Connecticut western news., 1917-09-13
A Sin That Brought
 A Blessing
By OSCAR COX

As youth I Was diffident, oyersenSi- tive, imaginative, romantic. My moth CT WAS very much troubled for fear I woQfd marry some girl with nothing to recmmend her but a pretty face. 1 used to til;nk that she wished me to marry Margaret Deane, who knew how to sew and cook and do lot of practi- cal things in which took no interest. 4 rather admired Gwendolin Germain. HwendOlin was a tender flower, just szach girl as a man likes to take un- aer his protection. Her cheek was not round and rosy, but there was a little paEe red in its center like a rosebud painted on china cup, with lips of ti4l sane hue
 Tae time came when I made up my mind that unless I could win Gwendo- hn my life would be a failure. I was but twenty, and that's very young for a man to feel that his happiness is bound up for life in one person. How eyer, I proved my cOnstancy by years of devotion to the image I had set up in zny heart. Fearing that I could not exsress myself with sufficient delicacy to impress one so young, so modest, So tess1er, wrote my proposal in letter. was several days composing it, and when finished left it for another day on my desk in order to read it once moxe before posing it.
 I was suddenly called away, and wfen returned inc letter was gone. I asked my mother what had become nf It, and she said that it had been Pnst,.d with a batch of letters that had been sent to the mail while I was away from home. With this l was nontent and confident that Gwendolm had received it and waited anxiously fnw reply.
 When I met my love again I was much embarrassed. My imagination made her seem to me cold, even of- nantfed, and as she made no reference fD my letter 1t occurred to me that for BDEae reason-I imagined a dozen-she wRs displeased with my proposal.
 l>Iid not call again, and within year her family left the place where lived, and she went with them. My heart went with her. lived on a bachelor My mother frequently invited Mar garet Deane to our house, and could zee that she was Intentionally placing her in my way. Margaret accepted whatever attention I gave her, which uxs not much, but when I was un- Mfndful of her she did not seem to notice it. As the year passed I made . friend of her, but it did not occur to me to make love to her.
 When I was thirty my mother died. Before her death she made me con- fexSf0n. ,
 Ny dearest boy" she said, "before die I wish your forgiveness. Ten years ago saw that you were about to eAoose companion for life who would aot make you happy. I kept the letter you wrote to Gwendolin Germain, hop, ing to gain time to direct your atten- tfoa to Margaret Deane. Ten years have passed, and every year have in tended to send your letter to Gwen A0fSn. have never done so till today. By tomorrow morning she will know for the first time of your proposal, but hy that time I shall have left you free t0 choose for yourself"
 And so my mother, to whom l was so devoted, had caused me ten years of misery. I forgave her and did not utter n word of complaint. Indeed, the pain \ suffered at her loss neutralized any feeling of regret for my long suffering.
 The day after I laid her in the grave took up number of letters that had umulated-mostly of condolence-< and among them was one from Gwen siofsn. It brought the first of different AeRsations from what had experienced sIace the beginning of my mothers ill., Hegs- But with it came the remem- brance of what my mother must have endured from her distaste for my chafce. Margaret had been with her constantly in her last days and had reg1forted her as if she had been her ewn daughter.
 \ felt an inclination to complete the sxxxifice my mother had brought about by acceding to her wishes and giving Margaret the option of being my wife. Bus was bound in honor to Gwende- Esa as well as by love. In her letter she naked me to come and see her if felt so Inclined.
 4 few days later I went to see her. gzse still lived with her family, who were wealthy-more so than when had parted from her-in a stately man. sfn1. It was evening when I called, a1d wasSushered into private par lg. In few minutes a bony, sallow, serawny woman came into the room, dressed in the height of fashion, be- decked with jewels, her hands covered with rings. I barely recognized Gwen dozin and would not have done so had ssle not preserved the rosebud in her cheek by a touch of paint.
 So your poor mother has gone," she ssfd. What silly thing to keep your