Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1876-09-16

ing, though they had heard much.
Perhaps Cranbournc felt some
twnycs Of conscience, for lie resolved
not to 80 near Margarc. after his re-
turn; yet: as chance would have it,
she was ut N1attic's The very afternoon
they rode in, and lie walked home
with her, and her eyes drew him to
her, and his resolution was gone to
the winds.
Then the weeks sped by again, only
too quickly. Margaret thought ofhim,
dreamed Of him, lived her very life i'll
his life, and felt that before she had
existed. but now she lived indeed.
He came often to the black cottage
with It's wreathing roscbush, and
fingered long within it; and the gossips
Of Last Chance digginys laughed or
snccrcd, as they we're good or ill na-
turcl.
As for Gomez. !lc smoked his ci.ar-
c'tes still where he could see into the
Kitchen, and looked upon Isalph Gran
bourne with IN intense hatred burning
iii lis deep set eyes; but Gomez kept
his own counsel and perhaps thought
his i!mc would como.
Craabournc llvislcd upon Mar
= :. . D.
carct all the loving cpithcts, all the
winning, tender ways Of which he was
master; and she, who had lived al her
lie in country towns of which Last
Chance lissings was fail specimen,
who had seen honest miners by the
hundred. and vulgar refined men by
the score, whose lovers had been too
devoted and Too familiar, was en-
lh:alled; she Iii not think, or care to
ihini;, how many times the poor play
had beer reD,cars.d before. She felt a
vague wonder, sometimes, when he
would speak oftlcirmarriagc; but she
never dis,lus, ID him, she was sure
that it was all right; lie knew best; she
would not even allow her heart to ask
"why %
Eut there cam. q day Ut was bare
ly three months since their first meet
ing--whcn MargArets nnTncstioning
i,'tI was ru,lcly broken. He told her
Il wtllul s;ory, perhaps true, perhaps
false, Of hcar;lcss wife to whom lie
was ted; he promised to claim her us
soon as lie should be free, ind whisper
ed: Trust me, my pearl. Can you
not trust me p
Her love was SO thoroughly trust
Inc, SO generous so sclf-forgetling,
and who shall say it was sh G who
fell
But as weeks went by the bloom
nalcd OF her rounded checks, thccyc-
IDS were heavy and droop ing, the
clear eyes dim with tho shedl ing Of
TOO many tears; the gossips 10 ookcd at
her, and whispered that "Ma rgarct
l.'ly didn't seem 10 be SO terrible
happy with that air new lover Of
hcrn."
10 Margarctit it seemed that she was
living all her years in the hu sh before
The storm. If he Ind but gone away
and lcitm with my dream"
Again the vigilance committee
gathered its forces, and again Ralph
Craabournn came to say &c ood-bye,"
the night befor they started.
But Margaret was bitt er- she who
hnd never becn bitter in her life-and
he said, as he held her limp hand III
his ut the gate: Your would not
care if you never saw saw me again
would you, darling 2"
81 wish I never had seen YOU" she
said, snatching her hand away, and
covering her face.
1c carcsscd her, soothcd hcr, calm
cd away the present sense Of trouble;
for she loved him, woman like, not
less, but more for her sacrilic &C.
And all the time a pair Of deepest
wicket looking eyes watched them
through paliny in the di ilpapidated
ienco. Once Clanbourne started, aud