The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-08-09
bis faithful servant, and darkened his own

Ineres not much more tell you. 1t
was Just the. turn Of the tide. Within
twenty minutes of the affair, the waves flung
poor Barton's dead body within reach OF
the man who might have tried to save his
life, and did not. The poems helped him
to carry it up the bank and lay it on the
sand-cart, to bring it into town. | believe
it was buried decently next day. They
told me so ; but before then / was i'll, raving
with sunstroke which"
You'll" The word leaped from my lips
in cry of horror. "Ducie you don't mean
that you have told US of-that you were
| that"
He turned and looked me in the face.
6 Yes, Fred, I oas Hartman Il whose
pluck people are so fond of praising." ~
There was dead silence. r. ~f.
-E @ a II. s1
wish that could tell you my feelings
| during the two minutes that followed. 1 do
not believe any audience ever found them
selves in 80 miserable a position. Even
now when think of it | feel the old hot,
sick sensation, and see the whole picture
rising before me-the old fashioned paneled
room, with the wet wind rafting at the
watery moon glimmering between drifting
masses of cloud over the ancient elm-trees
in the park the red glowing fre. in its cary
ed oaken frame the tall, graceful figure Of
the man standing before it in his dark vel
vet shooting jacket and muddy. leathern
CATERS, and with the pale shadow of ire
trievable remorse on his handsome face and
the tall beautiful girl sitting with bent gold
en- head and clasped white hands before
him, with the scarlet freight kissing her
fair round arms, and lurkingin the shimmery
folds of her white dress.
Can any of you tell me the length of time
| comprised in one minute? Sixty seconds
| No, rather six hundred. 1t seemed double
that time to me that I stood longing for
Helen to speak, longing to say something
myself, and yet unable to find single word
between horror at the story and pity for the
| man who told it. 1t was Ducie himself who
broke that terrible silence at last. His
voice had been harsh and determined before ::
now it sounded sad, weary, almost appealing.
That's all. L never told any one before.
l don't think could act in the same way
again but God knows only you see | can
not hear other men condemned while re-
member" He broke off with sort of
gasp, and added, hurriedly, 81 wish to Heav-
en- had never needed to tell you; for of
| course | know what you think of me now"
He looked at Helen, bat she never raised
her eyes and answered. quickly,
" wish you had not, Ducie. There was
no occasion; but am very sorry for you
from my soul I am, old fellow"
l would have given him my hand; but
though he said, "Thank you.-Fred," as if
he meant it, his eyes never left Helen face.
She had never moved or looked up once
since he began. l feel sure now that she
knew from the commencement that he was
speaking of himself; but it was only when
he said, 81 was the man, that her face,
which had been white to the lips, flushed
scarlet, as though the threatened blow had
fallen; and such look came over it-a
look of pain unutterable, of bitter shame,
of unconquerable disgust; look which but
to see once in the face of the woman we
love might well make the voice break and
the heart sink as Ducies did then.
1t was still there when he ceased to speak,
and she rose up, calm and cold as if nothing
had been said which could call for comment
from her /; and simply observing that it must
be time to prepare for dinner, left the room
without glance toward either of us. !.
l strobe after her, meaning to call her
back and ask her to say kind word to
Ducie but she put out her hands with an
imploring gesture, and, turning her face
away, ran upstairs.
When returned slowly and awkwardly
to the library, Ducie also had left it by the
other door. was not sorry.
We all met at dinner as if nothing was
amiss. Mary Jackson and were, think,
rather more lively than usual, and even Tom
made himself SO pleasant to CHS Devereux
that my dear old father said it did him good
to hear such aclatter ofvoices. Ducie was
very silent, it ls true, and Helens face was
colorless as a Guernsey daisy but she spoke
and even smiled whenever appealed to aud
none but myself remarked that when Ducie
held the door open for the ladies' after din
ner, she drew the silken folds of her dress
together, and passed him without glance,
as something too foul for notice. His face
was whittier than hers when he sat down
again. -
Next day we parted. l was busy all the
the morning over farming accounts, and did
not know Ducie was going till the dog-cart
was at the door, and he came to bid me
good bye. Then saw he was much agita-
ted, and urged him to stay, using Helen 8
name. His lips quivered, but he only said,
Il have already seen your cousin. Good
by, Fred, and thank you for all your kind
ness" - - ~ ss..-s y. r,s~r -, +
Five minutes later he was gone. 1 said
nothing, but went to look for Miss Helen,
ard found her mopng in the library, with a
face like ghosts, and red rims to her eyes.
She mumbled something about headache.
I waived the remark loftlly, and taxed her
with having refused my friend. She red
dened like rose, and said, haughtily, that
she had done no such thing. He had not
had the presumption to ask her. -
" Presumption! quoth /, !" and to ask a
little vixen All, well, you have sent him
away and what's more, you will never see
him again" has re- 81 fs sss Sc 81 q.
T. At this she paled and painted little,
then flushed up again, and answered,
| I" oh yes. we shall. and quite as. soon as
we want him,I dare say. OH how can You
care for him 1.-THE cruel. dastardly- Oh
This made me angry for u don't like hit
ting a man when he's down; and the vision
of poor Ducie's handsome face, with the bag.
gard beaten look on it, as he shook bis head
to all my hospitable hopes Of soon seeing
him again. rather haunted me. So I set
myself to bully 81 elenEby way of retaliation,
1 told her she was proud selfrighteous girl
Who ddnf deserve TO be loved at alt; that
she had probably sent fine young fellow to
the bad that she had no right to Judge any
botly;-that -if -Dueie- had acted q towards
part two years ago, he had taken a herbs
last night that doubted very much wheth-
! er she would have had the courage to stand
up and bIacken herself forever in the eyes