The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-01-14

the modesty with which he bore him
self in his great Office. The old
Duke soon gave everything into his
hands. and sat apart and listened with
proud satisfaction while his heir deliv-
cred the DEGREES of the crown from the
J seat of the premier. 1t seemed plain
that one so loved and praised and
honored of all men as Conrad was,
could not be otherwise than happy.
But strangely enough, he was not; for
he saw with dismay that the Princess
1 Constance had begun to love him
The love Of the rest Of the world was
happy fortune for him. but this was
/ freighted with danger! And he saw.
moreover, that the delighted Duke
had discovered his daughters passion
likewise, and was already dreaming of
q marriage. Every day somewhat of
the deep sadness that had been in the
Princess face faded away every day
hope and animation beamed brighter
from her eye; and bye and bye even
VagTant smiles visited the face that
had been so troubled.
Conrad was appalled,. He bitterly
cursed himself for yielding to the in
stinct that had made him seek the
companionship of one Of his own sex
when he was new and a stranger in
the paiaee-When be was sOrrowful
and yearned for q sympathy such as
only women can give or feel. He now
began to avoid his cousin. But this
only made matters worse, for natu-
rally enough, the more he avoided
her the more she cast herself in his
way. He marYeled at this at first;
aud next it startled him. The girl
haunted him she haunted him she
happened upon him at all times and
in all places. in the night as well as
in the day. She seemed singularly
anxious. There was surely a mystery
somewhere.
This could not go on for ever. All
the world was talking about it. The
Duke was beginning to look per-
picked. Poor Conrad was becoming
a very ghost through dread and dire
distress. One day, as he was emerg-
ing from a private ante-room attached
to the picture gallery, Constance con-
fronted him, and Selling both his
hands in hers, exclaimed:
"Oh, why do you avoid me? What
have | done-What have | said, to
lose your kind opinion of me-for
surely | had it once? Conrad, do not
despise me, but pity a tortured heart
| cannot, cannot hold the words un-
spoken longer lest they kill mel
love you, Conrad! There, despise me
if you must, but they aCould be ut
tered"
Conrad was s~peechless. Constance
hesitated a moment, and then misin-
terpreting his silence, a wild gladness
hamed In her eyes, and she flung her
arms about his neck and said:
You relently you relent! You can
love me-you WiU love mel Oh, say
you will, my own, my worshipped
Conrad! %
Conrad groaned aloud. A siekly
pallor o%verspread his co~untenance,
and he trembled like an aspen. Pres
emily, in desperation he thrust the
poor girl from him and cried:
You know not what you ask 1t
is forever andsever impossiblel' And
then he fed like a criminal, and left
the princess Supplied with amazement.
A minute after she was crying and Sob
bing there, and Conrad was crying and
sobbing in his chamber. Both were
in despair. Both saw ruin staring
them in the face.
Bye and bye Constance rose slowly
to her feet and moved away, saying:
To think that he was despising
my love at the very moment [ thought
it was melting his cruel heart! / hate
him. He spurned me, did this man.
He spurned me from him like a dog"
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