The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-07-08

Why does not Earl GOMEZ" oue..
toned The invalid. Il want 70 see him
Il miss him Write, Irene. and tell
him he must call this evening"
She wrote in obedience
Mamma ssks for you She knows
nothing. If you will occasionally drop
in To see her. shall be glad"
II cost her pride q struggle To send
even this but was It possible it also
brought . thrill Of something like plea.-
ure that she should meet him oncc
more
The weeks seemed strangely long
without him. Why had she thus an
s~ered him: OF course the thing he
asked was impossible; but. ah. how
cruelty she had spusned him,
Had he forgotten IL? She hal cx-
pected some trace Of sorrow on the
handsome brow; but when he entered.
IN obedience to her summons, the old
frsnk smile Ii, up his face. as hevAing
himself to the invalid. be spoke only
when courtesy required.
Somehow. these weeks seemed to have
improved him. too. He had acquired
polish; or was it only indifference,
where love had reigned?
Men easily forget" she thought. and
with the thought she sighed.
Thewinter wore to an end, aRd slowly
the invalid grew weaker and more
weak. The shock had been greater than
her nervous system could bear, and she
sank under it day by day. until the
exertion Of moving from her bed to her
couch became too great. when. for the
first time. the realization burst upon
her daughter that she was soon to lie
lett desolate indeed,
Earl. during these months, cam. and
went as of old hut sometime. Irene
asked herself If his words to h,r had
not been 3 dream
Not once did his eyes rest on her
with the old look-not once did he hold
for a single moment the little fingers
within his own , aud a sense Of empty
disappointment, none III" less bitter
because unacknowledgei. brought to
the proud -yr. many an unshei tear.
Bn; the bitter sorrow WAS III store. "a
he invalid's rest approached more and
more nesr. until the Angel If Death
sto"psd and gathered her to bis brt ast.
Earl was there at the last. and as she
lay so quietly on her plllows-they
thought her spirit mad fOwn-she sud-
denly reused. laid her daughters hand
in his.
Take her." said she; :" give her to
you -
Then the eyes closed forever.
DO not mind it; she meant only as
. brother. Irene." he said. in comfort
days after to the weeping girl, and
Irene wondered why she could not as
such accept it.
So the weary days vergsd into weeks
and the weeks into months, and the
proud young spirit learned its own Bit
terress. She saw Earl rarely nov
theirs WAS Do longer the invalid's impa-
tient demands upon bis time. Some of
the old friends had come forward in
this second hour of suffering; but
through all she missed him. and the
thought that he had learned forgetful-
ness brought her no comfort. She was
thinking of bin one evening. when he
catered.
Il am going away. Miss Irone," be
said. Will you bid me God speed"
The old pride struggled for mastery
against the choking in the slender
throat. but the words che strove to utter
refused to come.
81 have been studying law during
these years Of hard work. aud am now
able to wait for the practice hope will
come You will think of me sometimes,
Irene. and if in trouble. remember the
words I once said-thst l stand always
ready 20 act the part of o friend? Is
even this asking too much ?" he
added, as her silence continued.
Had he. then, forgotten all his words
the love he had said was hers forever
--or did its pale ghost lie buried, too.
But she must speak-she must not let
him know.
"Good-by = she faltered; then, spite
of herself, the words she had thought
locked in her heart burst from her
Earl, do not 60 I cannot bear it
"Irene!' Where had his icy indif.
ference fed now. His face Was pale |
his voice tremblsd in his struggle for
calmness. What matters it to your
Everything !" she exclaimed. as her
pride lay With folded wings ct her feet
"Or. If you must 60. take me with
you!"
"Irene. do you know what your
words nesn-that l can take you only
- my wife! Ny darling. is this true!"
But in answer she sprang into his
open arms. dimly realizing that the
color msntling her cheeks VA the ab-
horred red dag with which she had an.
nounced the auction Of herself to the
highest bidder, but Earl. holding her !
close to his heart. will yield his prize |