The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-07-17

| has appointed private interview for that pug
| pose in all probability. But darling, II must
call you darling yet, will you not promise me
one thing? If he speaks not the fatal words,
fatal to me, mean,--wll you pledge your
sacred word to be mine. Will you then be true to
| your hearts instincts if this temptation is re-
| moved?"
"Arthur," answered Miss Denton, "here un-
| der the gentle stars, with no one to look upon
us but the Omnipotent Almighty whose great
| love may outrage ere another sun has run his
| course, promise you that if Clarence Fen-
wick asks me not to be his wife before another
| month passes, | will be yours whenever you
may ask me. This is the third day of May.
Let us then make an engagement for the third
day of June. Ifyou come to me upon that
night and ne word has been spoken to bind me
to this other man, l will place my hand in
yours and 60 wheresoever you'will. AS my
heart is yours now, SO will give my life into
your keeping then. Say no more" as she no
ticed his deprecating gesture" ~ make it 2
| month, and month it is to be-"
"Be it SO Stella" he answered sadly at
| ly prolongs my suspense, but think have the
| strength to suffer and be silent. But oh my
souls IDOL" with a sudden rush of tenderness,
| "you will not refuse me one parting kiss. II
may be the last, and l want the fragrance Of
your sweet lips to linger around me, and give
me some consolation when you are dead to me =
The kiss was given with such impassioned
ieryor as to startle the young girl more than
capacity Of mans heart for loving had been
estimated by the regards, or "expfesded re-
| CARDS." OF the popin lays who had been her de-
! voted slaves for season, and then sought
| ''felds and pastors new" but this cinging kiss
| clearly showed her the heart OF Arthur Lake
| laid bare, and then for the first time, she real
lied how utterly and entirely this man had
given up everything for her. Did she change
| her resolution with the knowledge? No, but
1 II Ia
wardly cried in the spirit sf thorough reckless
| ness. 81 WM have wealth if 1T is offered me-
| | will bring the world TO my feet, and if not
/ Arthur Lakes wife, know ne will still love
me and that will give me some little CLEAN of
happiness. 81 have staked my life upon this
cast, and will win or lose asthe hazard of the
! de-"
The following night Clarence Fenwck the
| millionaire called, but contrary to expectation
spoke no word of love- The next afternoon
| she was seated by his side behind handsome
1 pair of bays, and although the ride was through
| the deep shadows of leafy woods, and along
| the shores of bubbing streams,-places, one
would think, best suited to arouse the senti-
mentalimpulses of the heart, his lips still were
sealed. Was Stella Denton glad or sorry at this
reticence upon the part OF her rich lover? /? She
! scarcely knew herself. She dared not ask her
self the question.
That night Arthur Lake called according to
| promise. The lady could not but observe his
| shaking hand as he saluted her, and his first
words were artculated with mighty effort at
| calmness. "Stella, has Mr. Fenwick spoken !"
| Her quiet an Arthur" rendered him supreme
| ly happy for the evening, and he left her at
| late hour in gayer mood than she had seen
him for many days. AS he walked along, So
lacing himself with fine havana, he mused
| thus: "One day out of thirty gone. She has
seen him twics and still my sentence is defer
red. Perhaps it may not come at all. Why
should court trouble. will be philosopher.
Stella was as sweet and atfectonate as she could
| be tonight and don't believe she regrets Fen
| wick's silence. Oh! may some kind fate keep
| that silence unbroken twenty nine days longer.
Then l know she will be mine. Her word
| once given will not be broken. Father in
Heaven remove this terrible temptation from
her." The days spend by. Each evening as
Arthur Lake sought Miss Denten's side, his
first words would be ,Are you still free, Stellar"
And her low murmured 'still free, would come
| echoing back in sweetest cadence and place
the adoring youth in the seventh Heaven of
delight.
