The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-07-27

!" humanity; you have placed me face
to face with vickedness such as I never
dreamed Of. and God will punish you
for the work."
Before be could move or speak again,
she was gone. He stood there a few
moments in the pleasant gloom,
While the echo Of the merry music
surged through the room and ber ter
ritle words seemed still ringing in bis
ear. The last Of bis youth had been
wrenched from him with a sudden
shook, and be was stranded without
waroing on 4 bleak, desolate middle
age. He bad loved this child so truly,
mad thought her everything noble and
pure, and she showed now q fendsh
M"dusa exuI ing in the paiu she had
wrought. She had dared to believe
him false ; if she had loved him, no
evidence. not even that Of her own
senses, could have shaken her faith.
He remembered there was private
sts'case by which he could reach the
dssssing-room Without meeting the
crowd. He hurried away, so utterly
crushed by the desolation which had
ruined his last hope, that there was no
longer place even for anger in his soul.
Up to the last Helen supported her
role; never had she looked so hand
some, never been 30 gay: She snatched
. leaf from Mrs. Vincent's book and
beat her at her own art. All the while
there was mad thought in her nind
that it was the eud nothing could
come after-not life itself could sup
port, this agony. "a? e.: ...?
The next day came; and5at. hoon al ct.
ter was handed Helen ; it was from Fall
more. Her first impulse was to tear it
unread, but she broke the seal. -
II am on the steamer bound for
Europe be content. l have witten to
your relatives that you broke our eo.
gagement. I could not allow your pride
10 suffer by any hints that it was my
doing. Take your life free from mo.
In this world We shall never meet again,
and think Heaven will be mercitul
enough to keep US worlds apart iu the
hereafter"
| Helen remained a few weeks longer
in town then it was almost the 6rst OF
May, and she persuaded her stepmoth-
er to 20 up to their quiet place in the
country. She had borne her despair
aud madc 90 sign allowed her relatives
to comment and upbraid gone ABOUT
among her acquaintances With a anil
ing face which told no tales; but her
strength was at the end She must have
solitude she could act part no long.
or j.; she would not stay where cruel eyes
could search her face and show by their
glance that they read her secret.
Mrs. Brevoort vas an Invaluable COM
panion at such time she let Helen
alone she had just sense enough to do
that. Her delicate health gave her occu.
patton OF which she never weariea. Her
medicine bottles were legion she weigh
ed her food in = tiny pair of scales, rote,
ate, walked by rule, and had so dwarfed
her naturally small mind, that she was
quite contert with her existence. She had
ueither leisure nor inclination to attend
to Helen. she loved the girl; was
rather glad to learn that the engage
ment had been broken, because now she
should not be lett alone.
Often afterward Helen Brevoort
wondered how she lived through that
sumner without going wholly mad or
ending her lie by the crowning act Of
= coward
The very brightness and beauty of
the season was an added pain-every
sight and sound of nature inexpressible
t'rture. She had no hope here, no faith
at times in the hereafter. Either the
merciful Father was in her distorted
vision cruel, merciless abstraction, or
she sank passively into the black hor-
rors Of Calvinism and believed that she
was working out predestiued curse.
However strong words I might en-
ploy to describe the. state of her, mind,
however exaggerated the language
might appear, it would family express
a tithe of her suffering. I can only
say, thank God there are some happy
soul, who cannot comprehend: God be
mersitu| to those who from experience
are sbie so to do. :.
! 1t could dc no good to any. human
being to record the suffering Of those
days and weeks I shall pass on 70 the
period when a change came.
| Early in the autumn Mrs. Brevoort
was seized with really serious illness.
and Helen was forced out Of her selfish
solitude. She did not attempt to evade
her duties night and day she was at
her post. But at first the task was
wearisome after that she fulfilled it in
. sort Of martyr-like spirit, which was
lust as morbid and wrong.
! But the hour camo in which she saw
the sufferer face to face with death, as
they both believed, and the patience
aud courage displayed by this weak
woman, whom she had always regarded
With a sort Of .ffe ctionate contempt,
broke the cloud which obscured her
soul. She understood for the first time
that in allowing her sorrow to become .
trrant. shA vas distortinp existence for