The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-15

'roice.XHe came to Ashley every DAY.
She did not invite himShe came with
out it.
F. One Clear moonlit night, he ,wass
strangely. restless. Ii was no tiEieS for
walking-the wind was cold and bleak,
and the snow lay firm and hard on the
ground. But he put Maude's shawl
around her, and made her go out on the
lawn with him. -
She shuddered at the touch Of the
wind; he wrapped his arms around her,
and there was warmth instead of cold.
"NMaude,"' he said, 81 love you Is
there any need of my telling you 2"
She knew there, was, moi, but she did
not say so, = = - = S-st
u sMaude, T am, u fataiist. 1 was sent
hither to meet you. have needed you
all my life long, but the time had not
come before God sent me now. believe
it Yon are mine-I am yours. No
earthly power can take you away from
sme. For:tie time and for eternity we
are one:? #sssa Z
She began: "Mr. Wheatcliff:
"My name is George. Call me by it.
You are Maude, and not Miss Ashley, to
:; She went On, ; unhesding his passionate
interruption.
George, have little history to re-
late to you. There must be no clouds
betw esn us-no secrets. Once 1 loved
another" ..,'z'''''
''No,. dear Maude, you did not love
him; you never knew the meaning of the
word love until we met" =.
She crimsoned slowly, her heart &C.
knowledging the nth.
,snI was engaged 10 Paul Winchester.
The time of our marriage. was fixed
He was to come to me on the evening
trginFof ears.s An ascident ntpcrnrtedsT;
manyswese killed; heswas nii$ing. sAnd
hahas never been heard of hince.p - sss
eyes, I know the whole story; have
heard it dozen times since | came
here. But that makes no difference.
You are mine. And though Paul Win
chester should rise from the grave and
claim you, would still keep my rightP
She clung to him, weak and trembling.
A shadow fell between them and the
moon.
Maude looked up "A Atalrfgare; gaant
and spare, in solemn black, its ghastly
face bathed in the liquid moonlight, its
profile cut clear against the purple sky,
its head in the attitude of attention, and
its whole individuality-Paul Winches-
ter.
Maude stood frozen motionless. Every
faculty was absorbed in gazing on that
ghostly apparition.
Following the direction of her strained
gaze, Wheatcliff turned, but the phan-
tom vanished in group of hemlocks,
and his eyes tmef onfyrvscancy, cligAted
by the pale moonlight. " ''s
Maude's entreaties induced Wheatcliff
into the honse-nor would she suffer him
to depart until the dawn began to redden
the eastern sky. She was oppressed by
a terrible fear-vague and nameless, but
none the less terrible.
! Wheatchff was no tardy wooer, and
before he left her that night the wedding
day was fixed, and diamond CLEANED
on her finger in token of her ibetrothal.
The night before the day set apart for
the bridal, Mahde sat'alone; at midnight,
in one of the great parlors of Ashley
Hall. There was subdued light in her
eye and bright glow on her cheek
which was not all owing to the red fire.
light that fell around her.
Wheatclif's kisses were yet warm on
her lips-she felt yet the lingering charm
of his prese1cs. There was the chair he
had gust, sat ip,- the, bunch of scarlet
fuchsias he had brought her-and there
was one of his gloves lying on the carpet
where he had dropped it. She picked it
up and ffdehea ifto1er liwa Il
heFdoor opened softly 35osvefT sph-
ly shewas only dfml y!conscio6s Of some
approaching presence, and she did not
look up until heavy hand pressed her
shoulder.
JShs stood face to face with Paul VIM
chester. He folded his arms, and re-
garded her with stern and gloomy
0tSEi EsMaude Ashley, is Ills III codastaucy
he asked, pointing to the ring on her
finger
aSd j. ny Wieaess, ' paul, Il ! thopEhs1' fH
"And had you known the contrary
would it have made any difference?
Answer me truly do you love this man p
Al faint rosy flush broke; slowly oyer
her face. He was answered.
| -4Enough, MsndeS T. am satis6ehS-
Life will be worth little. to me now. But
I must tell my story and obtain your par
don. Nay, do not refuse to listen; it is
the last favor shall ever ask of you.-
Before ever saw you, Maude, I vas
married. EARLY in life i Fmet and dfancied
young girl in one of the, Middle States
the daughter of my landlady. She was
fair, simple girl, and.I married her. I
wearied of her full soon, and she had
never loved me. She had taken my
name only because her mother favored
the alliance. We parted ut last with
high words, and I came North. I pro-
yided her witlbal the money she needed,
and when our little girl was born I set.
tied upon her life annuity. Just before
I met you I saw notice of my wife's
death in newspaper. Twas free, for the
child had died some months ;preyiously. /.
When 1 saw. you, I loved forf the first
time, and after I was raised to the height
of felicity by your acceptance, 1 could
not get courage to tell you this secret of
my life. I feared your high, pure soul
would shrink from the man who had
once, In name at least, belonged to an
other. So I kept it hidden. Sometime
I would tell you, said-sometimei when
I was sure ofyour love. Well, I took the
train on lthatnight ito come to Ashley
Hall. Judge of my CONSERVATION when
I tell you. that entering the Car I sat
down beside my own wife! The recog-
nition was mutual, and I think Alice
was quite as deeply Mortified as myself.
It appears that the obituary had referred
to a cousin of hers bearing the same
name, and hence my mistake. The mo-
ments that passed until I felt the stun
ming shock Of that terrible ileap into the'
river, were agonizing. The train I knew
was an express, and did not stop until it
reached Ashley. seOf course I could, not.