Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-10
groan. He held her hand in his. H,

1
81 must stay. 1 shall not be alone. +"
She spoke now to her brother. "You will
not leave me?"s as:...
will never leave you !" 's,l:s - -, zz-
| Faded flowers lay about her feet. Her
friends still fingered, but she entreated
them to go.
cam not in safe hands? Here stands
my brother, who will protect me from
harm. Go, dear friends; it will be best.
God tells me it will be for the best. Good
night"
"Good night, Evangeline! Dear child
of our hearts, good night We shall watch
and pray for you. All will be well to-
morrow!"
They pressed her in their arms, and
kissed and embraced her; then slowly left
the place, with many a fond and lingering
look behind. When night fell, only Evan
geline and the younger brother were in the
church. For long time there was 81
lence. No sound was heard within those
sacred walls until the man heard voice
cry
"Cain!''
He replied with shudder:
"Who calls?''
Again he heard the voice:
"Where is thy brother? p
81 know not. Am 1 my brothers
keeper?'
And in those familiar words, uttered in
a tone of suppressed agony, upon the girls
affrighted soul flashed the awful truth of
which, indeed, she had already vague
foreshadowing. She heard not the ques-
tions, for they proceeded from no human
tongue, 1t was the. mans conscience that
had spoken in the dread stiffness of the
night.
Only for few moments did Evangeline's
heart faint within her. Her hand slipped
from the mans grasp, and she sank to the
ground in passion of silent grief and
horror. Then she bit her lips until the
blood came, and rose and stood close be-
side him.
Evangeline," he whispered, have
you ought else to say? 1 am ready to
answer"
He had pitiless desire to be questioned.
The torture of his secret was almost too
great for him to bear.
81 have said nothing" she replied "I
have not spoken"
"Whose voice, then, did hear?''
eff you heard any," she said, "it was
Gods"
$50 be it. Evangeline, you are very
unhappy"
"Most unhappy p
"You must be tired. 1t has been
weary day."
ga day never, never to be forgotten in
this world or the next 1 did not come
prepared. The flowers you brought me
are still in my bosom. What mockery
What mockery!"
60 You are not afraid of me ="
"No, l am not afraid of you"
"Why did you elect to remain here
with me ?"
''To hear your confession"
''Listen to it. 1 love you 1 love
you" a
"Ah, me Is love poison, them"
"I love you No man ever loved wo-
man as 1 love you No woman can ever
again be loved as you are loved Time
and the worlds contain for me but one
hope-Evangeline %
All the passion of which mans nature is
capable was expressed in this utterance
1t was as though the man had said: My
salvation is in your hands. My crime was
yours" In that sense she accepted it.
"Come," she said, "and let me see of
what have been guilty. If there is blood
upon my soul must face it..
"What would you do p
81 would know the truth l would see
the truth Come, Cain, and show me my
crime"
He accepted with a CHASTITY smile the
name by which she called him. Had he
not already answered to it? They walked |
into the open. There was glimmering
light in the sky the moon had not yet
risen. He gazed into Evangelines face,
and its palid beauty pierced his heart like
sharp knife.
"Does my misery hurt you p she asked.
81 am sorry. You must already have suf-
fered much"
The hapless girls voice expressed such
utter desolation that a terrible yearning
took possession of him to console her. He
held out his arms entreatingly to her.
Evangeline, he cried, trust me with
your future. Find comfort here"
A gasp of most exquisite suffering es-
eaped her. With her open palm upon his
breast, she kept him from embracing her.
''Teach me first to forget" she said
and then she asked plaintively "Why
have you loved me?"
"Why are we glad when we see the
SUM-
There are so many better than /, more
worthy of you, closer to you in wisdom
and strength. I am neither wise nor
strong am but poor unfortunate girl,
born to destroy"
"Born to bless, to save In all this
world there moves not being so fair, so
beautiful"
"And believing thus, you loved me-"
accept it so.'
IF, she said solemnly, "my beauty
has ensnared you, you must not be con-
demned for it. l am truly most guilty.
Lend me your tablets"
He handed them to her. She wrote
few words upon them, and, entering the
church, laid them on the altar, and after
wards reioined him.
''You know that your brother laved you
with most perfect love-"
$50 loved l him, until
sUntil," she said, with wild sob, 81
stepped between you, and led you to
destruction. All how he worshiped fyoa
You were the incarnation of all thas was