| OCR Text |
Show JILL DOUBTS DISPELLED, "Come tome. Itnticrt, If ou ever loved mo In I ho old dii) a, when wo were mi linppy to-(ictht to-(ictht r In the unlet homo t hut I slmll uuterseq nirulnl Ah, If I hud never left It orjnul Von loved me U st, uller nil; but, thin Jldnotho-llevoltl Jldnotho-llevoltl "And the child, ltotifrt. Ho bears jour name, nnd lie husrnuretcs, jour smllol For the snkn of tho ililld. ul. feusl, toino to inn. for I am d)lnir, nnd 1 tniistleiivehliiiln)ourcaro. "Your uiihiipp) "Kiiiisk." This was the nolo, written In n faint And faltering hand a woman's hand, mind tout the note that pretty llttlo Mrs. Uuboit Stiong picked up off tho caipct of her dtawing-iooni, where It had huuu dropped by her husband, in his hasty pissago low aid the lull nnd ft out door. Sho picked it up, caielessly enough, at first. She was nu homn.iblo little lady, nnd would never havo die.mieil of raiisacMii"; her husband's ptivnto pipers, or desk, or diary, as so ninny women would not M-ruplu to do, If the occasion oflutril. Kveu this letttr would havo been laid aside till her litis-hind's litis-hind's tetiirii, tinicnd, had it not chanced to open In her liiind, us she lifted It from the floor. : Uoruvcs fell upon tho first lino, nnd tho red blond rushed Instantly to her face. What woman was this, who lsked llobett Strong to coma to her, by the love ho lutf onco horuu hor ve.irs hefoie, in the happy homo sho bad left foievur with another? Little Mrs. Strong hud a long, haul battle with heiself befme she could make up her iiiiud to read that nolo. Hut she did i cut It at last, and having hav-ing "e.tten of the apple." like her gold-su-lialied ancestress lit tho garden of IMun, shu Instantly became as unhappy is she deserved to he. Sho had been a governess in a family whom Mr. Stroii'' visited. Hlch, in-'lueiitlal, in-'lueiitlal, mid still wondioiislv hand-tome, hand-tome, tliougli he confessed to fifty- i lovnn je.iis of no, the st.itelv biehelor. tho great "cntcli" of the season passed 0 all the f.ishlonnhle.belles of his nc-liialntanco, nc-liialntanco, mid netu.illy oHerttl hio hand, his heart, and Ids fortune fortho acceptance of tho llttlo glowered governess gov-erness whom ho had seen now and then nt odd moments only, as shu pissed with her pupils up and down tho grand htalrcaso. or tliiotigh the hall of his friend's house in street. Of course she took him, and becunu Mis. llobort Strong as soon ns possible. Yes, Mrs. (iriindy was light there. Within a month o'f tho millionaire's otter ciino his wedding-day; and thun, utter n short trip to the continent, tho h.ipp) pdr estxbllshed themselves In llolgrav la under the full glare of Mrs. Giutidv's slurp and stonv ojo. Hut one thing Mis. ("iiiindy never know, and would never have believed, had ion told her till jott woro gi.iy. Of courie the bridegroom vv as despot--ntelv in lovo with tho pretty little bride. That Mrs. Giundy was iittllu willing to allow. Hut it nlo happened that the brldo was evun moro desperately in lovo with the bridegroom, strango ns It tiny seem. Shu was twenty, nnd ho was llftv-soven; and uvoryono would have it that sho had mart led hint for his money und his limn inns home. In reality, she thought him the handsomest, hand-somest, stulollcst. and most agreeable man on e.tith. Hut the stivotcl classic st;j le of his really beautiful fnco; Ids stately form; his dlgnllled manner; evun the calm linn glance of his deep blue uyes. filghtoncd and awed her, she knuvv not why. Sho dated not show hor lovo for him. even whon sho was his wire. And so ho fancied, at times that Mia. Ortiudy was in the right. That his money had purchased for him a graceful anil lovely woman to sit nt the head of his table, and to tako his arm iu all places of publlo amusement; a. woman lu whoso care his i honor was safe; but In whose heart ho had no share. It was u sad nnd terrible mistake, and hut for thu coining of this invstnrloiis MM'ilotu It might have lasted iluilng both their lives. h Mrs. htioiig, hiding that tell-tale note awiiy. sit locking In und fro lu her own o.isv -chair, ctjlng us If her he lit would hical.. This woiiiin. this w retched worn in! Her hush mil had gone to her, was with her even then. How dined lie leivo his wife like tint. And thu child! What child? whose child? Again the led blood lived her lovely face. They hud no child. Perhaps ho might havo loved her bettor well, come what would, sho would follow him now and know tho wmst. "Mis. Grundy," sineo their marilage. hid often whlspeied tales to her husband's discredit, which sho had lefused to hear; now she would see aud judge for herself. Going itii Into her own room, sho summoned hor mild, and loullded a ii.nt of the mlseiablo story to her, not implicating her htisbinil In any way; hut inducing tho girl to provide for her tho dUgiilso of a sonant's dress, and to accompany hut' lu a cab, to the address named in the 119(0. Leaving tho girl nt tho foot of the stairs the mill inpy llttlo wife stole up ono Illght, nnd listened. A tall, bou)-looking woman camo out of a room opposite, with her apron toherees. It wits the landlady of tho house, who hud