The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-12-28

lA|O"S DfCheRS CHT2St71GS kS{OTu e2ltL-
tied "Mugby Junction.
THE ENctMEER's STORY.
IcoNTINUEp.1
If she had shown a fair and open
preference for either of us, no real
harm could have come of it. Iwould
have put any constraint upon myself,
and, Heaven knows! have borne any
suffering, to see Mat really happy.
/ know that he would have the same,
and more if he could, for me. But
Glanetta cared not one sou for either.
She never meant to choose between
us. 1t gratifed her vanity to divide
US; it amused her to play with us. 1t
would pass my power to tell how, by
thousand imperceptible shades of
coquetry-by the lingering of
glance, the substitution of a word.
the fitting of a smile-sho contrived
to turn our heads, and torture our
hearts, and lead us on to love her.
She deceived us both. She buoyed
us both up with hope; she maddened
us with jealousy; she crushed us with
despair. For my part, when 1 Iseemed
to wake to sudden sense of the ruin
that was about our path, and [ saw
how the truest friendship that ever
bound two lives together was drifting
on to wreck and ruin, [ asked myself
whether any woman in the world was
worth what Mat had been to me and I
to him. But this was not often. 1
was reader to shut my eyes upon the
truth than to face it; and so lived on,
wllfully, in a dream
Thus the autumn passed away. and
winter came-the strange, treacher-
GUS, Genoese winter, green with olive
and lex, brilliant with sunshine and
bitter with storm. Still, rivals at
heart and friends on the surface, Mat
and [ fingered on in our lodging in
the Vicolo Balba Still Gianetta held
us with her fatal wiles and her still
more fatal beauty. At length there
came day when I felt I could bear
the horrible misery and suspense of
it no longer. The sun, I vowed,
should not go down before knew
my sentence. She must choose be-
tween us. She must either take me
or let ne go. [ was reckless-I was
desperate. [ was determined to know
the worst or the best. If the worst,
l would at once turn my back upon
Genoa, upon her, upon all the pur-
SUITS and purposes of my past life,
and begin the world anew This L
told her, passionately and sternly,
standing before her in the little par
lor at the back of the shop, one bleak
December morning.
eff it's Mat whom you care for
most, I said, "tell me so in one
word, and [ will never trouble YOU
again. He is better worth your love.
L am Jealous and exacting-he is as
trusting and unselfsh as a woman.
Speak, Gianetta; am I to bid you
goodbye forever and ever, or am L to
write home to my mother in Eng
land, bidding her pray to God to
bless the woman who has promised to
be my wife?"
'You plead your friends cause
well, shereplied, haughtily. "Matteo
ought to be grateful This is more
than he ever did for you"
''Glve me my answer, for PHYS
sake L exclaimed, ''and let me go!''
;'Yon are free to go or stay, Signor
lnglese," she replied. 81 am not
your jailor"
'Do you bid me leave you?'
"Beata Madre! not ["
will you marry me if L stay?"
She laughed alond-such merry,
mocklng, musical laugh, like chime
of silver bells!
6oa ask too MUCH" she said.
only what you have led me to
nope these five or six months past!
"fllat IS just what Matteo says.
How tlresome you botA ar,.''
80 Ganetta," 1 said, plssionately.
"be serious for one moment! [ am
rough fellow, it is trur-not half
good enough or clever enough for
you; but | love you with my whole
heart, and an Emperor could do no
more