Year: 1875




1T awakened her too, to q sense
of her smirches, and her transforma-
tion was complete. She was already
freed from the tolls of her betrayer.
After a few days he had wearied Of
her and deserted her. She was free
Ito go to the devil as is every wo-
man who is betrayed. She saw it
all with woman's quick instinct-sbe
was woman now-foresaw all, and
anticipated it With strange COM
posure she told him the sad end had
come For him life had promise.
Her destiny-no matter, it was fixed.
They had reached the parting of
their ways, and she bade him fare
well.


"He replied no matter what. In
his great love be believed the impos-
sible possible, and was ready to en-
counter all. He-asked her to be his
wife.


For aa instant there was a look of
ecstacy and of despair in her eyes,
such as might fill some lost soul to
whom was given glimpses of para
disc. Then, with rigid calmne-s, she
said:


do you not understand !. it is i'm
possible"


"She maintained the same impas.
siye composure. while he implOred
her to believe in herself, in him and
if ever prayer went up from human
heart it did from his then-to be-
Iiege in the future that must be in
store for them.


"No more ncw," she answered
with a hollow laugh; "when you
have thought you will know | am
right then you may come-for the
last tiG e"


He returned the next day and the
next; but until week had passed
she refused TO see him. In that time
he had thought it QUITO his own
satisfaction. In his ignorance of
the world be thought to be superior
10 fate, and for them to win a new
life. lie did not know then that for
the lost woman there can be no new
life-that once she is lost. no matter
how little SHINING, how devilish sinned
against, she is lost forever. When
they met again, be told her how
barren and dreary his life had been ;
how hard and toilsome it must be.
He scarce could ask her to share it.
For him, with her love, its toll
would no longer be toilsome, nor its
poverty poor. With that to inspire
him he ielt he could overcome all ad-
versity Failure, even, would be 10
failure then. How patiently he
would work for her, she could not
know. Could she trust him and help
him?


She made no answer She saw
clearer. perhaps, than be, what fate
awaited her. Despair had already
seized upon ber Choking down he
big Jumps in his throat and steady lag
his voice, with al gentleness and
earnestness he asked to be permitted
at least, to help her out of the mirt
and toward that pure womanhooC
which be felt was hers of right, anC
for which she had been created


She looked searchingly into bis
eyes and with such longing gaze as z
castaway at sea might fix on a pass
ing ship. and cried out:


Take me away from this-any
where-let me be yours always"


Thorne paused, and | noticed hi:
lip quivered He relighted his pipe
and after putting vigorously for few
minutes, with a bitter smile con
tinued.


He was poor fool at last. He
should have married her then, aud
with that patience of which be talk
ed, began the redemption of her life
and the ennobling and beautifying Of
his own. But be was, in truth, a
great overgrown boy, and, in boyish
way, he set about building castles in
the air-planning for them rosest
future, made up of his youthful day.
dreams and the sweet fancies that
had filled his Imagination in the long
winter nights, when he sat gazing in-
to the glowing embers in the huge
! fire place of the old log cabin.


She listened at first in glad girlish
glee, then laughed merrily ut his cas-
tie building, and putting her hand in
his told him happy enough would be
very modest little home-just such
as be could afford, were it but sin
gle back room up stairs. 1t would
be their home. She needed no pa
tience to enable her to wait till be
could win a better one; but could
there be better than it would be ?
And he should not go on planning
more hard work &; it would not be so
hard then for--she wasn't foolish for
thinking so, was she see asked in
sly, eager, doubling tone-if she
tried ever so much she could help-a
little-couldn't she?


Love me as now," be whispered,
''then | shall have giants strength
and courage indomitable," and
Tborne paused as though lost in rev.
erie. Again he resumed:


At last they settled she should go
to a country town in an adjoining
State, where she had relatives. She
was sure they would not send her
away; and he, out of his little wages,
was to be privileged-so he put it
to send her the larger half weekly,
that she could no. burden them. In
a little wbile-she wanted it to be
long enough, she said, to make sure
he would not repent in-he would
come for her and they would he mar
ried


So she quilted the city. He re.
NAMED to work with fierce energy
in the hopeless effort to work up the
better pay and to ponder the ques-
ton of how to exc out his starvation
wages so that they two might live
half-starved life on what he alone
had managed to live in starveling
fashion.


THAT was the matter-of-fact side
of his romance. Dismally matter-of-
fact, wasn't it? But in bis ignorance
of life aud himself be didn't half re-