been bidding her living lodger a last farewell, and who failed to see the intruder ns sho passed, weeping to hor own room. Tho door of tho slck-ioom being left ijir, Mrs. Sttougsaw uud heard without with-out nny dllllciilly. On tho bed lay 11 wasted yet beautiful beauti-ful woman, voting nnd still attiactive. but dj lug d v lug fast. Hosldo tho bed sat her husband, holding tho sufferer In his aims, wining tlio cold drops from hor fotehead with n gentle hand, nnd" talking to her in n low tone. "Klolso. bo nt rest, bo nt peaeot" ho was saving. -For our dead mothor's siku I fotgive von. even as sho would have forgiven vou, if she had lived." "Yousworo that jott would not, llobort!" gasped the il5 lug woman, vv ith i look of pain. "Hush, dear! Forge? it, us I do. I nas haul, uud cold, und proud in tho30 days, and I thought I could never see ou ns vou are now without forgiving vou. Hut, Eloiso, slnco then. I, too liavo learned to love, und I kuow belter how to pity j on. The man v on m.ir-licdvvus m.ir-licdvvus unworthy of joti, but you loved him, and for )ears jott Imve suffered for his sake. I honor j on for it now, Elolse. as much ns I "blamed you ouce. I only wish 1 hntl found vou sooner. So much sufToting. of body nnd of mind, might have boon spaicd if joti had only wiittcn to mo before." "I wns proud, too, my brothor," sho said, faintly. "Hut. Hohott, what has changed you so? You nro as gentle ns a woman. I hardlv know j 011 now." "I tell jott that I", too, know what it is to lovo. Klolso," ho said sadly. "I have udoarjoiingvvifo. whom I treastuo like the npple of my 03 c bho does not lovo 1110 jot; she feols only gratltudo tow aids tlio man vv ho rescued her from novelty. Hut, onu dav. I hopo to vviu her hc.11 1. Kloise, if vou lit o " "I shall not live. 1 shall novcr sco jour wlfo Hoburt. Hut. my hoj- " "Sho shall ho a mother to him. dear. Sho will lovo the child, even if sho cannot can-not lovo me, uud ho will be a link " Touched to tho heat t with contrition.' tho little wife retraced her steps, and summoned her sonant, aud diove towards to-wards homo. On tho last moments of thodjlngsho felt that sho had no right to intrude. Hnt for the living for the living who loved her sin ely sho might bu taking thought and ciro. I Two bouts later, llobort Strong opened the door of his own house with v latchkey, nnd ctossed the hall noiso-lcidy noiso-lcidy tow aids his study. In his aims he bore u lioavj -looking bundle. Ills face wns pile, his manner iiuious, and lie looked round once or twice, ns if dreading the piescnco of some unseen watcher, though tho house was still, and all the sonants hud gone to bed. Turning up the gas lu his 8111113', l' laid his bumllu down on the sofa, and, throwing back tho liu.tvy cloak, disclosed dis-closed the prottj" face of a sleeping child somo threo or four j ears old. lio stood looking down upon the Infant for somo time, with n thoughtful air. "What will she any?'' he exclaimed, St last, aloud. And suddenly ho became nwate of the picsenco of his wlfo, vv ho stood just within tho study door, looking at film with n teat fui, tender gazo, such us sho had never dared bestow on him bo-fore. bo-fore. "Saj! Oh, llohuit, what enn sho say, except that she hues vou, and wishes to do, in nil things, exactly ns jou think best," she iiiiiiinui oil, coming ncaier, with a took of timid lovo not to bu mistaken, mis-taken, even by his long-blinded ovts. His pile, calm face Hushed suddenly; his deep blue ojes grow blight and full of tenderness. "My darling, do vou mean whatjou say?" ho nsked. holding huru llttlo wny from him. "Think. I havo long fancied that vou could not and did not lovo mo. I urn so many jears older than j 011." "And so many jears wiser, better, dearer." alio whispered. "Oh, Hohott. If jou had been n poor dav laborer I would havo married Jou all tho sinio. I never loved anjono else! Is that enough?" Ho opoucd his arms. Hlushliig and smiling, shu lining, herself upon his brenst. and their lips met in a kiss such as during nil tho mouths of their marriage mar-riage they had ucorexchaugod before ( i 'ThU child U tlio son of mv only sister, who after my mothor's "death, made 11 suctet mnuiago that neatly hroko my heart," ho said, nflor u long piuse. "l'oor Klolso died, nu hour igo, In my nrnis, forgiven nnd nt rest. My darling, will jou lovo tho child for her sake, and for mine? I promised lior that jou would be 11 mother to tho '.oy." "I will bo nil that jou ask or wish." wid the happy wife, kneeling bcslilo her husband's chair, and laving hor bright head upon his knee. "Hutuow, I, too. havo something for jou to fot-he." fot-he." Aud she told him tho story of tho etrnngo letter; tho story of her jeal-piisj-. und of Its sudden and final cure. Ho heard her in sllonoo to the end, nnd then ho taised her fioni the ground, nnd held her to his licit t onco mote. ..."You will go with mo to soo poor hlolse burled, my lovo," ho said, with n gentle kiss. And nestling quietly In his arms, vv th her white hitml plavlng with his still soft curling hair, tile voting wife know that she was forgiven, nnd that her husband's heart wns all her own. |
