Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-07-26

with the leaves OF the book he was turn
ing. She sat i'll silence "A little while,
the. nlenory-e Of tissloYe seeming further
and farther away, and more AMI more
unreal. Perhaps it was all a phantasy
of her imagination, after all; ; or, maybe,
il was sympathy and pity for her lone
illness and poverty, and never love ut
all. She had an impression that love
was demonstratiye. And then she re-
nlenbered the fender, pet NAMES her
isfatherzused TO A-s4f sifef srantf the kisses
and caresses he had lavished so nnceas-
ingly upon her. o never, even in all
| those first terrible days OF her bereave-
ment, had she felt more bitterly Or
phaned than now! Even old Hugh,
rough and hard as he was, called her
'his Pretty" and ''hiS Blossom" And
then there caities bKsr her thoughts the
bewildering wealth and layishness Of
his tenderness, and though her eyes
dropped and her cheek crimsoned at the
remembian &C, .heEileart yearued for the
light, and warmth, and tenderness of
love; and the grave reticence and im-
passive calmness of the man before her,
absorbed itt his medical researches.
Struck / heavy chin 10 her heart. The
last hope seemed slipping from her
weak grasp, but she said, family:
Basil, want to tell you something.
-
"Don't interrupt me now. Lena" he
said, looking up quickly, his finger rest
| ing on the leaf he was, reading. II
hoped YOU wouldn't hear me - this last
lin a slightly impatientTtone. You see
I the case was very Intricate and compli-
Gated, and his professional ardOr was all
| aglow, and he could not be Interrupted.
She arose and walked out OF the room
with Il slow, unsteady step. An hour af-
| forwards Doctor Dinsmore put his face
into the door:
II am going over to Swansdown, Le-
ma, so you needn't get any supper on
| IN W ssecsoa ut ID Doai'r sit apLfor4 me; |
may not be back till quite late. There
! is rather an unusual case over there,
/ Which has been puZZling the doctors
] some time. 1 have discovered a deserip-
ton of the disease in an obi medical
work. together with plan of treatment,
and am anxious to lose no time in put
ting HiHAio operation for the case is an
| extremely critical one. Take one of
those Dover powders if you get too
nervous" And he hurried out, too alb
sorbcd in the possible result of his ex-
| pertinent to notice the white despair in
| her face.
The sun crept down the west and van
ished out of sight; the twilight came
L Sokll} oHCA
and still Lena sat where he lad left her.
There were traces of tears on her cheek,
and her eyelids We're still heavy with
them; but the force of her grief had
spent itself, and only now and then a
long, quivering sob stirred her bosom.
She did not hear any one come in, but
4 she was eeRsciousIaA at once of his pres
ence. Her heart gave throb OF min
gled fear and gladness. He stood just
within the door, looking at her.
81 came over for the DOCTOR" he said.
"Ceiia'isnot feeling as we'll Tonight"
''He has gone to Swansdown," she
said, simply. e..
But mis- quick ear detected the sound
of teaIs in her voice. He came and
stood opposite her at the window. The
pale moonlight fell over her rich, tremu-
Ions eurls, and. across her lap, where
her white, clasped hands were lying.
He made a motion towards her, but re-
strained himself with a powerful effort
what is it?" he said, i'll a low, COM
pelling voice.
81 wish that l were dead! o Leslie
if only you had let me lie there under
the sea that night" she moaned.
ssPerhaps it would have been better
if we were both lying there he said
gloomily, still holding himself away
, "Only that you have another, stronger
love than mine to hold you
go Leslie, | think l have. been mista
kens all these gearss' she interrupted
; sadly. lyon know | was poor, and ht
knew it. / was weak, and i'll, also, ant
he pitied Inc and married me-"
HAnd I-O~my darling, [ love you
/, Better than life,. better than anything
on earth or, in heaven, better than my
, own soul!" he exclaimed, fiercely
I springing to her side, and holding he
trembling hands in his burning clasp
} 80 Lena, you are dying here in thi
cold and chill! Come away with me
love-away somewhere, where we Cal
/ forget all the old, dark past!"
e "But, o Leslie, 1t is wrong, sinful
You must not"
r 'rThen why, ifit is wrong, is ever,
I thought, and wish, and desire Of m,
soul attracted towards you?'' he de
q manded, fiercely-.''I have struggle
n against it, God knows, but | cannot re
e sist the mysterious influence. Yo
draw and hold me, and l cannot resist
d l swear to you. Lena, that it is no sen
h sual love that bear you, but the fines
n and rarest devotion of my soul-the pnr
!. est passion of my life. From the frs
;. moment 1 ever saw you, I have bee
n conscious of. this subtitle, inexplainahl
,e attraction. You seem, somehow, a Mt
1T cessity of my nature-a part of my ow
10 life. o darling,Jle let;me have my own!
he implored, drawing her unresistin2l
.r to his arms.
er She felt weak and giddy, and her sell
re- ses were in whirl. Here at least ws
ST love, tenderness and devotion--and 81
te was SO hungry for love! Should sh
ct starve for it all her life when it WE
ID offered her in such layishness? Shoul
r. she beg for it as she had done, and e
: nothing-nothing but kindness? An
h. the memory Of that afternoon came bat
is to her, and, with little shiver, 81
n- crept closer TO the heart whose love ST
re knew and felt in every nerve, and Vel
nt and sinew.
ed - know lt Is wfohg,i Leslie, 81
/ said, family; t'but God forgive me,
,v cannot ffelp.itas'24 = sSsT