St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-11-26

lAOAOy SVuSVS VI OSAo AO1 OuCC "dS mute,
though her feelings were anything hui
placid, to judge from her stormy face
| One evening, after laughing dis.
pute about some intended matrimonial
arrangement, Honor suddenly remark.
ed: "By the *ay, Philip, what was the
nature Of that prohist you made your
late wife? I have received curious
anonymous letter about you, which
suppose ought to show YOU"
I Philips face grew white; he was no,
able to affect unconcern, the onset was
so unexpected and so deadly. He re.
mained silent; BREATHING hurriedly like
a 1ttatt in pain.
Honor was rathef startled when she
observed The effects produced by he,
words, and said: IL am sorry, dea,
Philip, if have grievcd you by my
|question, but have indeed received a
letter containing some vague accusation
Of other against you. / give not the
slightest credcncc to it, however; nei.
ther do ask YOU to ekplain any thing,
if to do so would be disagtecahlc to you,
| can trust you, Philip"
"You have trusted me, Honor, more
than I Deserve" said Philip; ''let me
look at the letter."
| She handed it to him; it contained
but few words, pcnned evidently BY
an ill;tetatc pefsoH; ahd tat tlius: You
are about to be married to Philip Stour
ton; 1 hear: You have no right tc
him. Ask hitt about the promise, tht
oath he took to his wife, who Is dead
God will visit }ou buth.' Il
There was no signature. Philip
reid It thflce, and fingered over it, as
though endeavor;ng to take some reso.
luton in his own mind. lie looked a,
Honor at last and said: "Could you
marry me, Honor, if you knew 1 had
broken promise such letter men.
tions ?" -
Honor trcmbled a little; but after a
short pause smiIinsly said: "Well, pcr.
haps' 1 could, provided it were not q
very bad .casc.". -
"a death-bcd promise-an oath ?''
The lady was silent for moment,
and her eyes began to fll with tears.
"What have you been doing, Phil p ?
What do You meant Must you break
an oath in marrying me?" 49,;
,seu "a ny wife on her 35;; aeS;lRe ;|ie T prom.
marry again. She had no right feea1
it now-to impose such 4 burden upon
'pe. I had no right to pledge myself
but I did. 1t is irrevocable; no ono
can relieve me Of il"
II will not marry man who has
parjured HIMSELF" said Honor. "You
have been cruel to tempt me so far for
this. l can not marry you now, Phil
ip," she repeated; and covering her
free with her hands, she sobbed bitter.
ly and left the room. Philip, too, stole
away, crushed and mis- erable; in his
owh eyes, hope'essly dishonored.
Truth, loyalty, selfrespcct, you arc
but thin shades dwelling in a human
breast lightly esteemed, seemingly OF
little power; but when you depart,
the pillars of the world seem to have
fallen in. 50 weak aud dcsolate' are our
lives without you.
If Philip, had been less scrupulous.
|ly honorable, if in his heart he had at.
taohed as little weight to the promise
made to HIS wife as his recent course
implied, he need not have seen Ills
hopes fall IN rulh about him as they
now appeared to do. 1t was not that
he lacked the ingenuity to avert it. II
had crossed his mind, of course, to de-
ny the vague accusation contained in
that miserable scrawl, to impute malice
and falschood to the writer: Who was
to know what transpircd between him
and his wife at such an hour? And
Honor Westwood would have been a
lenient Judge, although in her score.
heart she had believed him guilty
but when confronted with his offensc,
conscience rsasseftcd itself; and con.
strained him to admit the truth
:: Philip went straig home to his
study, and there sat down. By-aud.by
he got up hastily, Unlocked a secreta,re,
and drew out something which glitter.
ed in the dull light OF the lamp. Il
was pistol. Heplaced 1t on the table
at his elbow, and turned his pale cheek
and absent eyes toward the FIRE Did
he see faces there, as We all do occa.
sionally, when imagination is busy and
judgement in abeyance Perhaps he
did. The gentle f.es, ff.!se's, il may, be, oi
his dead wife, earnest, loving, depre.
eating the evil decd he meditated,3
The faces, perchauce, Of his children,
touched with dread and wonder; appeal.
ing to him not to leave them helpless
to the scant mercy Of the WORLD. How.
ever that might be, change came OK Q,
his face bcfre long which augured
better! mind, and he put the shining
loathsome weapon back. ! .,i' w." = !
: t,ssOn the morrow, though his reaec
tions were bitter enough, the despair
which had given birth to, that dark
thought Of the previous night no lon
gea haunted him. It Was true that thert
was an end forever TO his hopes for Hon
or, but now at least. he, could face con
science once more. o3s He, was ever glad
amidst his disappointed passion ane
poi gnant sense of humiliation that h,
ii H~l La l