The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-11-15

"
dark eyes, ] shrank away from his arm,
and said;
:, [ cannot leave Millyn
10 0uroWn thinking, had pronounced
oar Doom now; but Mark Sutherland
could laugh, and said:
. Wen, then, you shall not; Miss
MiIIy shall go too.7
"Ah. if that could only be; but NIilly
would die in India. We came home
because the climate was killing her.
.hnd you will not leave her?''
/ promised mamma, before she died,
that | never would that if married it
should not separate us; that my home
should be Milly's till she did not need
it," l answered., faItering under some
thing III the look of his face that was
new to me-. Up 70 this time I had been
thinking of myself, row | was reminded
that | WIGS giving pain 20 him.
He was silent two or three minutes,
looking away into the distance. lie
had taken his hand from my shoulder.
"Well, Hester,o said he presently,
graveIy, not unkindig-but, ah AS il
seemed to me, very eoldly-" you have
simply to choose between your sister
and myself. You are best able to judge
Of your sisters claims upon you, Of my
own, viii only sas- that / love you.
never thought or cared much about
women till saw you, so am not likely
TO change my liking or to forget ii; and
try to plead my cause against your
sisters. Il is for you to decide and for
me to abide by your decision"
7 looked desperately UP to the smiling
blue heavens, at the calm stream flow
ing on its path to the sea, at all the sun
baslling peace around nae, and prayed
with a prayer SO passionate that it SEEM
ed like a loud demand, that [ might not
be forced into Staying with nay own
hands the young happiness Of my life.
. | cannot and will not do it" | said in
my own heart; yet knoWingat the same
time that | Hltst and could.
Then Mark spoke again.
9 Would you like q little time to con-
slider The matter? | need not leave the
Hollies till tomorrow evening, or, per
haps, the next day
j" No" / ansWerea-With or without
my own viii l never knew. " | know
what must do cannot leave Milly.n
"And Milly cannot so. That decides
it then. Well, | have nothing to say, |
am the last man to persuade any enc
against their Judgment
He rose deliberately, but did not go,
for | sat STILL
Are you going home?" he asked,
after a minute. !. Hester, don't look so
sad; you are feeling for NEEDN'T do
that. | should like to think of you
when / am over the sea; as happy as [
would have tried to have made you;
think of me. sometimes as q friend. |
don't expect to forget you, ffester.
Good bye.n
His hand as he held it out, shook ever
so lightly, but it held mine in firm
pressure for an instant. Then he let 1t
whistIed his DOES around him, and
strobe away again along the sea wall,
without once taken to look back.
Mlly and | were both orphans. Our
father and mother had both died in
India, and we We're sent home to the
care Of our sole relative, my fathers
only sister, an elderly maiden lady,
living in kind Of lady-like poverty at
dull little village at Kent. Aunt Dolly
died when ! was seventeen and Milly
twelve, leaving to us the little cottage
that had been her home and ours, with
everything it contained no very vaiu-
able beuuest, but all the poor soul had
to leave; and here Milly and mot
heiresses, no, but not destitute, neither
continued to live with the dear old
servant who had been our aunt's faith
full companion, and our kind, affection
ate nurse ever since, fatherless and
motherless, we had been sent to
England.
There were not many people to visit
at HilIstead-the rector, the doctor, and
the family at the Hollies comprised
them. / think we were the most lntl-
mate at the Hollies for the children
there were AIiIIy's contemporaries, and
her sWorN admirers and friends. tirst
saw Mark Sutherland at the iiolllesi he
was Mr.. 5utherlands cousin, and had
heard of him often before ! saw him.
He had led wild. adventurous kind Oh
| life, wandering all over the world for
his simple pleasure, suppose, since i
never heard that he had any Other oi.jeei
/ in doing so. / had formed my ltsea al
him; to be sure the reality was hot iii
/ the least like 1t. No, quite otherwise,
and vet, after the first five minutes, !
would not have changed the real man
] for the ideal for worlds.
Do not suppose thatl specuiated nileA
upon Mark s character IN those days
such as he was loved him, dearly lovee
L;,, b \ IVA would newer know how