Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-03-29
3 glcasaut Sturp,
MADELINE'S LOVER.

=
"Not happy, Colonel Laurence What
do you mean ?"
There was a palpable annoyance in
her tone, which thoroughly Disconnected
him. He made the above assertion al
most Involuntary, and now scarcely
knew how to proceed
Forgive me-" he ventured ct last,
very humbly.
She bowed cold assent, and sank
back into the large crimson chair with
an air of Indifference. How lovely she
looked to the man who had watched her /;
the freight shimmcriug Enthusiastically
over the slender figure, the sad little
face Dear Madeline!
He was sick and faint with the longing
to take her in his arms, to kiss away the
lines about the wistful little mouth to
teach her to smile-she SMILED now, to
be sure, but not as he longed to see her !;
to keep her safe from all the adverse
winds of fate. She was not fit, he said
to himself, to bear trouble-least of all
such trouble as this Why had she not
loved him instead of that fool? Here he
checked himself The man she loved
was not fool F; he was only too clever,
too brilliant. Why had not heaven given
him more brains and less heart? She
might have loved him, then, instead
OF what use was it that he had the
courage of lion and strength of one,
and alas that he was little wiser than
one
Poor Colonel Laurence His rugged
yet not unhand some face, which had
never blanched in times of direst peril,
was white with suffering now. To think
that she loved a man who, he felt con-
WINGED, did not love her; to see her
growing mistrust of this; to watch her
growing saddcr and paler day by day
it was too much. He would speak no
matter what came of it.
Madeline" be began. hurriedly,
"don't be angry with me, but | wish to
say something to you. You know that
love you-husb, child, you know it.
| love you; you are soon be married,
and when you are married you will suf-
fer-how much / dare not think |
want you to promise me that when trou-
BILE comes, you will look upon me as
your friend You will die, my dearest"
he went on passionately. "if you go on
in this way, shutting up your misery in
your own heart, trusting no one, fight
ing out your battles alone. Remember
that am man, and can help you when
you cannot help yourself. Remember
that know more of the world than you
do-that my eyes see things which yours
cannot SEQ"
stop! What do you know -? You
must, you shall tell mev'
She had risen to her feet, and now
stood before him, with such wild misery
in her eyes that he hated himself for
what he had said
Nothing, believe me, except"
And here. being absurdly truthful be
blundered and hesitated. How could
he tell her that he believed that the man
she was to marry, cared only for her
money?
Except what? ?"
Nothing" Then he added with
sudden desperation, madeline if you
knew that the man you loved did not
love you, would you marry him ?"
She reeled under his words as if they
had been blows; then she recovered
herself, and said in low whisper, II
would not"
Would you take any other evidence
against him than that of your own
senses Z"
II would not"
MADELINE, will you forgive me for
all | have said tonight, and look upon
me as your friend, if you ever need
one 2"
eff | ever need one-yes" And,
turning away from him with smile
which was pitiful to see, she went ont Of
the library, And climbed slowly up the
great staircase. When the echo Of her
last football had died away. Colonel
Laurence stepped through the long win
dow into the garden
1t was late autumn, and the night-air
was chill but he scarcely knew it. lie
was too thoroughly wretcbed to care
much about anything just then. If this
sort Of thing went on much longer, be
felt that he should go mad. What
fool he had been to stay where she was
so long Yes, he would go. She was
to be married next week. and it would
be worse than death to SEQ that If he
could only help her, it would be worth
while to stay.
At this moment voice fell on bis
cara voice which came apparently from
the other side Of the hedge which he had
been walking beside; carefully sup
pressed voice, yet he knew it in an in
slant. II said, "You have no pity
Arnold"
He held his breath, with mingled
hope and fear, until the answer came.
mo, Florence, have Monochrome
for you. none for myself, none for her,"
"She does not love you as | do"
Eyes. she does Rich women do not
marry poor men for anything else but
the strongest love am going to marry
her next week. Florence"
There was plaintvc sob by way Of
reply, then passionate kisses and caress.
ing words.
Colonel Laurence staid 10 hear no |
more but. with set face and darkly. |