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

yet something elouded his visior.
Mis- Aanning's voice broke his
trance. What are you looking at?''
shesaid.
Be shIddered from head to foot,
and said, "I Thought I saw q ghost. y
And yon look as If you had,p she
replied, regarding him earnestly.
what do yoa mean? Nothing
Serious" he said, trying to smile.
"What delicious atmosphere OF yio-
lets you have made about you to-
night"
"Yes, perfect" she said, smiling
back at him, and the music went on.
II was all like wild, bad dream.
TotlIe end OF his life Walter Gordon
eoad never remember distinctly
what happened, what he said or did
thai long endless hour, while he sat
beside Miss Mahning and saw Flea
nob and between them, ss It were, q
great gulf fixed. Then came q sud-
den, wild shout, q roaring sound rs OF
the wind and sea together, and then
they all knew that the house was on
fire. 1t had caught from the other
side, and was gaining rapidly. In q
/ few moments Walter, whose eyes had
never left Eleanor, as lie stood nope
lessly we1ged In the crowd about him,
hearing nothing about him, uucon-
scious that s.Pierson had, by an i'm
mense eXsrtiOn Of his great personal
strength, lifted Miss Manning into
the aisle, and was dragging her along,
fighting his way toward an exit saw
the lurid light break through and
from . fearful background to her
white figure IS she stood quite still,
alone, and looking far away into
vacancy. There was but a short
space now Tor the flames to cross be-
fore they reached her. He made a
desperate effort and extricated him
self, climbed, scrambled, hurled HIM
self along TIL he was almost within
reach of her; and then she saw him,
and she saw the love and agony in
his face, and smiled with y radiant
smile as her eyes met his. g.trs.l--
"I am coming to you,n be said, and
In another moment be would have
been beside her, but q bench was
pushed oyer and crashed across be-
tween them. He stretched out his
arms across the space as be saw
the flames nearing her. She had
never turned to fly; those about her
had done so at once, In the first wild
terror, and thought her with them.
Some were crushed and others got
safely out but her choice had been
made when the fire broke out. 1t
was a way made for her out OF all this
torturing pain she would be saved
even by fire. Why not? So she had
stayed. .EETHs EsgC
Eleanor Eleanor I" he cried. 80
God help me to her : Say that you
know hove you, that am yours.p
A look OF inexpressible tenderness
and pain swept over her face. She
leaned forward and said very low, but
50 clear was her voice that he caught
the words, even over the roaring of
the fire, 81 know you will be mine
hereafter, even as I am yours" An
other roar, another swirl, and Walter
felt the smoke and flame roll over
him, then dash Of water. Some
ones arms seized him, and he felt
himself half dragged, half carried out
into the air. When he came to him
self he was lying on the pavement,
and a red-shirted fireman was saying
"He'il do now" They took him
home, and he fell into long, dream
less sleep of exhaustion. asxt s. yst s..
s The morning sun shone brightly as
he opened his eyes, and the birds were
singing without. He rose slowly, try"
ing to recall the events OF the night
before, and his eyes fell upon a note
lying on his table. He recognized her
handwriting and shuddered. Was ii
from the dead, or was lastnight's hor-
rOF only q drsann?. He tore il open,
1t had been written the night before,
and sent aher bis departure tf0f the
! 'Walter, why did you not strike
when I bid you? 1t would have been
easier to bear. cannot endure this
torture Of pam and doubt. I will go
and see for myself, see you with her,
and then / shall know surely il have
indeed lost you. You did not know
how my heart was set on seeing you
tonight, or you would have come. /
am not suspicious or distrustfuf by
nature, but all these rumors, and,
worse than that, the change I feel in
you, tell me that something Is wrong
between us. Ah, I am not happy,
Walter. That first evening seems q
dream OF Paradise. All has been 50
different since. will go, to the con-
cert, and then IL my eyes tell me that
you are no longer mine, that you have
given my treasure to another, will
send you back your ring, the pearl
that you gave me- Why should /
feel such q fearful certainty that the
worst is true2 LIDO not believe Ishall
ever see you again. A terrible fore
boding is upon me. II you get the
ring, you will understand that 1 am
dead 70 you henceforward, and do not
seek to see me- Oh, Walter, I love
you with my whole heart. = A1s-
"ELEANoR.n
That was all-no, not quite all I; the
horror yetremained. Even
as he still sat holding the letter in
his hand, his brain whirling with this
new pain, some one knocked and ab-
ruptly entered. 1t was q rsugh-look-
ing, red-jacketed fellow, evidently a
fireman. He came forward with an
swkward, sympathetie manner, as II
he shrank from speaking his errand.
did you want me ," said Walter
hoarsely. s-.FFa ut tzfau e. {
"Weil, yes, sfr. I was one OF The
fellows who dragged you out of the
hall last night, and this morning when
they got under thepile ofruins beyond
the lady stood you were
a-trying to get at''-he stopped COM
for Walters face grew
desthly white, and great drops stood
on his forehead. 3tEtE3 L4L 4JJ Il
$50 on, 90 on" he muttered, bury
ing his face in his hands. "What did
you find ?"
HOnly this. There was nothing to
identity her, but picked up this bit
of q ring, and + thought you might
Ike 10 have it.n
Gordon silently put out his hand,
and the fireman gently laid on it q
half-melted circle with q blackened
pearl still in it-sll that was LEFT on
earth of Eleanor st. John. Had she
not said it should come back TO him 2
He trembled violently, and said to the
man, "I will see you again. 1 thank
you for this. Leave me now, but tell
them your name down stairs.n The
man silently left the room.
'sFhat chap was hard hit,n was bis
to his comrades that
evening at q jollification and glorii-
cation held by the members Of the Re-
lance Hose Company at their engine
rooms. ~--. ------, d. g..
When Walter Gordon next raised
his eyes, they fell on the little
calendar which stood upon
the table by which he was seated.
His eyes mechanically sought the
day Of the month. What did
that blue mark mean across 1t? He
knew now; three weeks before he had
marked 1t with q bit Of erayOn that
he might remember the day when
bis fatal wager was to be settled. BE
groaned aloud. Was not il q punish
ment greater than he could bear-that
even as he had proved disloyal to his
bstrothed living, so must he confess
that disloyalty when she was dead?
The confession must be made; he
might not make even the poor com
pensation of confessing his love for
her noao-now that her heart was cold
in death and could no longer throbI
with pride and joy In his love. But
he must speak the truth and write
himself down as a traitor. sac s--l
He drew pen and paper toward him
and wrote to Pierson short note,
merely containing the acknoTIedg-