The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-04-02
CHAPTER II

The iron tongue from yonder spire
Has husbed its hollow tone:
And midnight finds him sitting here.
In silence and alone.
The still moon through his window
Sheds its soft lipht on the floor
With a melancholy paleness
He has never seen before.
And tn summer wind comes to him.
With its sad Eolian lay;
As ii buldened wi h the sorrow
of weary weary day.
But the moonlight cannot soothe him
OF the sadness here within:
And the sad wind takes no portion
From his bo~om's weight OF sin.
Alone in his room sat Basil Duke the night
after his unsuccessful attempt to see Nellie.
His elbow rested on table ana his face was
buried in his hands Slowly the minutes slipped
by all unheeded by him. At length the
clock upon the mantle told the hour of Md
night, and as the last stroke died away he
aroused himself and gazed vacantly ar und the
room, as one who had Just awakened from a
troubled dream. How pale his face had grown
in the last few hours, and there was weary,
hopeless look upon 1t that was sad to see on
one so young. A bottle Of brandy stood upon
the table, and the dull, heavy look showed that
he had been drinking deeply. WITH trembling
hand he filled glass with the fiery liquid and
gulped it down rs II had been as mucn water.
His hair was thrust back fiom bis forehead,
aud lis hands cleuched as tightly and savagely
a. II they weieg aspng the throat of al enemy.
"False as hell" he muttered between his
set teeth. How she has treated and riched me.
Why did she not undeceive me months ago,
when size saw how completely this insane love
was mastering mey But no, il suited her pur-
pose better TO lead me on until l had bat one
nope and one purpose in life, and that was to
call her mine, and then, at one blow, dash the
cup of happiness from my lips. How well she
has acted her part How often have i looked
into her false, fair face, and believed every
word she uttered to bs as true as those of holy
.~,f f.s.NI H.,
and yet few hours ago would have sworn
by all hold sacred that she loved me. How
blind mau can be when ne has given up his
heart into woman's keeping Aud yet, / love
her still. Yes, love her better. il pc ssible, now
that I know she is lost to me. than did in tho
bright days of the past, when l dreamed OF
her some dsy being all my own. Alb, those
days were blight grains OF sand from the hour
glass of Iime But hencPforth they are
turDed-down pages in the book of life How
cruel and falee she has beeo. and yet tonight
j would lay down my life freely, ii by 30 doing
l might add a moments pleasure to hers"
II vas no idle bnast OF William Dukes when
he said that Basil should never marry
Nellie Norwood, aud he found il far
easier to accomplish his purpose than he ex-
pected. Had Basil known of the interview that
passed between his father and brother. and
how the affectionate note he had written to
Nellie had been broken open by them, is con-
tents read, and another, in exact imitation of
his handwriting, written and delivered to her.
In which he was made TO say that he cared
nothing for her, had only been carrying on a
filtration with her, and, as she was so far be-
meath hfm in social position, she could, of
course, never have dreamed that he had any
intention of marrying her. 1t closed BY saying
that he hoped she in future, would treat him
as an entire stranger, as he considered IL best
that their acquaintance should end. Had Basil
known Of this note, and knowing rs he did
the high spirit and independent disposition OF
Nellie, ne would not have been SURPRISED at
the treatment he had received: but he did
not know How could her Aud so another
was added to the list of lives wrecked by
parental opposition.
y
Three years nave passed since the events