The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-02-28

Y y
souri,, who IS visiting Mrs. H. a
they We're raised together. But THU
cxplained nothing. as i had never
heard the names before. But 4 said
nothing to thetyoung man. The next
! afternoon Mr.. Ii and the same
| two ladies came TO my room and be
| introduced them to me, the one as his
1 wife, the other as Miss B. and
/ told me that Miss p wanted her
likeness taken. i seated her and sal
down to look ut her. while Mr. H.
and his wife excused themselves.
Here was something to puzzle me; 4
lady that yesterday, terribly moved
\ al the sight OF me, today, contes
| calmly to my room to sit forsh pie
lture ionged for an explanation bu,
was afraid TO ask for II, lest ] be dis
agreeable to the lady. Therefore, l
said nothing. She made no allus!or
to the matter. either. but when told
her that II she was tired OF sitting /
could finish the portrait without
further sittinas, she said that she was
| not tired and could sit as long as nee
| cssary. ! told lei that Ibid not
need her any longer nevertheless, she
fingered. asking many questions con-
icerntng my travels, my native state,
etc. II seemed to inc all this while,
that she wanted to say something
that, for some reason she was unable
to say, and l., meantime, was eager 10
have her say 1t for / was aching for
an explanation Of the scene in the
church yet afraid to ask for It. Be-
fore she left she requested me not to
let anyone see her picture before Il
was sent to her; and not wishing on
my part to give up the mystery thus
unsolved asked her to tell me where
! j could find her in order that Imight
fetch her the picture myself, when l
Ebshould finish 1t.
She told me that she lived but one
I-b.ock away, describing the house.
After supper, the picture being finish
ted, i took 1t to her She met me at
the door, invited ne in, very pleas
family, and for an hour sat ana con-
!versed with her until the sun had
nearly set. Yet not the slightest al
fusion to the scene in the church was
made by either of US. I.departed with
little hope 1t would ever be explained
saw no more OF Miss B. until the
evening before my departure from
ClarksDurg. strolled out to take
my usual walk which went past the
house where she was visiting and as
came to the house she came out
on the street. She greeted me pleas
antly and said that she was starting
out to take little walk, and when /
onered my company as respectable
as could she accepted the offer aud
we walked together at her guiding.
She led me up long hill at the foot
OF which the town lay. It was stripped
tof timber and on the grassy commons
the town cows were grazing. At the
top Of the hill, she turned and said,
Now we can look down on Clarks-
burg" We spread our handkerchief
on the ground and sat down to rest,
and there she told me her sad story.
" could only give 1t in her words
itswould be very affecting, but / must
do 1t in my own awkward way, as
best ! remember it. She introduced
tie subject by asking me when was
to leave town, and when told her
that the next morning / was going
back to my home in Ohio from which
! had been absent nearly eighteen
months, che said that she had been
away three months and after one more
visit should so to her home at Cape
Girardeau. Mo.
49," she said, "this, Mr.. S.,
probably will be our last meeting this
side OF eternity. Our acquaintance
has been short and we know little OF
each other, but there is something
connected with IL which shall never
forget"
! told her that there was, one thing
connected with It which should long
remember, and it was a. mystery to
me.
II think i know to what you al
lude," she suid, but while feel /
ought to give you full explanation,
" cant without making known to you
secret which no one living has ever
known except myself and one other"
told her taat she might oepenG on
me keeping any, secret that she might
eintrust to me, sacred.
oh. slr!' she cried, chow have
ionsed for friend to Whom l could
trust my secret, who would pity and
Isynlpathize with me in my trouble,
but l have sought in vain for one of
my own set. But now, something im-
pcls me to throw myself on the mercy
OF stranger, with assurance that
yon will not Dctray my trust. know
you will think IL strange OF me, but
when you have heard my story / trust
that you will find excuse for my
seeming lndiscretion, and ! know that
! the Lord will forgive me for he knows
that ] mean no wrong"
With this she began her story.
She was raised in the little town Of
tM----. near the mountains In v;r-
GINA, Her father was a physician,
who gave her q. good education. She
was the only living child, brother
and sister having died In infancy.
Mr.. B., young man OF Philadel-
phia, who had just finished college.
came to the place for his health, Inn
paired by hard study. He was adj
USED TO go abroad, but first his faith.
er wanted him to try the mountains
of his own country, so the young fell
low prepared himself for hunting and
started for the mountains. and after
rowing about awhile settled down In
the little town of 2l-- He met
Miss B. and their acquaintance
soon ripened into love-. Instead Of a
faSr vvnnkcH 1,a 1i,,0n,na f1,, .i.. .