The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-27
THE HISTORY OF A LIFE.
II THE AUTHOR OF CAPTAIN GERALD" ''THE
RIGHT OF Way" ETC.
CHAPTER Xxx.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE PAST.

hands to Mr.. Irwin, and crawled back
wards, as if she would shield herse be-
hind couch. "Don't kill me-" she said,
hoarsely; II know deserve it; but don't
kill me-"
"Hush" he replied, in terribly grave
tone; "you forget that am Christian
minister, and must desire, above all
things, that you should live to repent"
~ have repented, Paul; yea, in sack
cloth and ashes"
He looked at her scornfully.
"How can believe that, whilst l see
you here reyeling in the fruitsof your SIM
If you had repented, you would have
flown from this place as if every thorn
amongst the roses had the power OF ten
fold sting-as if every sweet were like
the poison of asps, and would destroy"
'Tisten to me FIRST" she exclaimed,
lifting herself with difficulty into seat,
"and you shall judge me afterwards.
you may not know how | was reared"
That is no excuse" he interrupted
"lnce you know better"
"True! But the temptation came to
me daily. l saw the honor that wealth
had in the world; l saw the poor despised,
and I said, 4 will never be poor And
then you know how l met you, and learnt
10 love you--how your very voice stirred
my better instincts, and made me fancy
it possible to endure poverty for your
sake"
"Go on" he said, as she paused.
NAn fhn, I ,,,op,.,o1 hrt 7
told my parents of this marriage, lest"
"Wcllw he urged, sternly.
'Lest should grow tired of the COM
pact, and want to return to my old life
Of ease"
"And even then you had such thoughts,
Euphemia, when was dreaming that my
love could satisfy you forever"
"Ah, even then! And yet, for the first
six months, was perfectly happy and
and contented. My parents urged me to
return home, and | put them off with
excuses. Just then | would not have de-
serted you for all the gold in Golconda's
mines But gradually began to tire of
the simple monotony of my daily life. |
had never been used TO such a tranquil
existence; and the thought that the
promised child might render it impossible
for me ever to escape, became nearly
mad. | began to hate you with fierce
kind of hatred, added to resentment, and
cursed the ridiculous folly which made
me think of becoming your wife. You
noticed the change in me-you even
asked the cause; and as [ had no answer
to give you, came at last to attribute it
to my nervous state of health"
"Truew said Mr.. Irwin gravely;
"what else could | thinkT'
"You might have known that I was
not the kind of woman that could endure
adversely bravely."
81 thought you loved me we'll enough
to bear anything for your sake. That
was my fatal error, and one which has
caused me all the sorrows of my life"
Euphemia glanced up at him as he
stood before her, and suddenly the old
love of her youth came back to her in all
Its strength and fire. 1t seemed to her,
now, that poverty, with its peaceful mo-
notony of interests, would be wonderful
gain, after all she had suffered of late;
and, moreover the love and favor of Mr..
Irwin were more valuable than aught
the world could give to his erring and re-
pentant wife.
Whilst these thoughts were passing
through her mind, Mr.. Irwin, who was
naturally anxious to obtain clue Of the
painful past, gravely reminded her that
she had not yet concluded her tale.
'Do you wish to hear to the very endY'
inquired Euphemia.
Eyes," he said; "there is nothing to be
gained by concealment now"
She went on at once.
"The feelings of hate and resentment
Of which / have spoken went on increas-
ing, until they seemed to culminate in
me at my child's birth. / had one thrill
Of maternal tenderness, and one only,
when you kissed the little creature softly,
and then placed it in my arms, but it
soon faded away. l have only one ex-
cuse: the nurse you brought me was idle
and incompetent, and, moreover, so ad-
dicted to drink, that most of the care OF
the child fell upon me; and was terri
bly, weak, remember that was terri
bly, weak"
"Why did you not complain of her%
Because Margaret Cell had already
obtained some kind of hold on me. In
q moment of foolish pique, pride, and
weakness, l had confded to her the fact
Of my marriage being unknown to my
parents, and that they were rich people,
who would cast me off if they knew how
wretchedly poor my husband was. She
listened eagerly to all this, Of course,
and at last, one day, about six weeks af-
ter my child's birth, she advised me to
leave you secretly, and return home"
"You'll have a hard time of it here
she said, for masters as poor as chuch
mouse; and any one may see with look
that you were never made to rough it.
"a That Is very well,' answered, but
what is to become of the child?"
"What's to hurt the child, if I stay
ongD
"'You may get intoxicated / said, 'as
you have done before, and then Heaven
knows what will become Of the poor
thing"
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