The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-12-17

u suppose / have the next best chance.
What do you say had better try BE
cause if you think there no hope, there's
a little lady At home Whom I'm thinking of,
and / know she IL have me- aa@
o, Why did not then and there disclose
TO my brother the great secret of my heart
1t would have saved me torture beyond es-
timation Butt would not. The evil one
was in nae-held absolute sway over my
every facualty. esa5 se
lin heaven s name" said, ''win her il
you can, but don't tails to me about it. ]
have more important business on hand''
He laughed at my reply, gieefully. /
thought insultingiy. as he said. '.perbaps
I'll take you At your word at any rate IL S
worth the trial Is and we parted. Every
day and every evening / now left them to-
eether. 1 noticed that Alice grew more
quiet, her cheeks became pale.
THAT is one of the symptoms -
thought. savagely. THE wcoing progresses
bravely; but, by heaven. if he wins her.
he had better never have been borni''
There was little or no change in Fred s
appearance; he seemed quite devoid to her,
walked with her, rode with her they sang
and played together. Still Alice seemed
restless. She avoided my eye. and appeared
only quite at her ease in his society One
day was sitting in the hall by myself
quite in the shadow, brooding as usual over
my gloomy fancies. heard footsteps and
voices. My first impulse was to retire
but on second thought determined to
stay. They paused upon the threshold.
Madness! his arm was around her waist
s'But why don't you tell him % / heard
her say.
"No-no;' he replied, and my brothers.
usually cheerful voice was sad: "No; he
never would forgive me. ] cannot Har-
~ would be the last one to whom ] should
tell such secrets"
cay, my splendid fellow l'' thought I,
$50 you have cunningly OWNED"
''Let me tell him, then," said Alice, soft
ly. Though he has altared of late and
seems strange to me, yet I think he would
give his consent if asked him."
''Do you, my beauty - thought, with
would happen afterwards, wonder go
''Well, darling, I'll think about it. Per-
haps, after all, it will be more manly in me
to speak to him. Ithink I will, tomorrow. -
The next day, Fred asked me to walk
with him to the cliff. We went away to-
gether.
81 have something I wish to say to you,
Harry" said Fred.
Ny heart leaped; my blood was on fire.
l made believe as if had not understood.
care your nerves steady ?" Iasked. "Can
you stand like this upon the edge of the
bank 90
He paused, looked at me earnestly a mo-
ment and went forward to try. His feet
was on the very edge nearer than mine
his brain might have reeled mine did not
until jostled against; him in STOPPING
My God, he was over / Sprang back as if
| was shot. Not for thousand world s
would I have ventured near the edge of that
accursed hill. There was water at the bot
tom. Strange that heard no sound save
the rapid beating of my own heart. Was
he living, struggling? 1 dared not look,
but hurried home and locked myself in my
Said the demon, elf they find him, they
will think it was accident" I don't think
any one saw him 20 out with me-but-
my God the establishment the tortured
conscience.
The day, the week passed. forgot to
say that Alice on that very day had gone to
spend week with a schoolmate. When
she returned she asked after Fred.
I said. watching her steadily, che is
gone. Are you sorry 90
ssWhy, yes l think he might have told
me and said good-by," she replied, petulent-
ly:
eff he had staid longer we might have
had wedding" I said, with harsh and
almost convulsive laugh.
She looked at me earnestly for a moment,
as she asked, innocently, 'why, who would
have been married %
''You and he, perhaps ventured.
She turned as pale as ashes; her lips
quivered, she cried out passionately, "you
are cruel ~ and almost ran from the room.
What was I to infer from this The
glance, the tone had struck me as being, to
say the least, very peculiar. Good heav-
ems could it have been that all the time
the loved me? NV brain throbbed /; my
guilty soul swayed between tumults of de-
sight and terror. If so, dared l marry her
in my blood outlines ? Yes, l dared do
any deed now: dared and | would.
pass over much time. Suffice it to say that
the fate of my brother remained a mystery.
l had nerved myself TO go, as nearly as
could calculate to the precise spot where he
fell, but saw no clue that gave any evil
dence of his previous identity. He was
gone. The dark waters had received him.
Sometime they might give up their dead.
Alice became nv wife, but horror hung
around me. could take pleasure in moth
ing. / surrounded her with luxuries and
called her my queen. She was an idol; I
her. One day she said:
ssWhy do we not hear from Fred 90
Ny heart stood still, but ventured some
reply.
Ibid he ever ask your advice about any
thing IN particular 90 she inquired. with
smile.
Mo- replied with my old ferceness.