The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-06-19

with all such poor, small defects now
could she but get back the kindly, low,
ing, unselfish soul she had lost. There
was no longer the garrulous, high
pitched voice wandering, wandering on
that overfiowing, discursive. uninterest
ing chatter that used to irritate her
weak nerves so when she longed for
rest and quiet; but there was no longer
the kindly hand to press hers night and
morning, no longer the poor little figure
creeping in at night, with shaded lamp
and stealthy step, to see if Jane wanted
anything, or if Jane was watching, or
if Jane thought it would make her sleep
to have a cup Of tea, or to be read
to, or stayed with; the one human ele-
ment, in short, the one human affec-
ton, had passed away from her life,
and she knew, almost with astonish7
ment at first, how fearfully great her
loss was, how much worse the state
she had used to think so dreary had
now become!
If Mr.. Follett had understood such
things better, he might have known
that this was the time, if ever, for
him to speak to Jane of his love. But
he was too shy, too delicate, too reti-
cent to intrude upon any great grief.
Jane in her deep black was not the
Jane he had thought of with beating
heart that summer morning in the
clover field; but the poor, pale-faced
child of the years afar, the little child
who had walked with him hand-in.
hand along the village street.-The for
saken, nameless girl from whose par.
entage of shame all had turned away,
and whom it was his duty, as pastor
and priest, to befriend. So as a priest,
he visited her during the dark weeks
when the first reyulsion of grief made
her long-chilled feelings warm and
open; and when, the following spring,
he began to commune with himself
as to whether he might dare to speak
OIL not. James heart was sealed again;
and whatever fiuttering words strove
occasionally to pass the wears lips
were frozen back in a second by the
calm. unconscious friendlness with
which she received them.
Although still considering him as
something wholly alien to herself and
to her personal happiness, Jane yet felt
that she had grown to like him far
better Of late than she had used to do
when he paid her snowy compliments
as a very young girl. In poor Miss
Lynch's lingering last illness he was
constantly in attendance on her; and
Jane had been often touched by his
great patience and gentleneSs in minis
tering to the weak, tickle. exacting re.
quirements of the dying woman.
True to the1creed of all her life, Miss
Lynch was firm to the last in her faith
in doctors and clergymen. When Mr..
Huntley's worst drugs were exhausted
and the hand of the great Healer was
upon her, she still seemed to find con-
ISOLATION in being physicked and blis-
tered-"using every MEANS" as she
termed ito the last; and as doctors
keep tolerably correct accounts of sucE
matters, Jane, of course, viewed Mr..
Huntley's alacrity in obeying all calls
upon his attention as natural. When
Mr.. Follett had heard her confession,
and had given her ghostly consolation
and read to her, and prayed with her
in the forenoon. there was never any
certainty that lie would not be sum-
moned through mud and rain, at 10
o'clock at night, to perform the same
offices again. And knowing that spir
itual medicine is unpaid for, and that
the vicar was by nature averse to un-
timely exertion and night air, also that
Miss Lynch's profuse requirements of
familiar spiritual comfort were. not
strictly in unison With his own broad
and rarefed creed. knowing these
things, Jane was forced to admit to
herself that she had greatly underrated
Mr.. Follett in nearly all of the opinions
that she had once formed concerning
him.
After Miss Lynch's death her new
prepossessions in his favor were
selfish now. She never thought, as she
used to think, that he wasted his ener
gies in his study or among his fields,
while Mr.. Bradley did the real hard
work among the poor of the parish.
Learning, as people do when their
youth is over, to see the real inner core.
not the mere coarse crust of character,
she came gradually to think of Mr..
Foliett as man placed altogether in
the wrong groove of life. but allowing
none but himself to suffer from the an.
giles that continually Jared upon him;
Il man made. by nature for intellectual
ind artistic enjoyment, but living out.
without complaint, he dreary, stag
nant life of little DeNOnshire village:
a man who had made early shiDwreck
Of his own household affections, YET
who, without bitterness, even Win
kindly sympathy, could look on at the
loves and hopes Of others: a friend tand
though l place them last, these We're,
of course his primary virtues TO Jahe|
IA friend who had been kind to poor
Miss Lynch through all the long years
since she first wearied him with het
attentions down to the last hour when
he had knelt by her deathbed-a friend
nHG nolu HeT OWN Jtlt vi anu A'''1'NN
more closely and warmly than ever
since the dark history of her parentase
Lad become publicly known.
But respect, admiration esteem, graf
itudc. do not constitute love-hoWeVer
firm a foundation theJ may lay Tor
love. Jane entertained every one OF
these excellent sentiments toward TIE
Vicar of Chesterford; and in secret her
tears were still she'd her heart stitI
cried out for the prodigal son who was
wasting his substance III riotous living
the gambler who was wasting his sub
stance III riotous living - the gambler
whose life was spent without one
higher aim than the qualification OF ms
own immediate despicable desires-the
heartless man of the world who had sc