The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-07-24

q see Jon will not believe me-" 1
said, piteously, afters while, Abut I
did not think Of gaining the fortune for
myself I thought only Of securing It
to you-that you might not be forced to
go back to Chioa." ~
"You were very kind" he said, bit-
terly. "It is hard on you that I shall
need to 90 back to China, after ALL"
he spoke with sarcasm which I
should have been quick enough to feel,
only in the terror Of his words it passed
me BY unheeded. All my lethargy fed
then. I spnng to my feet, and, going
up to him, caught his arm.
"Ross," l gasped, chow can you
ftighten me 80 horribly How can you
say such terrible thing? You are
not in earnest-you cannot mean thst
you are going back to China I"
"Do you care p he asked, suddenly
taking me into his arms. 30 Beryl if
I could but believe that you did! o
lovely face, why are you not true? o
sweet lips, why must I fear that your
very sweetness is tricking me?"
Gross, Ross, stay !" l cried, clinging
to him passionately. 30 Ross, my
darling, say what you please to me, be-
lieve what you please of me-only
stay!"
"But | am poor man, Beryl," he
eaid, more gently than he had spoken
yet. "How can stay ?"
Then the devil prompted me to cry:
"But the fortune % Ross, the fortune 3!
If you keep that you need not 60. And
it was left to you-Uncle Kendall left
it to you! He never meant for you to
give it up~
Fool and thrice fool that I was !
Looking back now, I think that, in an
other moment, my fearful eyes, my
clinging arms, would have prevailed
over his resolution to 60, and that he
might have consented to stay if those
words had not uDdone all. He drew
back as if they had stung him; un-
twisting my arms, and putting me
from him with faint, scornful laugh.
''See how easily am duped!'' he
said. "See how wrong your uncle was
in saying that my poor father, was
weaker than L =! A few tears, a few
glances, and was ready to believe in
you again, Beryl, till ycu show me that
you are thinking of the fortune-nos of
me! Till you prove that you are only
intent on tempting me to dishonor, I
see I must 60" he said, after minute.
~ am not SO strong As thought-I
cannot trust myself with you. At least,
net until all is done that must be
done.''
Then, not willingly, but as one who
yields to temptation too great to be
resisted, he took me in his arms and
kissed me many times-ah, Ross, did
you suspect, though I never, that it
was for the last time ?-then, putting
me into the chair where he had found
me, turned, before could utter word :,
and left the room.
Left the room, do l say? Rather,
passed from my life-passed so utterly
that, from that hour to the one in which
write, have never looked upon his
face again.
Later iu the day, he loft Kendall, to
accompany the lawyer to Exford, where
he found telegram from his employ
ers summoning him on urgent business.
After signing the necessary papers for
resigniug the estate, he obeyed the
summons at once. A week later, he
sailed for China. Before me lies let
ter which he wrote me on the eve of his
departure. It is cold and full of busi-
ness detail-though breaking toward
the end into a tenderness beyond his
power to restrain-but, if you glance
at its worn and yelloved pages, You will
see that they ore stained With the signs
Of my tears, salt as>the sea and bitter
Is grief. Such as it is, I do we'll to
prize it, better yet to weep over it, for
it is my sole token of the love of one
who sailed away thinking that he left
behind only q woman who had dsceiv-
ed him, and who never reached the dis
taut Chinese port where her passionate
letters-pooe letters! I hsve them, too
waited for him through many long
day.
! Aud so my story ends, At least in
all save my moments of madness, ]
think that so it ends. But the fate oi
the ship in which Ross sailed Was new
er known, and I-sometimes l am still
! weak enough to hope, to dream, ]
know not what, of wild, improbable
things. Not long ago I read 4 poem
I which seemed the voice of my OWE
heart. 1t is called "Returoed-Mis'
sing," and is by Miss Proctor, I think
\ One stanza I cannot forget:
'Nos that dream or fancy,
Ysu know all that is past;
Earth has no hope to give me,
And yet-Time lies 20 fast
That au6xt tie tmpossi5le
NIGHT b brought back at 1asf.'
THE MAN9EL WURZEL.
Mr.. Dey Of Wisconsin recently said
"The msngel wurzel beet l think tb'
, best Of al roots. It will take nearl,
} four pounds of seed to SOW an acre i,