Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-02-20

Ing under English turf and beneath an
| English sky. She could listen nc last, but
her breath came in painting gasps while
Guy told her how, on the very morning
Of the bridal, Lucy had greeted him with
her usual bright smile, appearing and
| looking better than he had before seen her
| look since he reached her mothers home !;
how for an hour they sat together alone in
little room sacred to her, because years
before it was there he confessed his love.
Seated on a low ottoman with her
golden head lying on his lap, she had
that morning told him, in her artless way,
how much she loved him, and how hard it
sometimes was to make her love for the
creature second to her love for the Gre
ator; told him she was not faultless. and
asked that when he found how erring
and weak she was. he would bear with her
frailties as she would bear with his |;
talked with him, too, of Maddy Clyde,
confessing in a soft. low tone, how once
or twice a pang of jealousy had wrung
her heart when she read his praises of his
pupil But she had conquered that; she
had prayed it all away: and now next
TO her own sister, she loved Maddy Clyde.
Other words, too, were spoken-words of
gulleless, pure affection, too sacred even
for Guy to breathe to Maddy; and then
Lucy had left him her hart-boundns step
echoing through the hall and up the wind
ing stairs down which she never came
again alive, for when Guy next looked
upon her she was lying white as a water
lily, her neck and dress and golden hair
stained with the pale red life current
oozing from her livid lips. A blood vessel
had been suddenly ruptured, the physi-
clan said, and for her, the fair, young
bride, there was no hope. They told her
she must die, for the mother would have
them tell her. Once, for a few moments,
there rested on her face fearfully fright
ened look, such as a harmless bird might
wear when suddenly caught in a snare.
But that soon passed away as from be-
meath the closed eyeids the great tears
came gushing and the stained lips whis-
pered family: "God knows best. Poor
Nuy .-DEtdk IL gently " HILL
At this point in the story Guy brok>
down entirely, sobbing as only strong men
can sob.
"Maddy," he said II felt like heart.
less wretch--a most consummate hypo-
crite-as, standing by Lucys side, l met
the fond, plying glance of her blue eyes,
and suffered her poor little hand to part
my hair as she tried to comfort even
though every word she uttered was short
ening her life; tried to comfort me, the
wretch who was there so unwillingly, and
who at this prospect of release hardly
knew at first whether he was more sorry
than pleased, You may we'll start from
me in horror, Maddy. l was just the
wretch | describe: but | overcame it,
Maddy. and heaven is my witness that no
thought of you intruded itself upon me
afterward as l stood by my dying Lucy
gentle. patient, loving to the last l saw
how good, how sweet she was, and some
thing of the old love, the boy love, came
back to me, as l held her in my arms,
where she wished to be. l would have
saved her if could; and when l called
her my darling Lucy they were not idle
L
self, and once, Maddy, for you. She told
me to- She whispered: Kiss me, Guy,
for Maddy Clyde. Tell her I'd rather she
should take my place than anybody else
rather my Guy should call her wife
for | know she will not be jealous if you
sometimes talk of your dead Lucy, and
know she will help lead my boy to that
blessed home where sorrow never comes.
That was the last she ever spoke, and
when the sun went down death had claim /
ed my bride She died in my arms, Mad
dy. | saw her buried from my sight, and |
then, Maddy, started home: thoughts of
you and thoughts of Lucy blended equal
ly together until Akenside was reached
talked with Mrs. Noah; heard all of |
YOU there was to tell, and then | talked |
with Agnes. who was not greatly surpris-
ed and did not oppose my coming here
tonight. | could not remain there,
knowing you were alone. In the bridal
chamber | found your bouquet, with its
Welcome to the bride Maddy, you must
be that bride Lucy sanctioned it, and
the doctor, too. for | told him all. His
own wedding was. of course. deferred, and
he did not come home with me, but he
said Tell Maddy not to wait. Life is
too short to waste any happiness. She
has my blessing And Maddy, it must
be so. Aikenside needs a mistress; you
are all alone. You are mne-mine for.
ever"
The storm had died away, and the
stealing through the window
told that morning was breaking, but
neither Guy nor Maddy needed the lapse
of time Theirs was a sad kind of hap
piness as they talked together, and could
Lucy have listened to them she would
have felt satisfied that she was not for
gotten One long, bright curl, cut from
her head by his own hand was all there
was left of her to Guy, save the hal
lowed memories of her purity and good
ness-memores which would yet mold the
proud. impulsive Guy into the earnest,
consistent Christian which Lucy in her
life had desired that he should be- and
which Maddy rejoiced to see him.
(The End.)