The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1858-03-17

| noV0 "aueu Will Hdhcu leeG through
seas Of fire. rather than give me up as
you are doing now. You would-wai1
till I have DONE" he continued, when
would have interrupted him. "Do you
remember the time when I went to YOU.
five years ago. and offered you what
now would be your highest bliss to
ownf Do you remember how you
laughed my words to scorn. and scoffed
at m@as a silly boy, who had mis-, aiken
himsAlf and you? Ay, I was boy in
years. Helen Reade but man 8 under
standing. mans experience, s man g
passApate strength Of purpose, had
made Inc old before my time, and l low
ed you with as pefect a love as ever
grew up in the human heart. was
proud and your Indifference. your gay,
heartless. cutting indifference CALLED
me. and made disappointment doubly
bitter. | said then. as l lef you, with
that dead hope making discoid in my
breast. that some day your he ,rt should
bleed as mine did then that some day
would mock y,ur anguish with con-
tempt as humiliating as that you heaped
Oh me. Has no. my hour Of triumph
come? Have not won you carefully,
proudly. as best became the worthy OBJ
ject was striving for? And did l
not know just now, when my blood tin :
gled beneath the pressure of your arm,
half shy. half confident, and felt the
warmth of your clinging lips upon my
brow. that never before had you been so
completely, so unreservedly mine p
Oh. Helen, Helen am not gloriously
aven Led now that can toss back your
heart as lightly as l have won it, and
know all the while that you love ME, in
spite Of your mighty p ide o.
Richard Vinely." began. as he
ceased speaking; but the torrent of
fierce words that leaped up hotly for ut
terance chokel me; my lips burned as
though blistered by the touch of fame.
and was forced to stop and steady my
wild rage before could proceed.
AT length in a hoarse, ang y whisper.
l said, Yes, remember the time of
which you speak !; al hough, but for
your delicate reminding, l might never
have called it to mind again. l was a
young. thouyhtless, ignorant girl 1 did
not unders and you, or the nature Of the
feelings you proposed to bear me; l
answered you as any other giddy, in
consi Iera child would have done bua
He e.ven knows | meant no harm, no con-
tempt. no exul alton. You have achiev-
ed noble manly, a generous revenge!
you have cherished the slight Of a
heedless girl. forgotten by her as soon
us it was given, and kept i, ranking in
your memory, till it has grown strong
enough to crush by is reboundiny, a
heSrc that would have shed it's last drop
Of blood to serve you. Love you p
yes-so well that l could strike you
dead here at my feet. and tranple on
your hteless bod y in very loathing of the
mean soul it contained $50 well. that
if your false heart lay bare before me.
could snap the chords apart with as lit
tie pily as | would threads Of flax $50
well, that when you die hope | may
be beside you to show You how fit You
are Ior heaven to console You by re-
calling the maguanimous aims ,hat have
inspired your life, and to revive you At
the last moment BY whispering in your
ear Of the honorable vlc.ory you have
achieved over detenseless, weak heart
ed woman !' l paused, out Of breath
with pa,si,n.
&c, on-please go on. Anger i'm
proves the style of your beauty. and l
am a y.atltied listener" said my tor
menier, d'yiy. N
Il have no hing more to say" repli
ed. "savetaatl l pray Imay never look up
on your face again, unless the sight Of
me tecomes Il torment, and then | will
'isk wealth. life, ay, everything, for the
sake of passing once more before your
eyes T. So =.
Tie caught one Of my hands that was
lying idly III my lap. aud when l would
nave sna ched i. from him, he closed lis
fingers about it like vice. The looA
Ut bitterness softeneu away from his
lea. ures, and one Of almost tender ex-
pec.aiion took its place. saw in the
change onl y new revelation OF hypoc-
risy, ounrlny, and tarseeing. lreacner-
Gus mali sn;ty So wai.ed Tor him to
speak. Is IL any wonder | hated him?
| Helen" he said. and The eut,in.
sharpness was all gone from his voice,
VIII you marry me p
The question did not s,a-tle me half
as mucu as IL would ha,e done an hour
before; it was like him-strange. abrup..
contradictory! lisp. ang up, and spurn.
ed him with my foot.
do not tempt me further. Richard
Vinely Or even you, evil as you are.
may shrink from the demon | will har
den into. ] am not ashamed to own
that have loved you. for over the black
ness and corup ION Of your true char
acler. you have worn skilfully The dis
su;se Of . pure. upright mauhness. and
through that only have | known you.-
Go away now snu boast OF your prowess
II am willing. Spread IL tar and wide
chat Helen Keade-proud, imperial,
hauy yhty Helen Reade has been humbled
by your scorn. But say not that SHE
wept before you; say no. that she cluny
u you. Or pleaded, or tainted. as gender
women might have done. Say that
when she knew you better, she espurned
you as she would venemous reptile !:
say that she took back the love you des.
pissed and flung it to the winds, as the
only shame of life say that she de6ed,
insulted. cursed you to your face, and
called all the angels OF das kness to her
aid. 50 that she might hate you-hate
you entirely so long as you aud she live !;
say"
.Stop! in Heavens name stop!" he