The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-09-14
sDear Paul, be reesouabls."

"Dssr Paul, be reasonable" said
Msgdalen, more tenderly; "what can
you expect from me, . woman Of
strong will, and holding ny f.thers
wishes as the most sacred things On
earth, but the determination to uphold
my right and fulfill his iutentions2
If every time in our lives differ from
you In opinion, and even in action, it
would nveer do for me to yield 10
sooh 70 terrible fit Of despair as this.
Paul." 'nd she tried to smile, '.Tbis
will never do p
"Magdalen-darliug vife-do With
me as you will! Only love me, bo
gentle with me IS you will, even with
my conscience! Arrange my life Is
you like. lam passive in your hands"
"Your conscience 2" said M.gdalen:;
~ am not dealing With your con.
science, nor your life, excepting in 20
tar as it relates to my own. What I
do is in my own affairs, aud the re.
spoosibility, both social and moral, is
on 10y own head only. I do not associ-
ate you in any way with it, nor lay
feathers weight upon youw She
did not meau to speak proudly, and yet
she did.
He raised his head. "Do as you
will" he repeated. "Ooly love me,
and let the rest gow
"This is my protector" thought
Magdalen, standing little apart aud
looking at him mournfully. "A weak,
poetic boy Of intellect, but Of no power;
of thought, but of no real force Of
action. And -" she laid her
hand on her bosom heaving with emo.
ton, "and 1 must be strong enough
for both, and never let him nor the
world know that I regard him Is the
petted child, whom I must soothe by
caresses and from whom I must guard
truth"
This discussion had no good effect
on either Of them. Magdalen could
not over come the impression left by
Psuls tears on her. She never
thought Of him now without associat.
ing him with an hysterical fit; which
is neither . pleasant nor q digoi6ed
association Of ideas with any man, more
especially the man who is to be tho
lord and master. Her manners grew
colder; and, With her coldness came .
certain shadovy assumption Of superb
ority; a certain vague expression Of
contempt, which cut Paul to the soul.
Yet he felt that he deserved both.
But his unhappiness did not add to
his strength. He daily became more
unhappy, daily more hysterical. His
health suffered, his finely chiseled feat
ures became like the beauty of heart
broken angel; his lips were painfully
contracted, and so we're his eyes
those large, tender, liquid blue orbs
were never wholly free fr,m tears, even
while he forced himself to smile, in
sch ghastly fashion As imposed on
none but himself. When Magdslen
scolded him for being miserable, be
smiled in this awful way, and asked
her what more she wanted p aud
didn't she see how happy and joyous
be was?
In the midst of this painful state of
things, Andrew, seeing that nothing
could be done either by menace or
eotreaty, suddenly resolved on ex-
treme measures. In one of his drunk
en- fits Of fury, when he was more like
demon than a man, he procured
warrant for the apprehension Of bis
sister on charge of forgery ; and ten
minutes after it was granted by the
magistrate a police officer was des-
patched to thai still quiet country
house where he, tho prosecutor, Was
born, to bring to a telou's trial the
playmate Of his early years, and the
friend of his manhood-his only and
defenceless sister.
1t was in the grim autumn twilight
when Magdaleu and Paul heard a car
risge pass through the lawn gates, and
drive up to the house. Paul had been
unusually doleful all the day, for Nag
daleu had been unusually absent in her
manners. She had expected q letter
from her brother As usual and, not re-
ceiving one, anticipated some evil, and
was thinking how she should best
meet it. Paul, who referred al things
to love, wondered Why she was not
soothed by bis c.resses. He thought
it unkind IN her to refuse them, and
unloving to doubt their power. He
had been troublesome, and fearful; and
Magdalen bad been provoked into
more than one look of intense weari-
ness, which had not mended matters,
even as they stood. When she heard
the carrisge-wheels, for . moment her
heart sank within her: she felt what
they brought, she knew what they
foreboded. And when strange voice
"as heard in the passage, asking for
her, and = tall, resolute-looking man
was ushered into the drawiog-room-
| which he seemed instantly to take pos
session Of by the first glance Of his eye
she knew without word passing be-
tween them that he was an officer, and
had come to arrest her.
II am very sorry, MISS" he said, in
an of-hand kind of way, but With
opo.k k;ndnooo of mamma, %oo-..