Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-09-17

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answered. and he saw also somethin,
that thrilled him to the soul.
He bent his head little lower as b
: answered her:
II have consented to be the groom
), provided it is agreeable to you, Mis-
Dalzell."
Agreeable to her! A little rush o.
:. agitated color went over her face, thel
, Grace Morris's gay, happy laughte
, struck chill of the old despair to he
heart.
Anything to oblige, Mr.. Saxton. Al
;, I am already in white, there will be nc
t trouble about the toilet"
Her words were so coolly courteous,
i her heart SO throbbingly eager with de
light, so sick with the pain that never
would leave it again-and Willis Saxton
for moment that he heard her words
and saw her face, wondered ifhe were NO
hopeless fool to ever have thought, OF
dreamed, or imagined that she possibly
might have cared.
Everything arranged, the drawing.
room was at once deserted for the dress.
ing-rooms and impromptu stage and
auditOrium-the great dancing saloon
. deserted save by Muriel, who, her neces.
sary orders given, returned to the quiet
solitariness- find Willis Saxton stand
ing beside the CHEEKY open fireplace, to
see him start forward as she came in the
room, his face all alight, his eyes spark
ling.
; II did not dare think you would be
back, but hoped it-Muriel it is i'm
possible that there can be silence between
} you and any longer, impossible because
He had almost snatched her in his
arms as he spoke hurriedly, passionately,
and he had kissed her before she scarce
ly realized it all. Then, with a piteous
little exclamation, she freed herself from
him, trembling from head to foot.
mo! No! You shall not-it will kill
her-no, you shall not, say"
For he would have taken her again,
kissing all her words of demur away
Then rap on the door effectually end
ed the scene, and Muriel had to descend
to the commOnalties of life to receive a
message from the servant, and answer
it.
1t seemed to Willis Saxton that he
never had seen such exquisite beauty in
all his life as Muriel Dalzell's was that
night. There was bewitchingness in
her manner he never had seen before, q
glow on her cheeks, fire in her eyes
that quickened all his pulses as he look
| ed at her, and listened to her low, sweet
voice, and felt, with thrills of mocking-
ly mad pain, that she had conquered him
as no woman ever had done or could do,
that he worshipped her so madly that
Oracle, and honor, and sworn vows were
as feathers on an adverse wind before
this passion this fair woman had awak-
ed.
So the merry evening went on, and
4 oy, do md foh1 +
pany in shouts of laughter, and all the
while Mur:el went about with that gilt
ter of splendid excitement in her eyes,
that smile on her lovely lips that made
the man who was watching her feel that
| it were worth all else to have her for his
own, that made little Grace Morris come
up to her and tell her how gloriously she
looked, and beg her, in her pretty,
| roguish way not to look too much in
earnest during the marriage scene.
And then the marriage scene came
the interior of the little rustic chapel, SO
beautifully and hastily improvised by
MuriePs artistic steward and his corps of
servants the 'dim religious light" over
it all, the heralding music from the
grand organ in the adjoining room, and
then, when the curtain went up the Sec
ond time, Muriel Dalzell and Willis Sax
ton, standing at the altar. while the sur
pliced clergyman read the solemn SER
fell on the laughing audience, and Oracle
Morris felt strange culver Of pain and
fear.
And then the curtain went down, and
while there arose exclamations and en-
cores of delight from without, and
the gentleman who had Officiated as
clergyman went away, Willis Saxton
suddenly stopped and kissed her, and
she as suddenly laid her hand on his
sleeve and looked at him with some
thing in her eyes that thrilled him with
strange, feverish expectation of ecstasy.
"Dont!-not until-not till you have
sworn you will forgive me! Oh, Willis
SaXton-n
A great white agony spread over her
face that frightened him.
"Muriel, you could do nothing would
not forgive !;-nothing-except to send
me hopelessly away"
cit is you who will send me away
but-but-I could not help it, because 1
love you so, I want you so, always-al-
waysW
Her voice was low, intense, and her
words thrilled him from head to foot.
"You love me! Oh, my darling"
Then she looked at him, strange ex-
preston of pride and defiance and en-
treaty in her straight glance.
"Wait-try not to hate me-because-
it was not farce-that man was JUS
| tice of the peace for whom l sent-on
purpose! Oh, Willis !"
And he snatched her to him, straining
her to his breast with all his strength,
kissing her breath almost away.
"Hate you! on, my bride, my beauti-
ful bride, my wife!"
Five or six hours later, when the COM
pany dispersed after their night-long
dissipation, there went a cold chill of
horror over the house. for maid had
| found little Oracle Morris lying on her
bed in her room, whittier she had gone
after accidentally overhearing her own
piteous destiny from Willis Saxton's
lips-poor little loving Oracle, lying
white and dead on her bed, stricken by
blow from which she had no mower to
| recover.
/ While to Muriel DalzeIl came the aw-
| fulness OF her passion, came the sudden
questioning. was it her sin that had done
it? And in later days, she quietly told
Willis Saxton their ill-starred marriage
must never be consummated and so
they went their way with memories all
future days can never blot out.
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS FOR TIE
THoUGHTFUL.-It should cheer the
steps of the servant Of Jesus Christ, as
he journeys, to know that even in dark
| ness bis guide is still with him, and that
guide is the king of the country through
which he is traveling.-JohnF Foster.
The river Jordan is not the only piea-
SAINT water that empties itself into
Dead Sea. Some CT tie ''sweetest cur
rents" Of oVr lives are fated to end there.
| Let us look to it that we are not borne
thlther on their limpid bosom.
| We can easily manage if we will only
take, each day, the burden appointed for
it. But the load will be too heavy for
us if we add to lis weight the burden of
Tomorrow before we are called to b ear
it.-John NeWtOn.
The art of putting things was we'll il
lustrated by DR.. Ganse of st. Louis,
when he said to the workingmen, in
speaking of the value of Sunday to them
as rest-day, Don't girdle the tree that
shades you"
| The chariot of Coda ,,yoviAanoo VIM