The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-06-25
ON THE RAILWAY BRIDGE.

| MIR. EDWARD WORrHlNG1ON-Su: Iaruon
these intrusive lines, and rest assured that they
are from one who will ever be proud to call
| himself your sincere friend. Lucy Ames Is not
| faithful to YOU L do not write tins to You
! for any base purpose for, since know so well
your generous and noble nature cannot hesl-
! tate when l see that nature become the nno-
cent dupe of vile DISSEMINATION. Nor have i
been too hasty in communicating to you tins
! knowledge | only fear 1t is too late; but rest
assured that all have said Is true, and can be
attested by one who has an undoubted personal
! knowledge of all the facts. Arthur Wesley, the
singing-master. is your too-fortunate rival
Yours, FRIEND.
This was not the first intimation | had
had of Lucy's Inconsistency. | had seen
things with my own eyes that made me
doubt her sincerity. For long time
the unwelcome suspicion had been prey
ing upon me, and this fatal letter had
come TO bring conviction-stern, lrrevo-
cable, hopeless conviction.
| did not doubt the truth of it and
vet how it writhed my soul with torture
! to think of it, to admit It's truth. 1t dld
not, it could not crush me; / braved it
to the last L should have been less than
man to do otherwise. l reperused the
letter, calmly-no, not calmly-not IN
differently, but sternly, rs though it
were decreed OF fate that L should not
only drain the bitter cup, but should
swallow the very dregs.
And yet | loved the maynard girl,
and gladly, oh, how gladly, would l
have forgiven her imprudence To her,
| went TO seek an interview. Lucy was
proud-too proud to be just to herself !;
yet she was generous and noble, IN spite
of all her tickleness.
Obstinately convinced that she had
preferred another to me, | did not ask
or expect any explanations from her !; |
showed her, without any hesitation, the
letter had just received, and requested
her TO return me such letters as / had
previously written TO her, and any other
little keepsake which might in future
prove annoying to her. She bestowed
on me lock which L shall never forget.
"Do you believe this, Edward y she
asked.
81 do" l replied, without hesitation.
"What unimpeachable evidence ?" she
retorted, with the first impulse Of pride.
q do not rely on the information con-
tanned in this letter." l said. Il have
seen enough myself without asking any
persons advice or opinion"
She Immediately left the room, and
returned in few moments with pack
age of letters and n small box of Jewels,
my former presents, saying gayly, as she
placed them in my hands
"By these tokens, then, since it Is
your will, absolve you"
In spite of the smile that played upon
hermouth, Thought l could detect traces
of recent tears, hastily brushed away
! from her cheeks.
In moment the thought flashed upon
my mind that she might, after all, be
true Impulsively | was about TO speak
to her, to ask her if it was not so but
what should / say? [ had gone too far,
and it was too late to retreat But, as
the thought had come upon me like a
fash it vanished as it had come, leaving
no alternative but to pursue the course
L had adopted.
Farewell then said, with appar-
ent Indifference. "May your future life
be ever lighted with the sunshine of
happiness !"
"Thank you," she replied. 81 trust
no act OF my own will ever bring misery
upon me.
CONSCIENCE, Miss Ames-con-
science L said
"Will never reproach me, " she replied.
"Heaven grant it said /. "The
step you have taken may, in your opin-
ion, be just, but let me assure you 9TH
ers do not think SO. We do not always
see ourselves as others see us"
81 have done nothing, Mr.. Worthing-
ton, to merit this" said Lucy "you
| ora NOT n,,lx- 1anai,,o1 lint
sir and you cautiously avoid any ques-
tions that might lead to an explana-
ton"
A." / ask no explanation, 1 hurriedly
replied, and Immediately took my de-
parture in no very amiable mood, nor
did wish to humble myself sufficiently
to ask her any questions that might, as
she had suggested, lead TO a satisfactory
explanation.
What a victory pride had won How
perfect and complete had been its ulti-
mate success on both sides
/ hurried from the door as / turned
my steps homeward again. Instinctively
/ took the usual course in returning
home Gor Lucy lived nearly mile out of
town, and walked along, SO busy with
my thong is as to be utterly unconscious
of anything and everything else.
There was high railway bridge that
lay between me and the town, just wide
enough for the lines, the middle of
which was planked over for the con-
venience of pedestrians, as there was no
other bridge over the river for some
miles. Outside the lines it was impossi-
BILE to walk
One of the planks, which was very
thick and heavy, had been partly raised
for some purpose, and left in that posi-
ton. In endeavoring to pass it, /
struck my foot against it, stumbled, and,
in recovering myself, forced one leg
through the aperture, and, striking my
other foot with all the force required to
regain my equilibrium, replaced the
plank in such manner as not only left
my foot protruding through the narrow
| crack, but threw me on the line, and
promised to present a difficulty in re-
moving the plank.