Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1914-05-01
FER MANY YEARS
tory Of Love and Tragedy as
Told by a Dying
Man.
BIZ EpNA |. auRsLEY.


y. A darkrobed. sweet-faced nun
t beside him. trying to persuade him
soc priest and receive the last
Acrament of the church before his
irit winged It's fight to the Judg-
ent seat OF God.
. NO." said the man. "a priest could
i forgive my sings In Gods name. for
Dd himself will never pardon me.
1t. sister. you ara q woman, let me
nfess my one great sin to you, and
you forgive me In her name"
m Tho nun thought bis mind wan
rsd. but SEEKING her hand with fe-
s~tsb ieAgorpess. he drew her closer
| the bedside. aud begged her not TO
fuse him this one last caance OF
sing his conscience. She silently
:Quiesced. and motIoned him to go
1t IA a long tale OF foul crime, and
trfbutive suffering" he began.
md before II Is ended you.s sister.
81 gentleness and goodness that you
e. viii turn from me In horror and
athing.
My father was wealthy. planter
tn two sons. myself and a brother
Pc was my junior by three years.
ir mother died when We WIRE very
tung. and as my father ns1f mar
"a again, We grew TO manhoop with
II ever knowing the purifying. re-
raining influence OF woms love
& d guidance. We were educated
birth. The summer attained my ma
fifty. | returned TO my fathers plan
ton. I set to work thoroughly to
millarixe myself with all the details
sugar farming. Ia order to one day
able 20 relieve my father OF the
arden Of personal management OF
8 estate.
We had few near nelghbors. but
learned that a widow had leased a
aall cottage on our place. and had
ma TO reside there with her aauEh.
r. met them both AZ church the
5 ~ Sunday after my return Yes.
*uer. II was just that way. for |
y you anticipate tho events that
flowed upon that meeting. She did
y seem beautiful TO memo. she was
slight In person and too imma-
re IN mind for that: but as we rode
ns together the flowers, the. birds.
Q soft blueDess Of the sky. and the
xzllng sunshine all contributed TO
axe mo think her voice the aNcetes,
ID her laugh the merriest had ever
,ard- We saw much Of each other
ter that. and | could not help 10.
ling her Frightening eyes. and chang
< color whenever l approached A
" weeks after our frst meeting we
ant for row on the river,
before | was aware OF a. had
alspered honeyed nothinga BY the
s ore into her willing ear. and con
pded By asking her to marry me.
vi pass over the next few months.
. were very happy until was seized
an unaccountable desire TO SEQ
mefhing OF the life and society IN
e large city near BY. Ny father
,nsented. and shortly after left
,ms and took up my residences at one
the fashionable hotels OF The city.
wrote regularly for a TINS to my
tncee. but an invitations TO parfiss.
lila. dinners. germans and 10 forth
,urcd In thicker and faster. my let
RS ceased altogether never even
sought CT her unless IL was TO com
are her. and very unfayornbly. at
at. with the gay bellies OF fashion
whose piping | was now dancing.
"A year passed away. and Iidecided
make a foreign tour. went 70
s1rope. where idled away three
ssars When again sst foot on my
tive soil | FASTENED TO my fathers
ame He and my brother welcomed
Q gladly. and felt happier than l
ID been since | had left them
ii did not once inquire for my
devant sweetheart. but when / did.
Twas told that she and herxmothar
ssre living on our place stii Ny
gother invited me TO so with him TO
III upon them that same evening
went. and would to God had not
ne SOL ! saw again the girl | had
s. coolly cast aside In the years agone
ID In the same moment there flashed
ross my soul the deep. unalterable
nviction that she--she WAS the
ally woman had ever loved. or could
Ter love.
4 All, II you could have seen. the
ringing step. the laughing eyes.
% radiant bloom OF her cheek! And
ZEN the inde1nable. irresistible
Farm OF her manner and CONVERSE
pm. Another meeting. and / was
ad In love with her. For days
PED in the doubt, the hope. the &c
acy OF love. and then came IT'S tor
ring terror, and chill dependency.
learned that in few weeks she
~ to wed my brother. I few to my
Sorn- When | left II was no longer
imam. but a demon, crazy with jeal-
zsy and thirsting for what In my
[bnzy ! told myself was just re-
Hinge.
III affected delight at my brothers
|proaching happiness, and no one
essed the wild tumult that ragged
thin my breast. At length their
bidding eve arrived, and from 1.-The
rch / could see my brother wend-
III his wav fhrouQh the faaf fafGfn~