The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-08-20


Birney Graham, coldy. 4" Dol Death
at your hands would be sweet"
Alice looked up again, her tears
dry.
But for you," she said, "it would
have been hushed up. What was any
thing 1 had ever done to you that you
should have humiliated me like
this 2"
have done nothing but my duty"
replied the cold, sneering voice of Bir-
ney Graham. My dear young lady,
fear you don't understand the law. If
1 had concealed your friends misde-
meanors, knowing what he had done,
should have been as guilty as he was.-
1t is what the law calls compounding
felony, Miss Marlay. It's really strange,
but ladies never will understand law, L
think ?n
never thought you were worth
minding BEFORE" said the girl, in hot,
scornful tones. "But you have caused
my name-my name, Alice NIarlay, to
be on the tongue of every gossip in this
city. For this, for the bitter humilia-
ton you have brought on me, hence
forth pursue you as you pursued him.
You smile your cold, wicked smile, do
you? You shall see what a weak girl
can do. Mark my words, Birney Gra-
ham ! From this day forth, 1 shall
fight you till die"
nj nj f,,,YN A,,c1,
rose into his face at last. "What had
you done to deserve this, Miss Alice p
/ will tell you. Years ago, long before
that little delicate blonde face of yours
began to haunt idiotic young men, the
founder of your race in America, an
iron-faced miser, took from my ancestor
little home he had nearly made his
own. That was the beginning. From
that day down, your race has somehow
seemed to eat up mine. Yes, from that
day until the same accursed fate brought
me across your path, and caused me to
love your fair face, from the moment L
saw it. That would have been nothing,
only you smiled so sweetly on me that
it made me forget the great gulf which
the world placed between us. You drew
me on, poor, awkward, honest fool,
until l had not thought or hope apart
from you, then you turned on me and
laughed at me. In one moment you
changed all the honey of my life to
the gall of bitterness. Miss Maylay,
what had done to you, to deserve this
Was it all nothing, think you? come
of Highland blood and clansman never
forgets. If you had not done what you
did, if you had not humiliated me and
nearly broken my heart, then should
have spared you when my turn came
1 have not one regret, understand. If
it were to do over again, would do it
over again. That is what / came here
to tell YOU"
She raised her arm slowly, as if it had
been a weapon. 1908
Go out of this house," she said
Somehow Birney Graham never pros
pered. He was not superstitious, Heaven
knows but sometimes he half.confessed
to himself that Alice Marlay's hate
seemed to follow him like an evil eye
Alice Marlay's father was his friend, but
Mr.. Marlay shortly resigned his presi-
dency of the bank and retired from busi-
ness. A new president and new officers
were chosen, and Birney Graham lost
his place. He understood how it came
about when he happened to remember
that the new president was the father of
Alice Marlay's most intimate friend
What harm could Alice Marlay do him2
had he asked mockingly9 He found out
what many another has found to his
sorrow, that woman can do man no
end of harm, when she sets her head to
it.
Birney Graham had no home worth
speaking of. A childish, peevish old
father who ate opium, depended on him
for support, while a half-sister, cross
and vixenish as only disappointed
woman can be, hung like milestone
about his neck. These two, the peevish
father and the wasplsh sister constituted
the guardian angels of Birney Graham's
home. Truly, as he had told her once,
he had not so much peace or joy in this
life, that Alice Marlay should have
thought worth while to take that away
from him. He had few friends. He re-
PEELED people by his cynical GOODNESS,
and as time went on, he became more