Sharp County record., 1879-02-27

me proud; and that was how it hap
pened.n ,....-
4" Are YOU ashamed of yourself s' he
questioned.
q Yes -
"Do you despise yourself ?'
i" Yes"
aDo YOU hate Yourself as you deserve
TO behated?"
Yes; God knows do. +"
"Well," he replied, I. the strange
thing is that l, who ought 70 hate You,
ought to scorn and spurn gou, love you
Just as madly as ever. Polly! Polly /.
/ can't bear it, For Gods sake come
to me my darlng!n
For a moment she stood irresolute; ;
then with a low cry, she flung her arms
round his neck and dropped against his
heart. He strained her close to him,
kissing her with long, passionate Kisses,
calling her by a hundred endearing
names, seeming to forgive every thing
save the fact that she was in his arms
again after their cruel separation. At
length, with a sudden reVulsiOn of feel
ing. he thrust her from him almost
roughly, saying, in voice Jared with
suppressed passion:
Have you forgotten your oath, the
oath you swOre to me that last night,
under the moonlight, when we stood to-
gether in your fathers garden?"
She covered against the wall, shrink
ing from his eyes us a child from the
hand that has stricken it. " forgot
nothing, - she mOaned.
90 Say that oath over, then" he eX-
claimed, holding her hands in his, as IN
a wise.
90 Spare me thisi" she cried.
"What have you done hat I should
spare vou!n he retOrted, almost bru-
tally. Come, have fancy to hear
that oath, and hear it [ will. 1 can
prompt you with it,
And then, as one speaking in trance
she spoke:
II ever during your absence l let
any man touch my lips, or willingly lis
ten to any words of love, or become in
the least word, thought or deed, untaith-
tuI, may | be slain, soul and body, so
help me GOd!n
''That's the oath you madeand broke
theni" he exclaimed, still holding her
hands and still looking at her face with
his keen pitiless eyes.
ssOh, Narkir she cried, i love you,
and only you. 1t is not too late yet.
let us fly together"
mo, we can't get out Of it like that, "
he reioined. 81 don't know that I've
much conscience; or it may be that [
have a good deal in my own way. Where
two folks love each other they make
their own laws, is what [ think. What's
right to them is right, and what's wrong
is wrong; but this man, your husband,
I'd toss him over, as in rough weather
we've tossed overheard far more precious
cargo to save the ship; I am not what
men call piOus, either. I don't live diff
ferent on Sundays to what I DO on other
davs, and I'm not particular about 90
ing to church Vhen I'm ashore but I'm
a bit .suoersti 1853 I believe in q God,
and if your oath meant any thing it
meant every thing. If you'd made
married this man, loving me
all the time and just said simple and
Mark, I'm sOrrT-tOrgive
me, I'd have taken YOU back to my
heart. and thought nothing bad Of you.
But we can't get away from this oath.
What sort Of God would He be who
would let his name be taken and sworn
lust to make q fine sound? No, we can't
escape it. Don't YOU know we can't?
Wasn't it for this, just to meet You here,
that the ship came back three months
before the time she was due? Do just
as I tell you, f." and he would have taken
her in his arms again, but at that mo-
ment the door opened and OldwOrth
came in.
81 told you I should be ten minutes, y
he said, ssand have been twelve. Come,
Mary; your room IS ready, Wish your
friend good night. "
cit strikes me,'' observed Mark,
50 she's not as anxious for that as you
would have her. You've come back
too soon; we haven't done our talk yet /;
we've fancy to finish it on the shore" "
ga fancy which you must most GER
tainly resign" replied Oldworth, tore
inc a smile, though he was white as
death, and his hands and lips were
quivering, "Mary, my dear, are you
coming?"
mo, she isn't" put in Marx. "DO
you think she'd rest without knowing
my newsP I tell you again, you came
back too soon. Five minutes walk and
talk on the shore, and then it will all be
over
"Yes, then it will all be over, DEAR"
said Mary, going to her husband.
" You don't want to grieve me, do
you?" he answered. d" Come, Mary"
"No; must 90 70 the shore first"
she replied. Indeed, ! should like it.