Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-17


Willis. with frightening color. "Spssk out
man. DO not beat the hl.h, DO not be rOuaL-
abOnt! Come to the p5iat"
"NOur manner assures mc that YOU uuf -
stand sror-iy What mssu'''
Il take i; that you iusiHaate that Miss Alice
has been deceiving me-
Il iEsinuate nothing of the kfud-parioa
me-"
II twas Nassau's turn 70 redden.
Il say believe that Won have been & ssm q
Icy her rather To be more fitting hIs5aaI FOR
her than 1. and that she has followed Ais in
cinstions in iayoring you, rather than hHr
THAT belief is not only absurd, bat il i IN
sultng. it j. insulting % all OF uS-tl VI =
Alice, to her father, and TO myselt."
ION the contrary"
"what do you found your belief upon9'' de-
manded Willis, rising from his cAmp-chair.
What ground have YOU? What has ever hap
pened, TO make YOU"
IL knor it," Interrupted Nassau. In A low.
rapid. and earnest voice; 81 know Il, because
have received many proofs of her love tor me
before you came here, and, Inasmuch As know
that she Is A. sincere and true woman ever
was, ! cannot admit suspicion thai her con-
side ration for me could be quickly ami totally
displaced in consideration for another person.
II is clear that her father has great regard flr
you. do no; quarrel with him for that. You,
no doubt, NIL his idea or strength ant character
better IMAM do. Moreover, YOU are wealthy,
and know the world. IL is entirely reasonable
that he should select you one more lit 10 re-
| ceive bis treasure than I. Still, know that 1.
| IN spite OF my shortcomings, have earned Miss
Aiices tavor. [ pom hat 1 depend for my han
plness. shall strive 10 retain il in spite OF an
| obstacles should he worthless without il. II
| atone can nerve me 20 perform the labDrs that
| have set myself TO perform. and 81 ALI cling
10 X 20 long as | feel that it exists. l mus
prove 10 you, in some way, shat IT tors exist. /
| must show you, by some means, that the smiles
that she gives TO you are given in ODE Hence 20
her fathers clear desires, and that thew 90 not
come from her heart. You must be convin,eI
| thAt she uoes not love You, but that she loves
| me; that IL i the agony of her inward routen-
| lions between her heart and her sense OF iuty
| that mas caused her cheeks 10 become so pallid
| her step so slow, and her voice so sad This ii
| not egotism in me. II is not the empty Boosting
| OF vain man, or the wild talk of Jealous one
| You ana are opposed TO each other. think
you nave deceived yourself. IL is nv simple
| and imperative duty TO andeceive you IL
Here Nassau paused. His voice had begun to
tremhle in spite of himself. wiIis's eyes were
| hNed, halt-scOTntully and half pityingly, upon
| him. For moment nothing was TO be heard
but the rustic OF the leaves in the wood the hu m
OF the iocusts, and the faint voice OF the men in
The silence broken by sounds on the
farther side OF the thicket; there were voices
| and footsteps.
The two men recognized the former, Al d hey
| exchanged glsnceS. They were the voices of
Miss Alice aud her father. His WAS loud and
lmserlous. Hers was low, soft, and pleading
be walking slowly along the path.
| "Nomahlike' wOmanlike," cried he '.You
are blind to all the qualities in a man that tell.
| ID, You see no virtues in his experience in life
IN his ability to protect you in times of danger
In his power, in his energy? Tell met
"fes-yes-but yet do not love him. One
must go where ones heart leads, dear father
ore cannot say Il must love this friend OF that
iheTe Is something that speaks before one can
Co. "Suppose that exert my right, and decide
"Ah, but L have only to say Il do not love
him, ana then you would not"
Are you so sure OF that?"
Yes, 1 am sure"
But viii you tell me that you love the other
The minister-stilI?''
"If Won ask me, must tell you yes"
AT thus point the voices were lost The final
-! So however was distinct. Both OF thu In
voluntary listeners heard it. They also heard
the angry tone of some of the fathers succeed
irg words, butt increasing distance pre- vented
tbem from catching their sense.
Wills was deathly pale. He hung his head,
and grasped his easel with one hand.
1T seems that you are right" said he, with
something like ierceness in his tone.
Yes" echoed the other, al am right"
There was another pause. Willis's color came
PACK, and be gradually assumed an air Of ease.
de sat down before his canvas again, ara mate
an attempt at painting.
MS conn anton watched him. He noticed
that he mixed his colors wrongly, and that he
was trembling from his head to mis- feet.
Five minutes passed. Nothing was said on
words that must come now.
But Nassau, tortured beyond expression,
could restrain himself no longer.
that the field is mine?'
Willis glanced furtively at him, and then let
his bands drop upon his knees.
Even II IL II, shall not leave it.'
Dot?''
81 cdnnof,r
"Apd why, pray? Why is it that you, who
have heard what would drive a man of principle
and honor ont of sight and bearing of this place
ana all the people in it, feel that yoa cannot
leave us to cur peace:"
81 am happy here"
THAT il not true, You mean you would be
unhappy if you were not here"
COZ course L should be unhappy if I were
not here"
"Thst is, the poor 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?
lon mean 10 impose your self upon-upon-
BY heavens, SIR, cried Nassau, carried away
then you are a COWARD"
Willis sprang to his feet. Hardly b d he done
so, when the whole air was filled with the vibra-
come from the sky, for that was cloudless; nor
from beneath, though the ground tremb,ed IL
was continuous, and the earth and trees shud-
dered as IL disturbed by CONFUSION. A hollow.
cravernous roar burst out, and over the tops of
The trees, at the distance of an eight of a mile
The two men saw wide. dense, boiling cloud OF
dust arise. like cloud Of smoke from battle
feld, and slowly overspread the sky.
Suddenly, above ali the deeper and more
awful noise, there came shriIl a piercing
scream. Ii was the undesirable utterance Of
a woman In distress.
Nassua cried:
That's from the White Hill Pitt"
He turned and fastened rapidly down the
decliyity. Willis followed him at the top of his
speed.
The latter, being more powerful. overlook
and passed the other, and ran over the crsgs
AID broken ground with the iishtness aud
1wiftress OF deer. They assembled the height
towards the woods which concealed the quarry
b tn felt that the next few moments mast, in
>ome way, produce important tkings for them
Both we've neryed and brave, and both we're
eager.
Williss power and agility told in the race.
He burst through the fringe ofsnrubbery that
skirted the Pit, while Nassau was still Coming
On, hundred yards below.
He was appalled, by what he saw
The earth on the northern side had broken
away, and had rushed down over the surface
of the rock, and had fallen ints deem abyss
1t had dragged with it an immense number or
trees ard saplings. At the same instant that II
was preeipitated, Miss Alice and her father we're
crossing the ground. As il moved and broke
beneath their feet, they became involved in the
tangled and twisted branches of the trees and
were carried down with them.
The great volume of tine avalanche had fallen
INTO the quarry, but large portion was caught
anu poised upon spur of rock over har ying
the precipice at the edge.