The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-01-12
Il i N f i D D 0 W N

voice IrelnDlcu WIFI lne ucplH VI lie
emotion. 'lf | thought one thousandtll
part of the love | feel for you were re.
deprecated, l should be perfectly happy
Gabrielle"
The flush of joy that shone in the
ewes of Gabrielle Lascours was qucnched
as the white lid dropped suddenly with
an aifectation that was the perfection OF
art
Il love you" she nirtrmured.ina a voice
50 low that Lloyd Eggleston bent his
head to catch tile faint reply, and SHE
laid her..white hand in his.
Lloyd pressed it to his lips tapturous
| ly.
MY happiness is so great that can
hardly realize it, he said, drawing heI
close in a fervent embrace. "When
have seen you, Gabrielle, so far above
me, so infinitely superior to every other
woman of my acquaintance, have won
,lered if there existed in this world one
who was worthy to win the priceless
blessing of your love. / have stood afar
off, worshipping with my heart and eyes,
without daring to aspire to your love
and now, when | find your affection be
slowed upon my unworthy self, | can
hardly realize that a happiness 50 far be
yond my deserts is really mine
That rare smile, which made Gabrielle S
beauty so dangerous to the hearts OF
men, parted her lips, and flush, srosv as
the dawn, crcpt into either delicate
check
''As if such little thing as | am could
make or mar your happiness" she said,
with happy laugh. "fou will rriake
me quite vain"
"Ah! Gabrielle, little Gabrielle, with
your innocent eyes! L wonder if you
women comprehend how much of power
for good or evil lies in your weak hands !
A pure woman's love has saved many a
Young man from ruin, and an evil heart.
linked with fair face, has wrecked and
blighted the fairest hopes of manhood
| had a friend once, with las noble and
generous heart as ever throbbed i'll q
human bosom. Lurcd on by the beauty
of vile woman, whom he so passion
atcly loved that all advice and remon-
strances were useless, he was cntrapped
into an unhappy marriage, when he learn
ed the old story so often and bitterly Ell
forced, that beauty is often but deceit
ful mask to cover the foulest corruption
of which the human heat is capable
She disgraccd him publicly by her shame
less conduct; she ruined his worldly
prospects by her lavish extravaganza
she treated his remonstrances with con
tempt, his affection with ridictle and
scorn, and added the last drop to the
Overlooking cup by the darkest sin known
to the annals of crime, the sin of mur,
der" av
"Murderm
Gabriers voice, so huarsc and unnat
ural in its tones, drew Eg9lcstcn's attcn-
ton.
Deathly pale, with her eyes dilated
with terror, she could scarcely articulatp
the word that came in hoarse whisper
from her pallid lips.
Good heavens, Gabrielle! have ]
frightened you so, then, my darling p
All if the mention of this terrible crime
can affect you thus, think what the reality
must have been to us, who loved him so
"But the horrible design was frustra-
ted, thank God! He lives an existence
made wretched by the thoughts of his
wasted and broken youth, and the doubts
and suspicious he has learned from his
sad experience to feel toward his fellow
men.
"'My faith in humanity is dead he
said to me once. Il shall never love or
trust again
"And now good-by darling, for have
fingered too long, already"
With an effort, Gabrielle reused her,
self, to assume composed and natural
manner, to reply to his loving words, and
return his parting smile.
When he was gone, she rose, and pac-
ed the room with a rapid and excited
step.
ut is nothing but coincidence" she
whispered to herself--"a mere coinci
dence; and yet it affects me thus. l must
be turning coward
She paced the room in silence for 9
few moments, while a spasm of pain con.
tracted her features.
81 hear his last words yet" she broke
out suddenly. "Will they ever haunt me
thus May you live, Gabrielle, to love
as have loved, and receive such re,
ward as mine
As she repeated the words, vision
| rose before her eycs-a vision of wo,
man sitting on bed, whereon a form
was stretched, already growing cold and
rigid in the agonies of death. The face
becoming gray with the shadows o.
death, how indelibly is every feature
written upon the memory!
The room crowded with people, who
talk excitcdly together in Il foreign Ian
guage-thelr angry whispers, and suspi
cious glanccs.
Then secret flight by the light of thu
stars, leaving the unburicd corpse behind
the long and tedious sea voyage, under
an assumed name, with q forged pass
port, the shipwreck on foreign coast
and finally the brilliant debut, under thu
name of Gabrielle Lascours, in that soci
ETY. where she first met Lloyd EgglcstOn
Here the train of thought grew bright
er,for the brilliant and beautiful Lascour:
had been the star of beauty and of fash
ion in the circle wherein she moved. Tc
the magic of her smile, and the bewildcr
ing light of her magnificent eyes, prouc
men had bent in acknowledgment, de
lighted to do homage to such beauty.
Her toilet was at once the delight anC
envy of her feminine rivals, and wha
she wore or did not wear, was approved
or vetoed accordingly.
Here, for the first time, she had learn
ed TO love.
Cold and naughty as an empress out
wardly, she owned in her secret heart th
magnetic power of Lloyd Egglcston
influence.
To captivate this man, she had dis
played every art and charm of which sh
was mistress, and when at last he lait
his heart and fortune at her feet, il need
ed all her tact TO conceal the triumphan
Il, fol& - h., c,aaoo,