The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-01-27
tFrom Macmillan's Magazine.l
THE STORY OF YVES.
CHAPTER XIV.
ALONE.


1t seemed to Yves that life was over
for him. He had lived for Liszen.
What could he do without her? he
only cared to earn money for her sake;
for her sake he had rejoiced in his new
home, and fon her he had striven to
make it pleasant and comfortable; for
Liszen's sake too he had looked for
ward to return to their childish
haunts. What would the little sea-
port town be without her loving pres
ence? it would only torment him by
memories of past hopes.
Surely no one had been SO sadly
tried as he How long he had waited
for his happiness! and now, just
when by hard, incessant toll he had
begun to put by the beginning of
what he hoped would be a fund for
sickness and old age, his love was torn
away from him. He found some COM
fort in the thought that he had not
begun to lay by sooner-he had spent
in comforts for Liszen little sums
which his own hard earning had made
him sometimes consider robbery qf
the future. 1t was 50 very hard; Lis
zen had peen SO good and charitable
that she had never sent a beggar from
the door without all aims or some act
of kindness. Why was her life cut
short?
II, too" Yves groaned. What
have | done? [ am sinner, but then
we are all sinners. | have tried to do
my duty. have never made any one
suffer by my fault"
He stopped, conscience-stricken.
AL the time of his marriage and for
some time after the thought of Eileen
had often flung a sudden eloNi oyer
h Joy; bus after while, in his pres
ent Happiness, the sweet Irish girl
faded from his memory-and his mean
opinion of his own merits had never
led him to suspect the amount of suf-
fering he had inflicted.
Some time after his arrival he ven
tured to ask his Edinburgh employer
after the health Of the Smith fann'l,.
and when he heard IT, IT, All All were we'll,
Ills conscience was quoted; but he re-
solved, as soon as he was able, to send
back the money SO generously fur
nished him by the clockmaker. He
had never told the story to Liszen; she
would have forgiven him at once, but
he knew that she would not have for
given herself for having been a bar to
Eileen's happiness.
And now the thought of Eileen
pressed heavily; he was her beloved
then, and he left her. How much
worse pain he had inflicted than God
had sent him-for his Liszen had loved
him to the last, and there had been no
sudden wrench to add bitterness to his
sorrow.
But poor, poor Eileen; he had not
only robbed her of his love, but he
had proved to her that the love itself
was falsehood; that at the time she
had thought him most fond, his heart
had been full Of another love. He
shrank into himself, and covered his
face with his hands. Why had he not
seen all this sooner? He had been so
selfshly given up to his own happl-
ness that he had thought little Of the
grief Of others; till the pangs of be-
reavement t)rtured his own heart, he
had not realized their agony.
"And can never-never atone for
it. he said sadly to himself.
His morbid belief IN destiny assured
him that this was retribution, that his
beloved was taken from him as a pun
ishment for the sorrow he had brought
on Eileen. And yet he shrank from
the memory Of this fond, loving girl
he felt that he could never look on
her again, not even to ask her forgive
ness; for in the midst Of his sorrow he
shuddered to think how nearly he had
missed the perfect bliss of these sever
years Of marriage with Liszen.
But soon he reused himself from
these reveries. He had 10 time to lose
if he meant to carry out his dead dar.
ing's wishes; and he went off to con
suit his old employer rs to the bcst
means of carrying Liszen to her las
home.
He found the old Scotch c1ocklnakel
full Of kindly symathy. Al first he
deprecated the project, and deplore(
the money that would have to be spen
in what he considered a useless waste
but when he saw how sadly rcsolut'
the young man was to obey his wife
last wish, he gave Yves directions how
to proceed, and offered to help him II
( hiC nrranupmpntS