Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-05-26

ssaSlThe sun shone on the surface OF
The road. A shower had laid the dust
and washed the hedges, and the air
was sweet With the scent of May.
a Down the little village street a man
passed slowly, walking as though ab-
s5rbed in. thought; man Of no more
than ntMenty-nine years OF age, whose
hair was yet q silver white and whose
face was stamped with the lines Of
some bygpne sorrow. The thrushes
sang their merriest songs in the
branches, and from the woods beyond
q came the clear call of a cuchoo. But
neither tho beauty of the morning
nor the songs of the birds suf1ced to
rouse John Lyali from his sad absorp-
ton: .He passed slowly down the
hill, looking neither to the right nor
the left. -, 3,s
From corner of the gicarage gar
( den, where Il gap in the thicket Of
laurel and rhododendron gave a
glimpse OF the road, a girl stood and
watched him as hepassed; girl with
masses OF dJlsky hair and dark eyes
that wore an expression habituaily
thoughtful even when they lit up
with mirth. She raised her hand
tecail the attention Of her father. an
elderly and tenign. looking man, who
stood dSnos far OF in the garden, ad-
miring the blossoms Of laburnum.
4 Attracted by her gesture he came to
the wall.
See. father" she cried. pointing
down the road, there IS the clergy
man / told you OF yesterday. You
wouldn't believe nae. Confess now
+ that you were wrong"
..Ah, yes, my dear" said the Rev.
. Mr.. Hawes seriously, 81 confess at
once. Last night / heard all about
him.. He is staying with, the Lam
berts. He is missionary and has
been in: China. ,.
He looks young. and yet his hair
lis white, p:she said thoush shtfully.
HIS is a sad story - terrible.
story, answered her father gently.
,.tMr- LarlEert told it tome last night.
He went cut there four years fago,
+ taking with him his young wife. They
seem to have! been very much at.
tached to each other They were CIV
zen chargatof small station in the in
terror r-somewhere upon the Yang
5tse River, I believe. He was doing
good work there. He had school;
and a hospital Then disturb Dances
came. Printed lies were circulated
among the natives. their passions
were excited, and the nearest manda-
rim was too far OF To render any
help. They burned his school. For
a time ne defended himself in his,
house until that, too, was burned. He
was struck on the head. rendered un-
conscious and cast into the river. His
Iifeswas saved by atfew faithful MEM
5ers of his flock. He was taken down,
the riYersir a junk and sent home to
Europe TO recover
sand his wife?r asked the girl.
with parted lips.
That Is the saddest part Of the
STORY" answered her father gravely.
aHe Eas forced to Smoother with his
-oWn hands. to prevent her from fall
Ling into their power"
A. The beauty of the morning dark
.ened before the girls eyes. She stood
silent, shadow OF pain upon her
forehead.
..Pool. mani she said with "a sigh,
s.it must be terrible for him to think
of"
-MersIfuIly, he does not think OF
IT." replied her father: ''The blow he
received seems to have affected his
mind. He has no memory Of it. He
does not even know that he has been
i'm China. At times he even talks OF
going there. %
Edith Hawes passed into the house
fiIIed with pity for the man whose
story she had heard. His face, with
its lines OF suffering, haunted her
She was by nature and by training
deeply religious, and in her eyes
the man who had suffered so mucl
for his faiths sake became invested
with the halo of the martyr. She pit
led him from the bottom Of hel
heart, and it needed only time ant
opportunity that that pity should ri
pen into love.
$Ss Two days later she met him at
garden party at the Lamberts. Mrs
Lambert introduced them casuall
and hustled off to attend to othe
guests. So the threads of their fat
were .interwoyen. She stood .lookin
at him with plying interest; he a
her with an, arrested attention tha
{ had iii its intensity something tha
was almost painful.
+You go to China shortly, / be
1ieye?" she stammered, in the effor
to make conversation.
"Very soon,' he answered, quietly
<@My work will lie there 1t is,
heard, q most interesting country.
She was startled as she. realize
his lack of recollection. True, ne
father had told her Of it, but to satf
er 1t from the mans own lips CAV
her shock. 1t seemed to her ths
ne mnst have spoken in much th
same way four years ago, when b
frat went out.
.s:Y You are interested in the work
she asked. after pause.
VERY much he answered. "
has been my life's aim"
That was all that passed betWee