The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-03-21

o''i s1le Says notnlusj onIy '"o
clasp on my arm tightcns, till I wriggle
uncomfortably under it.
"You must, of course, write at once,"
L say, in matter -of-tact voice, "aDd
tell him that you are sorry, aud that
you will not do whatever it vas
again"
"Say I am sorryv' cries Lenorc,
starting to her feet. "Eat dirt, and
60, like whipped child, with its finger
in its mouth, and say, I'll be good "
Not if know it,"
She no longer looks like Mag!alen,
or if she does, it is very res;ivc onc,
every WE'LL" say I coolly, "if you
prefer your pride to your lover, Of
course il is matter of taste which is
best wo:tl keeping. EI have no more
to say"
No ansser
II see," continue |, i,h effected en-
thasiasm, "you are conscious that you
were in the right, and that he was so
completely in the wrong that the first
advance must come from him. 1 un-
derstand, Of course l respect you"
"Do not !" cries Lenore, grufly. II
was MT in the right-am I ever? But
the knowing that one is 10 the wrong
does not make it any the easier to say
it."
"There are so many ways of imply.
ing thing without exactly saying itw
Silcnce.
"My dear child," say I, stretching
out my hand to take one Of hers, which
is twisting and turning its fellow about,
'the question is, how can you live
best with your dignity and without
Paul, or with Paul and without your
dignity ?"
She falls oa her knees beside me
again she buries her face in my lap.
"Jemima, never tell anybody, and, II
you are asked, say that it is not SO and
never remind me, when you get angry,
that l have said 1t; but-but" (very
indistinctIy) III would eat all the dirt
that ever was in all the world to ge,
him back again-there ~ Cooking uF
and coloriug violently.) "Was there
ever case on record of anybody favine
said any thing so mean? ?"
1 shrug my shoulders.
"What does it matter about beine
mean, SO as one is happy ?" say I, with
a philosophy of doubtful morality, ii
carried out to its final consequences
"Write, ecrite, WRITE, and if possible
(pickin: up the note again, and laugh
ips), "Sritc with better pen than he
did, Leno:e" Examining it more mar.
rowly). l do believe he cried over it
Look what a suspicious blot over the
sP.'w
"Oo]y sputtering pen or bad blot
! tiog-paper," replies Lenore. But sh'
is laughing, too, and there is an alert
ness in her gait :as she walks across The
room in strong contrast to the heavy
droop of her attitude FIVE minutes ago
"Jemima" her poor red eyes sparkling
again, and tender tremor about tho
quivering corners Of her mouth), 81
will write. God knows what will CONF
Of it, or how l shall bear the waitin:
for the answer bat-I will write"
"Do," say L; ard then I draw al
armchair to the fire, and Lenore sit
down to the writing-table. The open
ing sentences seem to be PATCHED witt
difficulty, but after them her pen run
glib]y enough it is going to be long
er letter than his. "Lenore," say ]
presently, turning my head round, an
speaking difiidcntly, II think that, Of
, the suprosition that this may no
bring him back-a most lmprobabl
one, but still possible-I-Cdo not b
; argry)-I would not make it too afte,
tionatc." She fushes scarlet, reads
! over hastily over, then tears it into
thousand bits, and running over to tn
iire, tosses the fragments in. "Nor to
cold,' suhjoin, rather startled at tn
effect Of my caution. "Do not you ur
. derstaud ?" continue, eagerly. 9Th
kind of letter you should write Is on
that, if he is 50 disposed, will brin
him back again and that, if he is nc
so disposed, will not make you hot t
: think of having sent it,
To compose such letter es I hav
,, described seems a hard task. Th
= hearth is strewn with little shreds {
paper, before one that Eits the golde
mean between the fond and the frigit
is written fairly out without blots 9
erasures.
"Will you read it? ?" asks my siste
holding it out rather reluctantly to mt
e when it is at length finished. ~ thin
a I had rather you did not, but you ma.
: if you wish"
r shake my head, and swallow dow
my curiosity.
J. "Why should L? It is between 20
and him :; what has a third person
do with it?"
She turns away relieved, folds it VI
directs it, aud fastcns the envelope.
"Jemima," she says, clasping m
!, arms with her two hot slender hand
t while her great solemn eyes fix then
c selves, feverish and miserably excitet
en- mine, "the re- possibility OF this lie
E.; with you. I do not know whether
q | ia offact;onata or mt T cannot indpe-