Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-10-02
: Yet you said you had not

| owned the old place.
II think it would" said Miss Melbourne.
"No, it would not" was the obstinate
reply II should take care to find lotos
! as sctn as reached the Nile. Whoever
eats of that forgets his past life, you know.
/ have scant reason for wishing to remem-
Der mine,D he added, little bitterly.
Memory is certainly more often sting
than pleasure" said Miss Milbourne
at is strange" she added, shat we should
both have thought of obtaining forgetful-
ness through the same means. When Mr.
Brent asked me what he should bring me
from Egypt, said lotos of the Nile. 1t
he fulfills his promise | will share it with
you"
81 am not sure that l care even to be
indebted even to forgetfulness to Mr.
Brent" said Victor Clare, ungratefully.
Mrs. Lancaster rose and sauntered
round the group to where Victor Clare
was lying.
"Come, Monsieur Incidence, and take
walk" she said. 81 think the policeman's
motto is right Keep moving"
Now, however comfortable a man
may be, if he is hidden to rise by a
over him, the chances are that he obeys.
So it was with Clare. He most assuredly
did not want to go with Mrs. Lancaster,
and quite as assuredly he did want to stay
just where he was.
II know you are not obliged to me-"
she said when they had gone some dis
tance 81 want to know if that was a
mere assertion for effect minute ago, or
if you are in earnest in thinking of going
to Egypt"
II never talk for effect" said Victor.
II always mean what / say, and certain
ly am in earnest in thinking of going to
Egypt"
MAY ask why?"
81 am surprised that you should need
to ask. Everybody who knows me knows
that am poor man."
"Not SO poor that you need 60 to Egypt
in search of fortune, however" said
she, stopping short and looking at him
keenly. Confess" she added, that you
are about to expatriate yourself in this
| absurd fashion because Eleanor Mil
| bourne means to marry Marston Brent"
"Your acuteness has carried you too
| far" said he laughing, but not quite nat
urally. "Miss Milbourne's matrimonial
choice is nothing to me. | have thought
of this step for some time. IS letter
is reply to my application forwarded
months ago. Yet now that the answer
has come" he went on, 81 scarcely care
to grasp the advantage it offers. In
difference has infected me like a
poison. | feel more inclined to rust
out on the old place than to sound Boots
and saddle again"
'But why rust out?" she asked impetu-
ously. Then, after minute, "Are there
not other women in the world besides
Eleanor Milbourne?"
'Perhaps So" little doggedly. "There
are other stars in the heavens beside We
nus, but who sees them when she is above
the horizon ?''
"How kind and complimentary You
arep' said Mrs. Lancaster with slight
tone of bitterness in her voice.
"Forgive me-" said he after minute
III am fool on this subject, and, like a
fool, always say more than ! mean. No
doubt there are other women in the world
even more beautiful and more charming
than Eleanor Milbourne, but they are
nothing to me-"
"In other words, you are determined to
believe that the grapes above your reach
instead of being sour, are the sweetest in
existence"
"At least l harm only myself by such
an hallucination, if it is an hallucina-
ton"
"But you may harm yourself more than
you imagine" said she with nervous
cadence in her voice. ''For the sake of a
hopeless passion for wohan who has no
more heart than my fan you will sacrifice
more than you are aware gilmore, per
haps, than you can ever regain"
She laid her hand-a pretty white hand,
cleaning with jewels-on his arm at the
last words, and it was fortunate, perhaps
that she could not tell with what an effort
he restrained himself from shaking it i'm
patiently off. A quick feeling of repul
sion came over him like an electric shock
AS it was, he had sufficient command OF
himself to speak carelessly. II was never
quick at reading riddles" he said. II
am unable to imagine what sacrifice
should make by INDUCING the hopeless
passion for Miss Milbourne with which
you are kind enough to credit me-"
"With which / credit your" she re-
peated eagerly. sam / wrong, then? II
you can tell me that, Victor"
But he interrupted her quickly: "You
ought to know, Mrs. Lancaster, that this
is thing which sensible man only tells
to one woman; but, since you seem to
| tdkc Ill lutClCSt III tuC ouDJSSS, univ -
nothing which l need hesitate to acknowl
edge in the fact that, however hopeless
my passion for Eleanor Milbourne may
be, It is the very essence of my life, and
can only end with my life"
"We all think that when we are young
and foolish, and very much in love-" said
Mrs. Lancaster coolly-"but l think you
are more than usually mad. If she is moi
already engaged to Marston Brent, she
will be as soon as he returns. l know
that her family confidently expect the
match, and in any case Eleanor Mil.
bourne is the last woman in the world
whom penniless man need hope to
win"
II know that as well as you do" said
Clare. II have no hope of winning
her, and am going to Egypt next
month"
As they emerged from the shrubbery
they were both little surprised TO see a
carriage standing in the full glow OF the
light from the open hall door.
"Who can have arrived" said Mrs.
Lancaster, not sorry, perhaps. for diver.
sion. II did not know that Mrs. Brantley
was expecting any one" :,
"Wh0 has come, Ellis" Victor said
II