back.
The hotel garden lay very still be-
low. 1t was the back Of the house, and
now the hour was late. Suddenly there
was a movement on the gravel under
meath.
Claire, Is 1t your voice"
He whispered-it was Tom.
EYES," she said at last. "Come up.
want to speak to you"
"Noww
"Yes! How is it you are still in the
town."
81 lost something. have been hunt
Ing for it on the beach. | have come
back to have another look here"
IL have it. Come straight up to the
room you were in this afternoon"
I He appeared to hesitate.
."YOu-you are not alone?
But Claire had left the window and
was waiting impatiently at the open
door. How long he kept her! Itseem-
ed an age before his hating step was
heard upon the stairs, while she, on
iire to crave his forgiveness and mind
full of nothing else, could not imagine
what held him back. Even when he
came his eye was timid and his feet
slow to cross the threshold-in fact,
the inveterate conventiOnality Of. the
male was not little futtered at her
receiving him alone at this hour of the
night and that night her marriage eve.
Yet his qualms were entirely on her
account. Nor could they quench the
inextinguishable lovelight In his hon.
est eyes.
AS for Claire, however, she forgot
everything but the cruel wrong she
had done the man before her, the suf-
ferings cut so deep upon his bronzed
face and her own new and binding
realization of his innocence and hero
Ism. For a space she could but stand
and gaze upon him with burning eye
balls. Then, with the noble uncon-
seriousness of a woman stirred to the
soul, she took him by both hands and
drew him into the room and besought
bio fot.cri har. lrtanoc hut