Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-09-13

his face, 'too-something that made the
color come into her cheeks, and her eyes
dropped beneath his.
just at that moment two or three men
entered the box-Wayne Talford among
them; and Lydney felt that he was
looking cnriously at her, and she color
ed still more. =.
She was vexed, and began flirting with
him oltrageously. and did and said sew
eral abominable things to Lister.
They. were all borne with his usual
eauanimity. After little he lett the
box. and presently she saw him seated
by Annie Thornton, Someway Wayne
Talford and the whole group OF dandies
grew very tiresome after that.
Later in the evening, she me5 him at
Mrs. Osgood's supper. He was unusu-
ally brilliant. She tried to be as angry
with him as she was with herself, but
failed.
Just before the party broke up, ne
came and leaned over her chair for the
first time.
81 have to thank you for these very.
very happy days." he said, softly. 1--WE
have been good friends all that time; L
shall never trespass on your patience
againi You have convinced me Tonight
| that you actually dislike me. L am sof-
Y nave ii ICu Y So thdSh. NsoONt
| by"
| He was gone before she conld turn her
head; and suddenly the supper-table
and the people seemed starting off in an
| eccentric waltz; and Lydney knew that
| she was SO faint and dizzy that it was
with difficulty she kept her seat.
Once at home, she refused to answer
| the questions that unseen monitor.
| which haunts us all, put to her, and ill.,
sisted upon thinking she was sleepy, and
resolutely counted up to five hundred,
| then backward, till she began to feel
| herself growing imbecile.
The next day she did not see Lister.
Evening came, he was not at any OF the
houses where she went. The morning
after, some gossiping friend of her
aunt's brought the news--he was en-
| gagged to Annie Thornton.
| The old stOry--a whole volume in a
line-Lydneyk knew that she loved him
| knowing il, there came Straightway the
fear that other people might have sus-
pected her secret. Great heavens could
| the live to be sneered at, talked. over
worst of all, pitiedi -a-."
| She died Thousand deaths during that
| long hour of self-commIInion. She was
a terribly proud woman; there was nc
sorture she would not rather have borne
than this knowledge, which forced itseh
upon her. Now she looked back, and
something told there had been a time
| when he might. have loved her-yes, hot
very far gone; she had driven him away
by her insolence and caprice! She eoulC
understand, now, that she had treated
him thus from the very fact that he hat
| always been more to her than any Other
man. l- .' IL
Itsvas horrible, horrible hour! w,
read of such things in novels; we laugl
about them-ahI God help us! we pro
nounce them unreal a voice away dowr
in our souls, a bitter, burning memory
which. will never cease to ache while litt
lasts, gives the lie TO our words.
/ But Lydney was. living in the rea
world; so she had to come Out of he
4 tragedy, smooth her hair, compose he
face, and go down to meet the people
who live in the world with her. b
Her aunt had dinner that night; Lis
ter had heen invited, and had sent al
excuse. Wayne Talford was there, ant
before he went away, he made an oppor
tunity to speak the words he had beel
trying so long to say. -.is.-..s. 5
He asked her to marry him; and h
told his story we'll, as men do tell thing
when they are in earnest- y s...-.,si..
Should she say yes? Put her hand il
his, and so end all She tried--sh
could not. When, he pleaded for jus
one word, she cried out i'll beWildere'
way, -..4 5.!
j ''Let me go! / can't answer! To
morrow--yOu shall have my answer to
morrowi'' -4-;..- -,-r..,.,.s.
| She broke away from him, and got u
; to her room; and from then until day
, light, she had the long hours to herself
, and her despair. when morning came
, she had made her resolve--she woul
marry Talford. Nobody should eve
say that she had been disappointed. Lis
) ter should never be able, IN his man
] vanity, to suspect her secret. Her Ell
gagement should be announced befor
his. She would be married at once; e
away-anywhere; she could not stay t
see him belong to another. 3, ~ --ya
Mrs. Churchill had gone. out; ther
was no one to disturb her. She went in
to the boudoir, which was her own spe
cial sanctum, and sat down to write he
: letter. d.. .,+..-.. ~
Thrice she began it, but her han
5 trembled so that the paper was blotte
till the writing was illegible. She tiun
: the pen from her. and covered her fac
with her hands. She could not, weeE
could only sit there and let that dunn
) agony have its course. .a
| Somebody entered the room. Sh
2 looked up to order the intruder away
, it was Lister. He gave her no time t.
: speak, came close to the table, looked q
+ the scattered papers, and said, hoarsely
5 'You are trying to write your lette
t can you do it?' -... ,a;
She tried to be cold, contemptuous
{, she could only let her eyes fall ,nnde
his glance, and sit there trembling wit
l a strange, deathly chill. s 81 ss
i 'Can you do ft?'' he repeated. g
| know what it is, you see! l didn't mea
: to come hear-I could not help it.!
4 don't believe you love that man-''
4 GLOW dare you!" she broke in.
e "Wait-don't be angry! ! won't We
t you. Let me say what have struggle
! so long to keep back. L love you!
: love you. Oh, Lydney! l know yO
, don't care for nle--aG least, you need nt
4 sacrifice yourself to one wholly unwol
t thy of you. If you would try to endur
me-try to let my love and DEVOTION
I She interrupted him with an odd Iii
= tie sound that was half a sob, half a cry
h and turned away her head. 1+ d
t He had seen her FACET told him ii,
t truth. .....-. r'.,.tt.-t .
f He was at her feet-holding her hand
4 fast-pleading ;ls "a man might for hi
D hopes of heaven; and 1.ydney sat ther,
and felt the old dull world sweep out {
e sight, and knew that, in spite of her el
I rors, paradise had opened about her way
OMENS AND SIIPEKsrrTIONS