The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-04-23

She will not care for me; my engage
ment is not to be announced till the
spring no one Of the club set knows
Eleanor A; and besides it's matter of
honor with the men to keep our wa
| ger secret So he went to bed with
doubts, his penitenee and seruples of
the morning all vanished into smoke
by the blaze that had flared up with
in him, kindled by the glance of
4 Marian's eyes. i -AA
/ CHAPTER ".
The three evenings covered by the
wager were soon counted, and Walter
no longer deIiberated or hesitated as
70 what he should say or do when he
was with Marian Manning. The
very difficulty that he necessarily en-
countered in seeing her, the necessity
I for concealment, for management,
only added a Zest to their intercourse.
Forbidden fruit does not need the tes-
| timoDy of the book Of Genesis to
prove It's peculiar sweetness to the
sons Of men. Two weeks went by,
two weeks in which Walter forbore TO
think, during which he stified the
murmurs of his conscience and his
heRIt, with sort of desperate mad
ness that one only does net term in
sanity because one so often sees it ex-
hibited in the lives of men accounted
sane and sound of mind. The un-
acknowledged sense of sameness and
restraint that had smouldered under
meath his love for EaeanOr, leaped TO
life and blazed up under Miss Man
ning's influence. He was like q
drunkard trying to reform, who after
months of total abstinence suddenly
piunges into an absolute debauchery
! of Ofintoxication.5 But it was impossi-
bic for even his tact and csre to pre-
vent Eieanof's becoming conscious of
his state of feeling. He spent indeed
much. ofhls time with her, was always
at her orders when she wanted him,
was tender, thoughtful, and devoted !;
but she felt with q siekening certainty
that all was not well, not right between
them. Then, too, there was some
talk about Mr.. GOrdon's attentions
to Miss Manning and although
the fact of his betrothal was
not generally known yet the
rumor of it had reached the ears
OF some Of the tale-bearers and gossips
of society. So, In due time, 1t came
to Eleanor that her lover was at least
tcareleas Of her position toward him in
the worlds eye, II not really giving to
another woman what belonged only
to her. It came to her through just
one or two chance trifies that seem of
neither weight nor authority, and yet
do the work of the world. She was
waking alone one morning quite ear
Iy, returning from an errand, and was
met and Joined by 3 Mrs. Davis, who
took what is called 3 friendly interest
in her. "Well, my dear, wanted to
see you. What's all this hear about
Mr.. GOrdon's devotion to Miss Man
ming? understand he has cut cut
young Pierson and Harry Moncure en-
tirely, and that she Is his last conquest.
OF course, when I was told, I said,
It's impossible, for he's engaged OF
Eleanor st. John; but think really
you should keep . tighter rein on him,
my deer.n
II don't think that Mr.. Gordon's
relation to me is quite what You inn,
agine, Mrs. Davis. lshOuld never OBJ
ject to- any attention be wished to
show any lady" Thus much Elean-
or managed to say with caImness. ID
"Oh, well, dear, I don't mean any
offence, you know. Are you going in
here? Well, / can'tstop; good-mOrn-
ing" And the good woman, having
done her mornings work, sped on her
way wen satisfied with herself.
The place in which Eleanor had ia
ken refuge was florists, and as the
glass door closed behind her she ssuk
into q chair and asked iBcoherentfy
for some violets as an excuse for her
entrance. The florist brought her q
glass of water with sympathetic
AYou look faint, miss" and she glad
ly drank It. 90 = - = ,-..-.,5.
"pm sorry We have no yiolets left
this morning. Would nothing else
do2 We always have plenty, but
we've Just used them all on the pret-
test thing in flowers we ever made.
Bring that basket of violets here,
George" he went on to his boy. "Just
look At &c, miss It's for Miss Nam
ming, OF course; there's were all the
choice flowers go nowadays. Gentle
mans name don't go with it; guess
she'll know who sent it, though."f \
An irresistaible and fatal impulse
drew Eleanor's eyes to the card laid
on the flowers. No, there was no
name, only "Miss Manning and
the number Of the house; but
she knew the handwriting out
of a thousand. How often it had
made her heart beat on the enyelope |
of letter, and how plainly rose before |
her eyes those last words of that last |
letter: 81 am your own, all your own"
1t was written by the same hand. In |
q moment she rose and made the best |
Of her way home There was no n1or-
bidness in her love, no weakness in |
her character; and in the long hours |
during which she thought over what |
she felt and what she should do, she
tried to Danish every unjust and un-
feeling from her heart.
"Why should 1 feels miserable" she |
said TO herself, Hbecause Walter has
sent Miss Manning 8 basket OF violets
and rosebuds? He is just the man to |
send flowers to woman on the slight
est provocation, and she, fancy, al |
ways bids for that sort Of homage. |
Why, it is habit with him, and he |
would send the prettiest too that he
could find" (smiIing to herself through |
her tears "How well I know him,
and how much love him! No, /
will not be unworthy Of my love; it is I
great and high, let me be great and |
high too. viii ask him to take me
to that concert tonight, and / will |
open my heart to him. He always |
says, Ifyou would only speGk; and I /
will speak and allwffl be well between
u.s."
So she laid q strong hand on her
throbbing heart, and said to It "Peace,
be stiH," and then. sat down and |
wrote the note which nnknown toher |
was to determine her future. It was \
short, and only said:
DEAREST WALTER: Will you take
me to the concert at r. Hall to-
night? Iwant to go, and I want to
see you this underscoredl and am
your own always, ELEANOR
To this concert Miss Manning had
promised to go alone with Gordon,
and, with the subtle gift of her kind,
she had managed to make him long |
and look for the evening SIS il indeed
his souls salvation rather than perdi-
ton depended on it.
An impatient exclamation broke |
from Walters lips as he read the little |
note Eleanor had sent him. For q
moment he felt that he must break
nis engagement with Marian and go |
with his betrothed; but the next, the /
flush rose on his cheek; he drew a
sheet of paper toward him, and sign
ed the death-warrant of the woman
whom, after all his shortcomings were
told, he loved as his imperfect nature
could love
DEAREST L am too sorry, but
foolishly promised to 20 with = party
from Mrs. Archer's, and II do not 60 /
it will break the whole thing up. 1
will see you afterwards, if you will let
me. l.ftF1gasf s'Yours, n
z s'W. G."
: The note was sealed and tossed to
the witing messenger before . minute I
more had passed. And after the door |
closed, Walter Gordon did what he
wss little wont to do, he poured out q |
third of a tumbler of brandy and
drank it off; anything to drown
So he went to the Afchers', and Miss
Manning greeted him with her most |
= ~ n