Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-05-18

y
see me going crazy before your face and
viii not speak Il word to me-
q can't say anything more,' she an
swered slowly.
Then you give me up? you cast me
off, as everybody else has done? ! have
not lied to yOu-I never pretended that
| was good man; but you might make
me what you pleased
%, Charley, Charley '-thC utterance
of the old familiar name was like a sob
IF you cannot be all that you ought
from a higher reason, no efforts Of mine
would avail
They would-they would y
She shook her head sadly, retaining all
the while her forced cOmpOsUrc, though
inwardly she trembled 50 that she could !
hardly stand.
'They have made YOU hate me-, lie
exclaimed. You look upon me a. a
monster. After all, how am I so much
worse than other men? IF the truth
were known, half these sanctimOniOus
people who abuse me have done things
worse than (
She put up her hand pleadingly, and
he stopped. She could not bear to hear
him attempt such self-iustification.
With her religious feelings, the eXcesses :
of which he had been guilty appeared
much more terrible than they would
have done to woman Of the world
but she loved him in spite Of everything
for when did such doubts ever change
affection
%, Charlesr y she said suddenly, for
your own sake, for your mothers; he
true to yOurself-make your life all that
it ought to be-
what da care for myself? As for
nv mother she has a son to depend upon
I am of no cOnsequencc-mO one will
care how I end
You are breaking my heart, Do not
make us all 50 miserable
She rung her hands with a sudden
passion which startled him. She was
usually so quiet that, with his impetuOus
nature accustomed to give vent to every
feeling he had at times accused her Of a
want of feeling.
1T is my heart which is breaking he
answered Annie, don't cast me Off
don't send me away utterly desperate
IF YOU had lost every hope in the
world, you ought not to be That. can
never be anything to yOu-my father
viii never permit it,.
'And you can hesitate between us ?
Is this your love y
My duty is stronger than my love-
she said, 'and I shall obey. Were I
alone in the world l might well hesitate
before I committed my happiness to
your keeping; but | would do it-I
would trust to your affection to lead you
Alright; but now"
Now you may do it. There is no one
loves you as | do: you fear your father
more than you love him your brothers
tyrannize over you. Only come with
me-be my wife, and let us be happy in
spite of the whole world
DO you think | could be happy with
my fathers anger hanging oyer me%
He would forgive you III the end"
you know him better than to believe
that. No, Charles rather have patience
and wait. Who can tell, if you did as
you ought, worked hard and made your
self good name, that he would in the
end yield :?
He hates me too much for that. There
is no hope
The sun was baginning to fade. Annie
dare not remain, and she was growing
SO faint and weary that she longed to
end the pang of parting.
you are anxious to CO. he said bitter
ly; you grudge me even this last half
hour. Do not fear, l shall never ask
another
You will sorry for such cruel words
when you are gOne,' she returned, |
Don't make these last memories 50 Bit /
ter
Then llls Wild love came up again, and /
he implOred her with all the fervOr of /
passion not to leave him; but though |
she Wept in agony her firmness was Un- |
shaken. She could die, but she could |
not take a step which she felt to be
wicked. 7
'Then gon he exclaimed. 'T shall
never trouble you again. I swear you |
again. I swear l shall never trouble /
you again, swear you shall repent |
this to the last days of your life. You |
have made me utterly Desperate have /
nothing to live for now"
"YOUr mOtheF-FeLaembeF your moth !
eT.
IL shall be better out of her way-T !
have always been a curse to her all my |
Iife'
Then his mood changed. He elasped I
Annie for an instant in his arms, and .
before she could speak he was gone. |
The last look of his white face, cOnvuI- /
sed with mingled emotions, terrified her /
so unutterably, that she had not strength /
even to pronounce his name,
After q time she sa."gcGse from the ground |
where she fallen rather than sank from |
any will Of her own, and went slowly |
home through the chill twilight.
For two days longer Charley Manson |
fingered about the village then disap- /
peaHe6. was supposed at first that he /
had returned to London, but two days
later his mother found a letter in the /
chamber which he usually occupied.
1t only said that he should never .
trouble her again-neither her nor any !
one. 1t was better that everything /
should end.
At first she could not understand the .
signature Of the half-illegible scrawl. .
Gradually it broke upon her mind that |
the leRye-taKing meant suicide. She |
grew almost mad with hqrrqr O. tha /
Thought,
The report went abroad, and every
body formed q separate opinion; but .
when the tidings reached Annie Linn,
she could not doubt, even for an instant.
that he was dead,
Alrs, Manson Wrote To his city friends,
He had not been seen; nowhere any IT,
dings. She could do nothing.
More than a week passed. II was a
bright delicious Spring. The trees were
all green; the CrOcuses and SnOwdTOps
were blosseming in the little garden
a colony of robins haunted the old apple
trees, aud flew in at the omen windows,
telling beautiful tales of their southern
flight. But there was no peace i'm all
its growing richness of beauty and life.
1t was the middle of the afternoon.
Her father and brothers were uut, and
Annie Linn stood IN the side door, look
ing across the fields toward the river
She saw a group of children rush Wild
IL up the path she had last trOdden with
Charles Manson. Out from the nearest
houses Of the village ran several men,
taking the path the children had ooWe
lp, which led to the cove
1t was a beautiful spot In the Summer
time, when the WATERWAYS low, sheltered ;
between the high green banks of the (
shore and the tall trees of the island
bnt at thGt s9a3QD &c thg year tie our. ;
teht way so swollen by the Spring rains !
that the Island was half overlooked, and
the pretty cove was a deep black eddy, q
where the waters seCthed and fOamed in &
their insane whiT!
Annia Linn stood mOtIopIess in the |
doorway. From the first Instant she
saw the wild race OF the children she S
understood what had happened. They ,
had found the body; he had been drown I
ed in the cove.
Then the dreadful doubt whether il /
had been accidental or the work of self {
destruction. She remembered his last [
words but even in that hour Of extreme
anguish she could not see her way 10 1
nctnd llfInrnntlN