The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-01-12
THE EN- GINEER
ACURIOUS STORY.
ICOntinued.l

i cannot Tell W INV
came about, or what first led me to sus-
pect how things were going with us
both but long before the waning Of
that autumn coldness had sprung up
between my friend and myself. 1t was
nothing that could have been put into
words. 1t was nothing that either of
us could have explained or justified, to
save his life. We lodged together, ate
together, worked together, exactly as
before we even took our long evenings
walk together, when the days labor was
ended; and except, perhaps, that we
were more silent than of old, no mere
looker-on could have detected shadow
of change. Yet there it was, silent and
subtle, widening the gulf between us
every day.
1t was not his fault. He was too gentle
hearted to have willingly brought about
such state of things between us. Nei-
ther do believe-fiery as my nature IS
that it was mine. 1t was all hers
hers from first to last-the sin, and the
shame, and the sorrow.
IF she had shown fair and open
preference for either of us, no real harm
could have come of it. | would have
put any constraint upon myself, and,
Heaven knows! have borne any suffer
ing, to see Mat really happy. l know
that he would have done the same, and
more if he could, for me. But Gianetta
cared not one sou for either. She never
meant to choose between us. 1t graft
fed her vanity to divide us; it amused
her to play with us. 1t would pass my
power to tell how, by thousand imper-
ceptible shades of coquetry-by the lin
gering of glance, the substitution OF
word, the fitting of a smile-she con-
trived 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 hopes; she maddened us
with jealousy; she crushed us with des-
pair. For my part, when seemed TO
wake to sudden sense of tho 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, l asked my
self whether any woman in the
world was worth what Mat had been to
me and l to him. But this was not
often. was reader to shut my eyes
upon the truth than to face 1T; and SO
lived on, wilfully, in dream. j.,
Thus the autumn passed away, ana
winter camc,-the strange, treacherous
Gcnoese winter, green with olive ana
lex, brilliant with sunshine, and bitter
with storm. Still, rivals at heart and
friends on the surface, Mat and | linger-
ed on in our lodging i'll the Nicolo Bal
la. Still Gienctta held us with her
fatal wiles and her still more fatal
beauty. At length there came day
when I felt / could bear the horrible
misery and suspense of it no longer.
The sun, vowed, should not go down
before knew my sentence. She must
choose between us. She must either
take me OF let me 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, up
on all the pursuits and purposes
of my past life, and begin the
world anew. This l told her passion
ately and sternly, standing before her
in the little parlor at the back OF the
shop. one bleak November morning. -.
"if it's Mat whom you care for most y
I said. "tell me so i'll one word, ana
will never trouble you again. lie Is
better worth your love. l am jealous
and exacting; he is as trusting and un-
selfish as n woman. Speak. Glanetta;
am to bid you good bye for ever and
ever, or am / to write home to my
mother in England, bidding her pray to
God To bless the woman who has prom
. l,o ,,,- ifa ~
"You plead your friends cause WE'LL v
she replied haughtily. Matted ought
to be grateful. This is more than he
ever did for you" =,
"Give me my answer, for PHYS sake"
I exclaimed, "and let me go"
"You are free to go or stay, Signor
Inglese," she replied. II am not your
"Do Won bid me leave your
"Beata Madre not l."
"Will Won marry me if stay"
She laughed aloud-such a merry.
mocking, musical laugh, like chime of
silver bells!
HYou ask too much,n she said.
"Only what you have led me to hope
these five or six months past"
! THAT is Just what Matteo says. How
tiresome you both arew
40 Gianetta,' l said, passionately,
"be serious for moment! L am a
rough fellow, it is true,-not half good
enough or clever enough for you; but l
love you with my whole neart, and an
Emperor could not do more"
81 am glad ofit," she replied; VI do
not want you to love me less"
"Then YOU cannot wish to make me
wretched! Will yeu promise me 7"
~ promise nothing" said she with
another burst of laughter, Except that
I will not marry Matteow
Except that she would not marry,
Matteoi Only that. Not word of
hone for myself. Nothing but my
friends condemnation. l might get
comfort, and selfish triumph, and some
sort of base assurance out OF that, II !
could. And so, to my shame, L did. L
grasped at the vain encouragement,
and. fool that was let her put me off
again unanswered. From that day, |
gave up all effort at self-control, and
let myself drift blindly Onto destruc-
ton.
At length things became so bad be-
tween Mat and myself that it seemed as
if an open rupture must be at hand.
We avoided each other, scarcely ex-
changing q dozen sentences in day,
and fell away from our old familiar hab-
its. At this time-I shudder to remem-
ber it there were moments when felt
that hated him.
Thus, with the trouble deepening and
widening between US day by day, anoth,
February came; and, with February, the
Carnival. They said in Genoa that it
was a peculiarly dull carnival, and so
il must have been; for, save flag or
two hung out in some Of the principal
streets, aud sort of fiesta look about
women, there were no special indica-
tions of the season. 1t was, think, the
second day, when, having been on the