Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-02-12
"The old subject, ehs" said Willis,

Ihe old subject, eh! SAID Wills,
lightly.
sIf you please to call it so, yes," re-
turned the other"
"Wellr'
~ wish to say barely, and without any
preface, that ! am convinced that Miss
Alice, in her own heart, still belongs to
me, and not to you"
"That is a conviction worth the having
at least for you. But what do you
mean?"
II mean this-I mean that what have
observed in the past two weeks has as
sured me that Miss Alice has been forced,
by her love and regard for her aged faith
eI, to seem acquiescent in plan upon
the consummation of which he has set
his heart"
s"Come, come; what do you meang"
cried Willis, with heightening color.
"Your manner assures me that you I'M
| derstand erdctly what mean!'
81 take it that you insinuate that Miss
Alice has been deceiving me"
81 insinuate nothing of the kind-par
| don me-"
1t was Nassau's turn to redden.
II say / believed that you have been
deemed by her father to be a more fitting
| husband for her than l, and that she has
| followed has inclination in favoring you,
rather than her own"
| THAT belief is not only absurd, but it
is insulting. 1t is insulting to all of US
Ito Miss Alice, to her father, and to my
self"
"On the contrary"
"What do you found your belief upons"
demanded Willis, rising from his camp
chair. what grounds have you? What
has ever happened, to make you"
81 kr,oao it," interrupted Nassau; 81
know it, because / have received
many proofs of her love for me
before you came here; and, mas
much as l know that she is as
sincere and true as woman ever was,
cannot admit suspicion that her consid-
Grafton for me could be quickly and total
ly displaced by consideration for another
person. You must be convinced as | am
convinced that she does not love you, but
that she loves nae; that it is the agony of
her inward contentious between her heart
and her sense of duty that have caused
her cheeks to become so pallid, her step
so slow, and her voice so sad. You and
| are opposed to each other | think that
you have deceived yourself 1t is my
simple and imperative duty TO andeceive
you. l."
Here Nassau paused His voice had
begun to tremble in spite of himself.
Willis eyes were fixed, half scornfully
and half pityingly, upon him. For a
moment nothing was to be heard but the
rustic of the leaves in the wood, the hum
of the locusts, and the faint voice of the
men in the meadows below.
The silence was broken by sounds on
| the farther side of the thicket: there were
voices and footsteps.
The two men recognized the former,
and they exchanged glances. They were
the voices of Miss Alice and her father
His was loud and imperious. Hers was
low, soft, and pleading, and yet distinct
and earnest They seemed to be walking
slowly along the path.
"Womanlike! womanliker" cried he
"You are blind to all the qualities in a
man that tell Do you see no virtues in
his experience in life, in his ability to
protect you in times of danger, in his
power, in his energy9 Tell mer
"Yes-yes-but yet do not love him.
One must 60 where ones heart leads,
dear father One cannot say Il must love
this friend or that. There is something
that speaks before one can decide"
suppose that exert my right, and de-
eide for your Suppose
"Ah, but have only to say, Il do not
love him. and then you would not"
"Are you sure OF THAR"
eyes, | am sure"
"But will you tell me that you love the
other-the minister-stillp %
eff you ask me, must tell you yes {"
At this point the voices were lost. The
final yes however, was distinct Both
of the involuntary listeners heard it.
They also heard the angry tone of some
of the fathers succeeding words, but the
increasing distance prevented them from
catching their sense.
Willis was deathly pale.
ut seems that you are right" said he,
with something like fefceness in his
tone.
"Yes," echoed the other, ~ am right"
There was another pause. Willis color
came back, and he gradually assumed an
air of ease. He sat down before his can
vas again, and made an attempt at paint
ing.
Five minutes passed Nothing was
said on either side. Both dreaded to
utter the important words that must come
now.
But Nassau, tortured beyond expression,
| Ccufu Isoh aiD hlibScil ~ lDHgcI.
"Iell me, sir. | beg of you. Do you
not see that the field is mine ~
Willis glanced furtively at him, and
then let his hands drop upon bis knees.
even if it is, shall not leave it,"
What Do you mean to say that you
will not?"
II sd,an0t!"
"And why, pray?"
i II am happy here"
"That is not truel You mean you
would be unhappy If you were not here ?"
"Of course. should be unhappy if
were not here"
"That Is, the sad smiles that have been
given you have afforded you so much
pleasure that you mean still to demand
them even after you have discovered that
they were not sincere? You mean TO
impose yourself upon-upon-- BY
Heaven, SIR" cried Nassau, carried away
by his excitement, "then you are cow
ARDW
Willis sprane TO his feet. Hardly had
he done so, when the whole air was filled
with the vibrations of deep and terrible
thunder. 1t did not come from the sky,