The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-08-02
Laastson gateltigfneer.
From Applesoa's Journal
A WORK OF RE7RIBUTION.
CHAPTER VI.


the scene of it.
He hardly knew-he certainly did not
care-where he was going. He had
spoken truly when he told Miss Loring
that he had decided to leave Sans5Souci
after Mrs. Jennings had uttered her
warning the day before; but, since that
determination was taken, an age seemed
to have passed, so entirely do wef"liye in
feeling, not in figures on dial" Those
hours in the storm, the lonely midnight
walk, above all that glance of Agatha g
which revealed SO much Of which he had
not dreamed-these things made q gap
between his life as it had been and his
life as it was, which even his thoughts
could scarcely bridge.
It is not to be supposed that, in the
course of thirty three years, he had not
suffered more or less in matters of the
heart, yet he esnew founds himself for the
first time under the dominion Of a pas
sion-no fancy or sentiment, but a feel
ing strong as. death and overmastering
life. Agatha Loring's face was constant
ly before him, the music of her voice
dominated every sound that filled his
ears, but he thought that he could find a
cure for the infatuation in absence, as he
had found a cure for the fever4fts of his
younger days. III ~ -
The idea of yielding, as many men
would have yielded, did not for a moment
occur to him. He knew that with his
whole soul he loved the woman who had
ruined Bertie's happiness, and who would
ruin Che. felt assured )-the Happiness Of
any man who trusted his life in her
hands; but he said to himself that this
love was mere temporary madness,
since no deep passion could flourish
where trnst was laekingY Ts yTyr
seItSis; an insanity which will passias
quickly as it has come" he thought.
''As for that expression in her eyes last
night, I must have imagined tit is
simply impossible that such q woman
could find her heart for such man as /
am !"
But to thSiak this was one thing, to .tse5
it another. Trust her? No, he did not
trust her. He believed her to be coquette
and actress through all her nature !; but
nevertheless her face as he saw it last
pale, appealing, with eyes that revealed
hundred-fold more than speech could
utter-haunted him, turn where he
would, do what he would.
Nor was this the record OF one. day.,
one week, one month. He put the
breadth sof States between himself and,
Sans-Souci; ! he plunged intothe business
which partly brought him to America;
he sought social distractions but the
end was as the beginning. "When
Agatha Loring is done with man he is
fit for nothing but to go the devil as fast
as may be-" Berthe had said'in the mad
recklessness of his passion; and thissin
lesser degree Thurston feltnow. He was
not ready to go to. the devil; but he
found existence robbed of its -savor as it
had never been robbed before. Tor
mented by passion, by longing, by regret,
by selfcontempt-what wonder that all
things seemed to him worse than empty,
less than uninteresting? If Agatha
Loring had treated him as she had treat
ed many another, had firted with and
discarded him, he fancied that his cure
would have been rapid and complete.
But he could not forget that she had
showed him glimpses of her nature which
he felt sure she had showed to no other
man-of its WEAKNESS, of its yearning, Of
its capabilities for higher things land So;
between Opposing opinions and waveringE|
feeling, the fightMent on. .vs ~
Nothing on earthSis more. weary than
such q combat, and it was no slight ad-'
dition to Thurston's trouble that he
shrank from meeting Bertie, Enough the
cause of this shrinking would not bear
analysis. His affection had not altered
in the least; but he felt as. iflthesinf1-
ence which had entered the lives of both
with such fateful result would stand as
an estranging shadow between them.
So the months slipped away, and Noyem-
Der found him still lingering. in America.
By this time he determined that he 1
must leave the country. He had ex-
hausted his last excuse for, remaining,
and BERTHE, who had. been waiting, in
Paris for;weeks, was growing restless and
inquisitive. Desiring to 60 direct to
France, Thurston, therefore, took passage
on French steamer, which chanced to
be that vessel of tragic fate, the Vile du
Hayre. -
Before taking his departure he had
one. last. struggle. with himself. Since he
AeftSanssSoud he had heard snot thing of
Agatha Loring and it|cost him no Slight
effort to- 60 away with the silence around
her name unbroken. That it was better
se9he was we'll aware for what good end i
could knowledge serve?-but what is
there on earth can so persistently ignore
wisdom as the human heart Thurston,
however, turned a deaf ear to all that. it.
could urge, and, being:a man who held
his desires in strong leash of control,
he found himself at last on shipboard
without having received single item of
information regarding the woman whom
he had yainly tried to Danish from his
memory. NJ i.. ~ fa
There is no doubt that Fate seems
sometimes to take malignant pleasure
in battling Jus when we feel ourselves
most secure. So Thurston felt-though
it was very dreary kind of security-as
he paced the deck of the Vile du Havre,
and saw the great expanse of ocean in
front, the land receding far and faint be-
hind. t.The fight is over, the victory
won," he said to himself, and at that mo-
ment woman's laugh foated to him.
A Monian's laugh! There was surely
nothing remarkable in such a sound, yet;
as it fell on his, ear, his heart seemed to
stand still 81 He turned abruptly and
found himself -faeeszto- face withAgatha.
Loring.! She. was as much astonished as
himself, and perhaps as much agitated; (;
: but, beyond a certain change of color and
expression perceptible, on both faces, nei7
ther of them betfaye this agitation. To
people of their class conventionalities are
second NATURE and the lookers-on had
no reason to suppose their meeting to be
other than that of two ordinary acquaint-
ances. They shook hands and uttered
few commonplaces. Then Thurston
said :ss5 a. b.a ~. s;.a.s,..G sa;
II had no idea of meeting you here."
,boJ Il tho 1oocf SCao &c,