The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-17

acted or spoken falsehood. Whatever
it was, the fact remained the same.
Once at least, before it was too late,
she wavered-once at least, asked
herself whether the gain was worth
tho risk. But such questions are cas-
lily answered when years are few and
impulses strong. eff l must be mis-
erable,' thought the girl Of eighteen,
sit is better to be miserable with him
than without him. Besides, I do be-
lieve-I will belicve-that he loves
mol" And so the die was cast.
When she laid her head down on the
pillow that night, her decision was
nlade-she would accept him, and
abide the consequences.
Meanwhile there was another per-
son besides herself whom indacision
and conflict kept wakeful during much
of that night. Long after Roses eyes
had closed in slumber, Alice Inglesby
still paced her room, with q face
strangely set and brows strangely
knitted. 1t was evident that she
was thinking deeply; and truly she
had cause enough for thought. In
the course Of our lives it chances that
most of Us influence directly or indi-
rcctly, in greater or lesser degree, the
lives of others. But, as o general
rule, we do not recognize even this
influence until after the effect has
taken place. We are rarely conscious
of it at tho time, for we walk ever in
mist; and the day Of our death is
not more effectually hidden from US
than the consequences Of our least
actions. Yet sometimes this veil of
ignorance is liftcd-partially, at least.
Sometimes we are able to behold, as
in q mirror, the direct results of GER
tain acts, and, beholding them, we
must be strangely reckless of things
present, and things to come, if we do
not pause-awed a little by our own
responsibility. It was such q moment
just now, with Alice. She was pain.
fully conscious that she held in her
hand the thread of fate for three
lives besides her. own. She was op.
pressed with the sense that, on her
decision, rested the future of three
people; and that circumstance-the
potent monarch Of human lifc-soem,
ed for once passively awaiting her
command. All day the sense Of this
responsibility had been with her, and
all day she had rebelled against and
denied it. ri am only one of the &C.
TORS" she thought. 81 have no more
control over the drama than they"
But tonight this fimsy selfdeception
was, at an end. Tonight she saw
before her the stern array of inevita.
bic consequences, and, since they were
inevitable, faced them steadily.
"Onco for oil, will weigh the matter
in every aspect she thought; and, as
the hours went on, she still paced the
floor, and still weighed it.
She had summed up the whole case
in it's personal application to them.
selves, when she spoke to Kennon in
tho morning but there was the other
side, the side not personal to them.
selves, to be considered. When she
said to him, "You have lost an inheri,
tance; I am wholly without fortune.
We should, in every sense, mar each
others lives if we cast them together
she stated truth which he could not
gainsay; but when she was called up.
on to decide for Devereux and Rose,
it was not so easy. "They 60 into
the matter with their eyes open," she
said. "Rose loves Kennou, and Dev-
ereux loves me-is not that cnoug u
But then came the question-Dld
they 60 inte it with their eyes open
Would Rose be likely to marry Ken
non if she could hear him declare
that he had never loved but ono wo-
man who had given him up ten years
before? Would Devereux accept
even her hand if he could sec her heart
and see how porsistcntly it clung to
the man who had first wakened its
romance and passion? Yet what of
these things? Was it once, in thou
sand cases Of marriage, that love was
equal on both sides? Did not hun
dreds of men and women marry from
motives more unworthy than Ken
mons or her own, and yet mako ex-
celent husbands and wives? She
could answer for her own after-con-
duct, she was sure. She liked Dover
eux well enough to do moro than
tolerate him. His character was
pleasant to her, his manners suited
her, and his tastes agreed with hers.
This was q good foundation, and Of
herself she had reason to be confident.
But Kennon! There, indeed, was
cause for hesitation. What his life
had been, she know; what it would
be, she had sufficient experience of
tho world TO foresce. Knowing the
one, forcsccing the other, could she
stand aside and let Rose rush head
long on her fate? In vain sho
thorght that it was mono Of her af-
fair; that the girls self, and tho girls
parents, were alone concerned. Con.
science rose mp in reply, and said: "lt
is you alone who can save her." "But
why should L save her?" she asked.
"She is nothing to mo; while kennon
whose interests l am serving-is
very much"
She had scarcely asked the question
when she stopped moment, and her
glance, by somo strange magnetism,
was attracted to miniature that lay
m shnr toilet-table. Almost uncOn-