The night of the third of June arrived OF
all the days in his whole life this bad been the
longest to Arthur Lake. He could concentrate
his mind upon nothing. He only waited for
the night to come to complete the sum OF his
| earthly happiness. He had little doubt what
his answer would be for he had seen the object
of his alteration the night before and her answer
| had been the same, ~ am still free, Arthur
| IT. ,.ao--..r ,,iel.tI --;ll he ,,n~-- f.-e-.-"-
But days must pass and this one did at length,
| to find him, ere twilight had deepened into
| darkness, upon the steps of Miss Denton's resi-
dence. He rang the bell with quick, nervous
pull and in moment was ushere into the
| drawing room. No light was there, but he saw
Stella, his Stella now, he thought in exutation,
seated upon an ottoman near the window and
| she arose and advanced to meet him. With
quick impulsive step he was by her side and
attempted to clasp her in his arms with glad
cry of darling, mine, all mine at last;' but
| she waved him back with an imperlous gesture,
| and in low deep voice, cold and intense, said,
| "No; am the promised bride of Clarence Fen
wick. This afternoon he laid his heart and for
| tune at my feet. We will be married on the
| twenty fifth"
Transfxed in horror stood the young man.
| So motionless and white was he you might have
thought him an image carved from MARBLE
What passed through his tumultuous, tempest
tossed brain God and the angels only will ever
| know. His eyes were fixed upon the false be-
| ing before him with expression of the most
| abiect despair. Slowly he raised his hand, and
extending his arm to its full length, he uttered
| in voice so hoarse and unnatural that one
| might have imagined it to come from the body
of a corpse, these terrible words: "Stella Den
| ton, you have murdered my soul. Hereafter 1t
is dead and my body soon will follow, for the
| hour that makes you Clarence Fenwick's wife
| will see me dead mass Of human flesh at your
| feet. Good bye, and may God forgive you.-
| Gloemily he turned and advanced toward the
| door. His head moved not to either side, his
| eyes even seemed unmovable in their sockets,
and he moved like one in a dream. He came
| to the terminus of the highway, but still on he
| went, out into the open country, over fences,
hedges and bitches, never minding or needing
his soiled and dampened feet, his torn and
bleeding hands, nor the swapping of the nu
merous ours that crowded around his heels and
attempted to dispute .hs passage. Mile after
| mile he traversed thus showing no sign OF ia
tigue, until reaching steep hill, his senses
seemed to return to him and he sat down to
rest and think Could he think Had he not
heard enough, but short time ago, to make
the power of thought d damnable gift? "No
mo-" he shrieked in agony and raising his
bloodshot eyes to Heaven, "Great God who art
all powerful take away my capacity to think.
Blot out the past from me forever" And thus
he sat thinking and yet not thinking. Poor
Arthur Lake. He had come with his heart full
of love and hope and found his idol only an
idol of clay. The blow had been SO awfully
sudden and he had been so lily prepared for it.
The gray of the morning admonished him
that he must return to the city whose tall spires
he could Just see in the dim distance. With
sluggish step he traversed the way back and
reaching his home crawled wearily up to his
room. No sleep for his eyes-none was needed.
His soul, indeed, seemed to have left his body
SO utterly spiritless was he.
Stella Denton, as he turned to leave her on
the disclosure of the fatal news, had not thought
he would departs ounceremoniously. She fully
expected his return and waited every minute
ex pecting to hear his familiar step ring upon
the sidewalk. But she waited in vain. "Well,
if he is going off In that way he can CO." she
said, pettishly; "but am sure he will come
around soon and ask my pardon, and beg to be
at least retained as my friend. He loves me
too we'll know to give me up entirely, and as
for his killing himself-which was what sup
pose he meant when he said that "the hour
which saw me Clarence Fenwck's wife would
see him dead at my feet"-men don't kill
themselves for love now .adays. Poor Arthur,
he does love me so devotedly, and oh why is
he not rich7 We could be so happy together II
he could only give me the luxuries | want
Well, we'll, too late to repine now. Fortunate
ly Mr.. Fenwck is not of q jealous disposition
and can have Arthur come to see me real Of
ten after my marriage. There is no harm in
Platonic love, and know he respects me too
highly to think of offering an insult"
But Arthur Lake did not come. The days