The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1879-04-09

with the love lhat cotlNo Uut o"10
in a mans life"
50 short q timc-so short, "
she broke in.
II know it is short; but it has
seemed long to me, for loved you
the first moment wc met"
"Ob, stop r' she fairly groaned !;
sit is wicked for me to listen"
"Wicked!'
Yes" she had also arisen, and
| stood fa:ing him. "Ob, Dr. Mnr-
ray, forgive mel | did not foresce
! this. l am engaged to another!'
For an instant the strong man
ree!ed and the soft light which
shed it's subdued lustre on the
: fragrant flowers around him,
changed TO murky darkness be-
fore his eyes. With strong
! effort he mastered his emotion.
do not rcproach yourself, or
say forgive me- Miss Stuart, for
; it is all my own fault. | see | have
| been mistaken. What | took for
| love was only kindly liking"
He offered her his arm as be
finished speaking. Ethel shirered
as with cold, as she placed her lit.
tie white gloved hand upon it :;
and together they re.enlered the
ballroom.
AS Ethel Stuart sat in her room
that night, listlcssly untwinlng the
golden braids, stormy conflict
was raging in her heart. Hers
was no common case-she was
the promised wife Of one man, and
alas felt that she loved another.
| At an carly age her parents had
died, leaving her and an older
| brother alone in the world. The
brother, who had always been a
trial to his parents, llaced his
little sister in a boarding school,
and taxing bis halt Of the large
| fortune left, had gone abroad.
Thus Ethel had grown up, never
knowing the protecting blessing
of parent love, compelled TO think
and act for herself.
She left school and entered So
ciety and at the aye of twenty
had never met any man to whom
her heart went out. acknowledg-
ing him it's master. Even those
who knew her best called her re-
served, incapable of passionate at
tachment.
Then she had met Henry Merle.
From the first he made his ad.
miration for her very evident. tie
was handsome, wealthy, and
possessed of great culture. and
Ethel, advised by all who knew
her we'll enough to advise: when
he offered himself, did not say him
nay, but told him frankly how She
felt towards him. That she did
not love him with that passionate
love such as she read of, but she
liked him better than any one
else.
He was contcntcd, more than
contentei, to secure the object OF
his admiration at any price and
the lovely girl, thinking that at
last she had found quiet haven
from the giddy whirl Of society
which she had never loved, &C
ceptcd him.
His property in the West Indies
needed his supervision, and placing
a diamond solitaire on the slender
finger Of his promised bride, he
had gone with the understanding
that in the spring, on his return
they would be married.
1t was about this time Ethe]
met Randolph Murray. He was
young physician Of small means
but with a clear, intelligent in
teiiect, and active hands, and 1t
was not long before her womanly
penetration recognized his WORTH
Without the slightest percep'
tion of her danger, Ethel had
drifted into friendship with him.
aud now the end had come.
Before her on her toilet-tablc
lay letter announcing her be-
trothed's speedy return, and that
evening Randolph Murray hac
started to life in her heart, by biz
unexpected avowaI, a feeling which
the girl felt through every fibre
Of her frame, would be cruelty
hard to suppress. But that II
must be suppressed, driven away
she knew. for her word was sol