Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-05-13

II have come back To be forgiven,
at me, and | caught her i'm my arms.
James Gardner, l don't believe it.; and
for my part, l don't see what people
can find to admire i'm that impudent
like her, I'd shut her up on bread and
water until she reformed"
| hurried away, but the parsonage
was shut up when I got there, and |
spent an hour walking up and down
before the house staring at the dark
windows. The time seemed very long
until the next evening, and | went
over 10 the parsonage very early; but
Dolly was not there.
she's gone to spend the evening
somewhere" said the dominic, kindly.
II suppose she forgot to leave word for
you to come for her She isn't very
well. either; a cold. | suppose. / know
generally caught cold at a party
when | was young and attended such
entertainments. / hope she'll be care
ful Her poor mother died of con-
sumption"
My heart gave a great leap. I
thought OF Dolly i'll, dying, even dead.
and | went out into the kitchen to ask
the servant IL Dolly left any message
for me.
she said she wouldn't be home to-
night" answered Nora; Eat least. this
evening. / mean, and she did not leave
word where she had gone"
Nora understood, | saw. | felt ter
ribly injured. and made up my mind to
~ lhU A NJ m %
with Sally Gray. She was at home,
the servant girl said, and found her
waiting i'm the parlor for me. We had
ii to ourselves. Mrs. Robins never
came in nor any of the other board
ers; indeed, it was now growing late
in the season, and they were almost all
gone away. If ! never knew how to
fiirt before, Sally Gray taught me how
that night, and when / took leave of
her was imprudent enough to tell
her ! should like to kiss her.
do it, if you desire" said She,
And then! Yes, | kissed her; and
as | did it the door opened, and we
started apart, and there stood Dolly.
She had seen it all.
II left my bonnet here" she said.
Mr. Isaac is going home with me,
and | came TO get it. Sorry to disturb
you"
She was very cold and contemptu-
Gus. She tied her bonnet on at the
glass, threw her little mantle over her
shoulders, andwent out. Next day she
broke our engagement and sent me
back my ring. The next week | left
home and went away to sea Some
one had told me that Dolly was going
to marry Ike Robins. Mother wrote
10 me often, and never mentioned
Dolly and / never asked about her. /
lived with men, generally on the sea,
and had no thought of liking or caring
for any woman. | always intended to
go home and see the old folks, but
they died Of a fever within two days
Of each other, and a stranger sent me
the news.
Lawyer Dredgers saw To the estate,
and did what | asked him to do with
the money. | did not need it then but
IL would keep me from being a begger
i'm my old age. And still i sailed the
sea, until when forty years old an acct
dent happened to me which came near
being my death. II did not Kill me
nor cripple me, but | was no longer fit
for a sailors life, and there was moth
ing left for me but to settle down on
land and live on my money; and SO
went home at last To talk to Lawyer
Dredgers and get his advice. | felt
very sad as | walked through the viii
lage. My parents were dead, no one
remembered me; had not friend
I'm the place.
The lawyer had done his best to
make my money profitable to me, and
was richer than ! dreamed. When
all the business was over / took a
moonlight stroll through the street. 1t
was twenty years since the night I
kissed Sally Gray and lost my love by
it; but nothing had altered in the out
ward appearance OF the place.
People were sitting on their porches
as Of yore: the same flowers seemed TO
bloom in the gardens; the same ioun-
gers to stand about the tavern door;
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