Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-10-02
the appearance in San Francisco paper of
the following:
"PERsoNAL.- Walter Mason will please send
his address to his anxious and devoted
CAROLINE MASON"

"PERsoNAL.- Walter Mason will please send
his address to his anxious and devoted
CAROLINE MASON"
Social thunderbolts detonate always direct
ly in ratio to the size of the communities into
which they fall. All Gopherton wasi in a state
of feverish excitement three hours after the
mail was distributed on this fateful morning
all of it, except Marion and her little army of
seamstresses, among whom she sat, fresh as
a rose, her brown eyes full of happy dreams,
and her lovely cheek tinge more rosy than
its wont, toying with some dainty fabric which
entered into the composition of that magically
interesting thing, a happy brides wedding
dress. 1t should be picture, a poem, raw.
ishment, that dress. She wanted to look, o!
so lovely in his eyes. She longed to please
him beyond anything he had ever imagined
by her looks on their wedding-day. She emeant
he should be the bappiest husband, as she
knew she should be the happiest wife in all
the world.
The click of the garden-gate, and the sound
of rapid, wel-known tread on the graveled
walk broke in upon her dream, pleasantly
enough, but with little surprise; for cher
boy," as she still called him, in her secret
thoughts and sometimes audibly, beneath the
rose bowers of the garden, was not used to ap-
pear at the house during the business hours Of
the day. Divining that his errand was to her,
Marion ran down to meet him, and found him
standing by the great bay-window in the par.
lor with such look upon his face as she had
never seen there before.
"Oh Walter" she cried, with a vague
| r. Ia rp, bar fhopphfo rovortino RI har father
to public calamity, to any possibility but
the true one, something has happened; what
is it?"
"Have they not told your" he inquired,
hoarsely y, without moving.
81 have not heard anything. If it concerns
me, Walter, please tell me at once," said Ma
rion, pausing close beside him, and feeling as
much wonder as alarm at his strange manner,
that was not even friendly.
Savagely, almost, he thrust the paper into
her hand, with the PERSONAL strongly mark
ed, as it had been by some one who had laid
it on the desk at the bank. She read it over
twice, thrice, her color paling slowly, until
the horrible meaning at last had reached her
reluctant comprehension.
"What is Caroline Mason to you? she
asked, coldly-oh so coldly-as people ask
and speak who have had all the warmth and
brightness of life suddenly extinguished from
them, yet do not care to own it, preferrng to
"die and make no sign"
"Nothing- everything Oh! God; oh!
Marion. How much better for us both if you
had let medic! But you brought me back to
life-you made life dear to me-and now"
He reeled like drunken man, catching
Marion's hand as he sank into the nearest
seat. She withdrew her fingers from his grasp
and stood looking down into his upturned,
tortured face as calmly as astatue-really y, tor
that moment, scarcely with more sentiment
"Do you hate me, Marion, darling?" he
asked, more softly, searching her cold eyes
with the eager tormented soul in his.
II do not Think" she answered, returning
the gaze steadily, "that either hate or care
for you at all. You are false man, Walter
Mason false coward, whom either to love
or to hate were condescension. Since you
have no further news for me, I will bid you
good morning."
When she had thus spoken, she turned to
leave the room, with slow, proud steps and
cheek as white as her dainty white morning
dress.
"Is that your parting, Marion? Marion,
nv love-my love-how can you bear this
dreadful thing? I thought l should have
killed you, as we'll as myself; and you do not
even weep! Oh then it is less bitter if you
do not care
That last word touched her. His frenzy
was not, then all for himself; he was thinking
of her, and bearing her grief as well as his
own. With a sudden impulse she yielded to
his OBTAINING hand-forhe had followed her
and, turning back, sat down beside him, upon
the same tete.a-tete where many happy plans
had been discussed between them almost daily
of late.
"Tell ME all about it, Mr. Mason" she said,
with evident effort to retain her composure,
but with only partial success, for the flood
gates were hard pressed by that touch ofsym-
pathy.
He withdrew from her slightly. He could
not bear to make his confession and see her
withdraw from him. With his hand over his
eyes, not to see what her looks might be, and
in a tone of forced steadiness, the recital was
given The too frequent story of breaking
away from home restraints, of evil associa-
tions in city, of money squandered upon
worthless woman, who, not content with
achieving his material ruin, had intimidated
him-a mere boy-into comforting upon her
respectable name, to hide their mutual sins;
of disgust, despair, flight, poverty, illness,
and-she knew the rest Then he sat waiting
to hear the expression Of her righteous lndlg-
nation.
"You have not yet explained your motive
for silence on this subject" said Marion, still
coldly, and with downcast eyes.
"When 1 recovered from that illness the
past seemed like some horrible dream, which
! could not bear to recall. hoped never to
hear of her again, now that she had exhaust
ed all my means of gratifying her luxurious
tastes did not doubt she would find other
Victims and trusted that her fears would pre-
vent her ever attempting to renew our &C.
quantauce. I Loved you, Marion, and could
not bring myself to tell you anything so re.
pulsive to your purity and repented-oh /!
so bitterly-that I was not as snless as your
own sweet SELF was coward, Marion, but
it was you who made me one. My sin has
found me out; my punishment is greater than
! | can bear"
81 thank God, Mr. Mason, that you have
escaped greater sin, and l."
! But here Marion's frmness broke down,
and only a convulsive movement of the lips
indicated that she would have spoken. He
stretched out his arms with an instructive de-
sire to shield her from the tempest he had
brought upon her; but, with mighty effort,
the weakness of her heart was conquered, and
she was able to command words in which to
convey her final farewell, that were neither
reproachful nor complaining