The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1875-03-04
A WOMAN'S HAND.

said?"
eyes," was the calm response.
"That you don't love me? Helen, you
do am sure of it'll"
81 do not, Mr.. Lennox."
"Then Heaven forgive you, for if wo
man ever ruined man, you have ruined
me-"
Ten minutes earlier, and Helen Stuart
bright, beautiful, and flushed with excite.
ment, and dizzy with strange bewilder-
ing happiness which made her bosom
throb and her fingers thrill was whirline
round the room in the firm clasp of Percy
Lennox as he bore her steadily and swift
ly through the giddy circles of the dance
gazing into her beautiful face the while
with a passionate intensity which reveal
ed all too plainly the love and admiration
which were making that waltz the fore
taste of Paradise, and those few minutes
during which his arm was around Helen's
waist and her hand on his shoulder, a
pleasure almost terrible in its favor.
Ten minutes earlier; and now Helen
Stuart on one of the two chairs in the lit
tie balcony, the flush settled into bril-
liant scarlet spot ON either cheek, the
proud head, with its coronal of glossy
chestnut pleats, dropping forward, and the
crisp transparent folds of her white dress
all crushed and crumbled in the nervous
grasp of her small gloved hands; while
Percy, half kneeling on the chair beside
her, leant with folded arms on the stone
parapet, gazing, with Heaven knows what
unheeding eyes. at the pale crescent moon,
just rising above the trees in the opposite
park.
Presently he turned round and con-
fronted her. Will Helen Stuart ever
forget that white, drawn face from which
every emotion but passionate misery and
anger seemed to have been wiped out as
if with an iron hand.
A terrible despair in one moment had
transformed young, handsome, happy
face into spectre which in the time to
come would rise in ghostly relentlessness
before one woman's eyes as often as she
looked upon the argent crescent of the
early moon, or heard one strain from that
Danube River" waltz
She had looked up at him but only for
a moment That glance showed her what
her words had done, and her head droop.
ed lower than ever beneath the sight.
He must speak first, must renew his
pleadings, and then-then it would be
time enough for softening or retraction
if it might be that either was possible
from the lips which had spoken SO
haughtily moment back. That second
pleading for which Helen waited was nev.
er to come.
Percy spoke and the sound of his voice
sent quick shudder through the girls
round white shoulder-it was so harsh
and altered.
"Do you know what you've done?" he
asked, abruptly, as her eyes fell before
his.
"Not much, you may think-only Tilted
a man who loved and honored you and
gave you his whole heart, while you led
him on that you might trample on him
when your vanity was sufficiently gratifed.
Ay, look and smile, you have had your vic
tory and sent me to destruction, and, by
heaven, Ill go there as speedily as posi-
BILE, to please you! If ever man believed
in woman, l believed in you Helen Stuart
| would have done any earthly thing for
you-given up the whole world to make
myself worthy of the angel fool that
was-believed you to be, and now you've
deceived me. III never put trust in liv.
ing being again. Whatp for his name
came tremblingly from her lips in little
cry of pain, which spoke more eloquently
still from the pale and agitated but ever
lovely face-"you don't like to hear the
truth? You think you may do all the
wrong you may with your cruel beauty,
and more, thousand times more, cruel
coquetry, and yet hear nothing but tender
speeches and pretty words? Well
other men may do as they will, but you'll
never hear another such from me-"
Grief and passion had half choked
him, and he was compelled to pause for
breath in his torrent of bitter words; and
in that pause Helen looked up again
Her eyes-deep, liquid violet eyes, gleam-
ing with that perilous lustre which has
stolen more hearts, from Lancelot's days
to the present, than any other of the wo
mans manifold charms,-were brimming
Aow with crystal tears, and her tongue re
fused to fulfill its office, for twice she
strove to speak, and when at last she sue
ceeded it was only to falter out some
thing which sounded like, "Percy, don't
| didn't mean-"
"Didn't meanr he repeated, catching
at the last words and repeating them with
such world Of contemptuous emphasis
in tone, that the blood rushed in food
to the girls white cheeks. didn't mean
Ay, these are the cant words of you sex
Didn't mean to win me by your heartless
beauty and honeyed sweetness; didn't
mean to encourage me by your false gen
tleness and falser smiles; didn't know
that l loved you better than my own
soul; didn't imagine that you were lead
ing me on day by day to my own des
struction. o, Helenl how can you-you
whom l thought so proud-offer that
hackneyed, paltry plea for running a
man?"
She was proud now The "paltry" ap
piled to her, and wounded her self esteem
and probably the heightened color and
naughty turn of her little head revealed
as much, and told that offence had super
seeded softer feelings, for he added with q
short laugh
"What fool you must think me raw
ing in this manner! All, well, you viii
think me worse before you've heard the
last of me. I'll take care of one thing
You may boast of your victory; you shall
have no cause to boast of your victim
A sudden blaze of light poured in up
on the two young people, both SO hand
some and SO pale and agitated from theil
separate emotions; and looking up they
saw the crimson curtains drawn aside, and
and man, young, tall, broad-shouldered
with cropped head, large nose, heavy, low
forehead, and clean, hairless face, just
the type. of the muscular, brainless, self.
opinionated young Briton of the nine
teenth century-standing in the opening.
"Our dance, Miss Stuart, l think" call
ed the "heavy,' taking note meanwhile of
the pdrti a deun before him. "Been
looking for you everywhere. Mrs. -
what do you call her?-your chaperon
said you were in the other room"