Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-11-24

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''oh fot the lands SAKE" rriri
"wha, haer ! siape5 I've eonc and
helrcd that ,ipet Is ruth mer
snw u nn nov she Ind written
the letter that had rame fof Matt I
could havr srfea msxl NJ frst Impulse
was tn turn aud curse hcr nut shc
Ind ronc on. and | hesltated In y frw
minucs q occurred 10 me that " I
charged her With he crime she would
only snn away win her nose IN the
air I, would complete her revenge
wont home and staent the rcst "
tho lay cryiur I Thought ovcr the
things about me she had eontrivcd w
rrt io Marks ears whom We WERE On
rnrcd and how he had told me W
them And how had repaid him fcr
hts confidence | had simply played
into our cncmy's hands Mark was q
very high strung man. and doubtless
my action IN leaving him without civ.
Inc him chance ta say n word In CN
PLANTATION aud my having considered
him guilty " the crime had Killed his
love Tor me N I could only know
whore he had gone I would 80 to him
on my knees,
livcd Ia hopes that Mark would
somc day come hark to mo. hut hc did
not. The house remained Just ms had
lcft a. Evcrv THANKSGIVING day
would 90 there hoping that. Il being
tho anniversary of our wedding, Mark
would rclrut aud come back there.
But he mover came There was
small income from some property he
had Inherited from his father, and
Mark before uojng away had given am
order that this income should hc paid
to me. So didn't su1cr Tor funds
Mark had been uouc five years. and
every year I had gone to the house ON
Thanksgiving morning hoping to find
him there. On tho NTH anniversary I
determined to 70 there the evening
before Thanksgiving and sleep there
| lighted tirc on the hearth and sat
I'm my little rocker that | used to sit
va beside Mark before that very
hearth I drew his own big easy chair
up beside me And there | sat think
ing of him and what a happy family
We had been until I had broken Il up
by my folly. blamed myself alone
for falling into such an open trap
And thinking. | cried myself TO sleep
l dreamed troubled dreams. First |
was back at the huSking with Mark,
Amelia Jones was sitting near us on
the pile Of unhuSkcd corn looking M
us, and her eyes seemed like Goals of
fire. Then we were walking along
the road running past the house,
Mark was bending over me, telling me
the story he had told me years before.
And | said: This is not really Mark.
Mark went away, and have never
seen him since. And vet here he IL
walking beside me" | woke up from
this dream, my heart beating wildly,
| didn't wish to 20 to bed. | feared
would lie awake for hours. So took
Il book from n table near me and read,
But l fell asleep again and recon.
menced my dreaming. This time
dreamed Mark came in and sat In
his chair beside me.
awoke and what did see? Why,
Mark really sitting beside me. Had
Il not been for the reassuriug smile
on his face | should have thought that
what | saw was his ghost Sprang
toward him, and lie took me In his
arms,
ooh, Mark" cried, Have you for.
given meS"
Yes, l have forgiven you, and |
have things to tell you. When came
home and found you and the children
gone, the letter pinned to the cushion,
| saw at glance that Amelia Jones
had come up after long silence 10
strike us. was angry-angry with
you for falling into the trap. for not
having confidence In me. determined
to so away forever,
But plned for my home, my wife
and my children. was about to come
back when | was drawn into Il Spccu-
lation. concluded To wait for II 10
make me rich before returning, 1t
took all had put into it. | tried an.
other and another till recently |
struck what has paid me, Then | re.
solved to come back, forgive you, ask
your forgiveness and unite our fam
lily"
He went to the bureau, took the let
ter which had been for five years on
the pincuShiou and, bringing ii back
with him tossed 1t in the flame.
Burn he said. watching II as II
shriveed. You have made trouble
enough, 1t would he we'll If there were
n heavenly fire in which we could burn
all past disagreementS,"
oh, the happiness of that moment,
Though II was late, we went to moth
er's took the children from their beds
and put them In their cribs At our own
home.
had thought that no Thanksgiving
dinner could be as happy us the one
Mark and had eaten together ON the
day Of our wedding. But that one was
nothing ~ the dinner our reunited
family ate together on the day after
Mark burned the letter that had
caused our separation, Eut IT was a
happiness that had been Sharpened by
years OF pain.
A Dream and Its Sequel.
"in one of the East Indian border
wars there was engaged an officer OF
high repute. the member of an ancient