The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-30

still i'll her bonighted ignorance; she
knew nothing of ''Pinafore." #t..s s1ii
They began tn talk Of mundane mat
tiers, however, on the second evening,
when they were all seated together. a
''That poor Laura Beamis?" said
Auntie Trib, compassionately. "Did you
know she'd got back, Free?' .@ 'sa4.
| ''Laura Beamis! !" uttered Free, with a
laugh, and glancing at Jack, who looked
a trife conscious. "You had flirt-''S
EYES, interrupted his mother; sand
they do say she's been Tilted by some
town young man to a degree that's made
! her poor, broken-hearted consump-
| tive + - ..e.. aa1.tf WIKI .<..lE{1s
"Dear mel" exclaimed Free. ''Heart
and lungs gone at one fell swoop! That
is going into the dying business whole
SALE" . E- '. -~..s 5#a ag
This lrreverent comment was receeivd
by Auntie Trlb with much reproachful
| indignation; but Sallie sat mute, with a
| wildly-beating heart, Gossip had carried
| to her cars the tale that Laura Beamis
had claimed former acquaintanceship
with Jack Arnold. The unfortunate Girl
had gone to live with her Aunt in L.,
and had returned in serious ill-health, the
result, it was said, of disappointment
IN love. Frees look was peculiar. Could
it be r.u -, ,.... r
"My grief! it's an awful thing" con-
tinued Auntie Trib. "She was engaged
to him, I think, and he went off some.
where's and came back engaged to some
other girl. My the poor thing looks as
it she had one foot in the grave Already
It's really dreadful, amt it John?'-with
a sudden appeal to the silent listener.
"Very-very, indeed" said Arnold.
IL knew her"
"You did? Well, 1 want to know9"
said Auntie Trib. "Whv didn't you say
so before? Wasn't she pretty, poor thing,
before she got so low. splrited?"
"Who was the MANI" asked Sallie sud-
denly. ..
Every pretty, I THINK" said Jack an
swering Mrs. Hills question. He did
not mean to ignore Sallie's, but Free
broke in with torrent of lively nonsense,
and the conversation drifted away from
Laura Beamis snd her troubles. Sallie
was slightly uncomfortable, but she had
confidence in her lover, and did not allow
herself to indulge, as yet, in causeless
suspicion. Auntle Trib, however, re-
cured to the former subject, which had
distressed her simple, sentimental old
| heart, She exclaimed, meditatively:
MY! amt 1t dishonorable for a man to
behave sop
eff knew him." said Sallie, looking
like youthful prophecies, in her sweet
austerity, 81 would never touch his hand
again--no, not if he had been nv best
friend"
"What! SO severc?" asked Jack, with
half-amused remonstrance.
"Whew Look out, jack cried Free.
sYou never did anything dishonorable:
did you?"
"Never," answered Jack, readily and
quietly enough.
This was Irresistible.
"'What! never?'" asked Free, with in
tense significance.
| "Well, hardly ever,'' returned Jack,
nervously rubbing his chin, apparently
the very embodiment of guilty confusion
Then they both uttered cold little evasive
laughs, and Free changed the subject.
| The truth was, they had both heard
the joke so often that it could no longer
raise hearty laugh, and they did not
reflect that the quotation was entirely
new to their hearers. They talked on,
ignorant Of the overwhelming effect
which their words had produced. For
Auntie Trib was seriously alarmed, and
began to think that she ought to have in
quired more closely into the young mans
antecedents. She resolved to question
Free at the earliest opportunity; but how
could this be accomplished, since the
two friends intended to leave Rock
dale at an early hour on the following
morning? She decided to write most
urgent letter, and sift the matter to
the bottom. But how was it with Sallie?
The little incident was, to her narrow and
innocent mind, "con6rmation strong as
proof Of holy writ Jack was evidently
ashamed of something in the past; he
had been confused and silent when Laura
BEAMS was discussed; the events tailed
yes, the circumstantial evidence was
strong. Free had said, "You had firt
1870 filtration with her." he had in
tended to continue, when his mother in
terrupted him. But what if Jack we're
innocent in the case of Laura and her
broken heart? At least he had openly
contradicted his first denial of having
committed a dishonorablc action. ssHard,
ly ever" indeed! Did he think She
she-would marry man who had ever
committed the faintest shadow of dis
honorable action? Never! not though
her own heart broke, like Laura's.
All night long poor Sallie lay tossing
on her bed, working her foolish little
brain into state borderning upon frenzy.
She revolved the matter in her mind un-
til she lost all power of correct and tran
quill judgement. The more violently she
excited herself, the more conclusive, to
her thinking, became the proofs of Jacks
baseness. At length she could lie there
no longer; she rose, and by the faint
light Of the winter dawn she wrote a
brief but decisive letter to Jack, slipped
her engagement ring into the same in
closure, sealed the envelope, and wrote
his name upon it. Faint and weary with
her long conflict, she was about to lie
down again, when she remembered
that it was near the early break
fats hour appointed for the two
young men, and that she had promised
to assist Jerusha in her preparations, SO
she dressed hastily with from h1;ne finor