Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-07-01
Whole No. l51.

against leuplallOu, buC III naS mas
tered me at last. Before you went
away looking so frail, l almost
broke my resolution. But when
you come back, still looking weak
and i'll, and when ] fonnd you cold
and strange to me, l said, Il will
listen to nothing now but my own
heart. / will tell her the story OF
my own life, and then how fervent-
ly 1 have loved her and must love
her always. 1 will tell her both
these things, and leave my fate in
her hands, You disdain this love
of mine. You send me from you.
and it will be hard to trust or hope
in anyone again. What; do not
say it yet. l thought had pre-
pared myself, but the darkness falls
so suddenly"
But Alice did say it. She told
me she disdained the love he offer
ed /; and told him so in cold and
scornful words which were to come
back to her afteIward with the
crushing weight with which they
fell upon his heart. And he watch
ed the young, fresh lips from which
the cruel words were falling, as if
he were struggling to awake from
some desolate drcam
"You tell me the story Of your
childhood, Mr.. Vaughan" she end
ed, with chilling slowness, "because
you rightly guess that | heard it
before I returned. 1t is as unne-
cessary to tell it to me at all now,
as it is unnecessary to tell me of
the imagined love that was built
up on deceit"
The shadows, di r'1ened his eyes
as he turned them slowly from her,
frightened her, and she dare not
glance at him as he sat in that
deathly silence, his chest heaving
violent emotion.
"If you were capable of such love
as you speak Of" she went on with
cutting emphasis in his long silence,
"would your own mother and sis
ter be toiling in poverty, while you
arc living among us as a gentle
man |"
"Hush - he said slowly, as he
rose, with q suppressed passion in
his stedfast eyes. "You have said
enough to Kill my hope; more
than you will care to recall in the
years to come. Only in rare, sweet
moments have l ever dreamed that
you would accept my love when
you knew all, whatever you may
have been to me before ; but / new
er dreamed that from your lips
would come such words Of cruel
contempt. l will say nothing OF
their truth or falsehood. 1t is
enough for me that you can believe
them"
The spring sunshine still stream
ed through the old window, but it
touched the white brave face no
longer. The slow step died below
upon the pavement, and as each
echo fell heavily on Alice's heart
she lopged to cry aloud.
eff l had been prepared" she
sighed YEARLY, cor if had really
been what he has thought me, l
should have-have said it different
ly."
81 think mother" she whispered
that evening, when her mother
wondered at her wan face, cit
would do me good to go back to
Llanvriar for little time. Iprom-
ised to do so if I could. Will you
LET me go at once I"
So the next morning Alice went.
A little of the old color come
back to Alice's cheek, and little
of the old lightness to her step,
before she had been many days at
Llanvriar. But she knew it was
not the sea-air only which had
brought them back. Sir Bulkley
Gwynne was at home now, and on
the very first evening of her arriv-
al she had heard Ovens story from
him. Thinking over this story as
the generous old Squire had told
it. Alice felt great change had
come over all her thoughts OF
Owen.
"Whcn I go homo again." she
mused in silent happiness, 81 shall
see him and speak to him once
more. And then, perhaps" The
words died here but it was plain
that Alice, though she had longed
to come, was looking forward
already to this going home. And
more than ever now she stood be-
side the window overlooking Fer
rybank, and gazed with anxious
loving eyes on Ovens home.
"It strikes me, Miss Hope" re
marked Mr.. Gwynne, coming up t
her at this window one day, ''tha
you arc not to leave Llanvria
without seeing storm at sea. Yor
say you have never seen one il
your life."
"Never," answered Alice, shud
dcring unconsciously.
"Well I think my uncle's prog
, nostic of this evening is likely Il
: be verified /; he always breads th'
southwest wind. I'm going across
to Ferrybank to see how thing'
are looking, for the gale increase,
fast, and threatened to be violent.
ais there a life boat on the COAST 9
asked Alice, late that night, whel
|, | che and Mrs Gwxnnn sat Estcninl