American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-01
LOVE OR PRIDEi
BY JEAN BONCEUR.

Great purple SHADOWS swept across the
hay fields; the distant landscape was be
coming indistinct, and the moon was
slowly rising in the heavens.
After awhile the twilight deepencd into
as much of darkness as there would be in
the summer night, and silence fell upon
the earth Then a girl stole noisclessly
across n small garden, and stood beside a
gate that led into the adjoining church.
yard. A yew-tree spread its dark branches
wide above her, but the silver tints that
were slar,ing down upon the tall grave.
stones and bringing out the delicate lines
of the old church spire touched also hcr
white face, making it whittier than usual
She did not start as tall figure ap
preached from the farther side of the
churchyard. She had evidently been ex.
p2cting some one, and when she heard the
words
You are out late, Miss Jsrvis''-
She quietly answered.
81 was waiting for you; wanted to
say goOd-by to you before you went away
II thought you had done that already, u
replied the young man, with some bitter.
ness
Not quite" returned the girl, YEARLY
'you were too angry for me to say it As
wished
Had I not the right to be sos' he
asked. Ever since l have been at Shell
ford you have been deceiving me. l
believed you to be as earnest as was my
self, and now He paused.
And nOw?''
Her voice had a sharp ring in it as she
repeated his words, as though she would
give denial to what he had said; but her
face looked like stone in the moonlight,
white and immOvable, as she continued
Il did not understand that you could
really be in earnest, otherwise l might
have told you before what have told you
today"
You did not believe in me-you looked
upon me as heartless-as deceiver. You
do not believe in me now."
:" do"
"What do you believe ~ he asked, i'm.
petuously; nothing good, or you would
not give me the answer you have given
me-"
Everything good, except the knowing
what is good for yourself. l want you
now to say good-by to me without any
anger in your heart. The day will come
when you will perhaps bless me for what
l have had the courage to do today"
And she held out her hand.
The young man hesitated. "Is there
no hope?'
None"
Her voice rang low and clear through the
summer air. Again he hesitated, then,
Suddenly taking both her hands in his, he
bent down and kissed her for the first time.
She gave faint cry, and disengaged
herself.
I'VE part in peace"
And with these words she turned and
lied, not looking back, or perhaps she
might have rcpented her decision.
Once in the house she sat down in the
empty sitting room, made light as day by
the moonbeams. The old dog rose as she
came in, and when she threw herself into
a chair he laid his head in her lap.
There came sound of Gathering OF
plates in the kitchen on the opposite side
of the narrow passage, and her mothers
voice sounded sharply, giving her direc-
tions about supper
Presently she entered.
Where have you been, Ally! How
i'll you look! and you're all shivering
Come into the kitchen, child; Anne
gone off to bed and there's bit of fire in
the crate. 1t might be winter instead of
midsummer, to feel your hands"
Alice rose mechanically. She walked
drcamily into the little kitchen, where her
mother drew chair to the fire for her
Presently a ruddy, gOod-humoredl look
ing youth entered, saying:
Let me have my supper here, mother.
The fire looks pleasant, though it is sum-
mer- time"
Mrs. Jervis opened the oven door and
took out a covered dish that had been kept
warm there. Alice, watching her as she
placed it on the table and laid knife and
fork beside it, instinctively reused herself
and, taking jug from the dresser, went to
the cellar To draw some beer for her
brother
1t was relief to her to perform this
mental service. 1t seemed almost an an
swer to the question she had been asking
herself over and over again since her con
yersaiion with Mr.. Scrope in the morning
She was even glad that all around her
looked SO commonplace, so poor-poorcr
and cOmmoncr than ever tonight. And a
bitter feeling rose in her heart and made
her almost indignant that some people
should be so much more favored, in a
worldly point of view, than others.
When she went to her room, instead Of
undressing, she opened the window and
.sazcd out toward the yew tree under
which she had parted with MIR. Scrope,
and then suddenly untwisting her long
hair she turned to the looking glass, not
with any feeling of vanity, but in order to
find what had so attracted him.
1t was more than handsome face that
answered back her gaze, one which showed
an amount of carncstness and intelligence
not often met with. Of this she was no
judge herself, neither of the continual
change of expression which Mr. Scropc
had begun by curiously observing, and
ended by being thoroughly interested in
lie was passing the long vacation at
Shelford, reading and fishing, and had
made the acquaintance of William Jervis
on the banks of the river, and through