The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-10-27
oHARLorTgs SECRET.

When Charlotte Castlemayne was {
schoolgirl of sixteen, she made the
great mistake of her life; mistake
| which was to cause her unutterabl(
sorrow and remOrse.
By nature Charlotte was intensely
affectionate. She had been bereft o
both her parents while a. mere child
and her guardian being q cold, rather
reserved man of business, the girl had
learned to keep back such dcmonstra.
tions as would have displeased him.
At fourteen she was sent away to
boarding-school. At sixteen she fell in
love-or thought she did-with Cliff
Dallas, her music-teacher, man o1
thirty, who used all the srt he was mas.
ter of to win the affection of this pas.
sionate-hearted girl, whom he knew
would come into possession of hand
some property in due time.
1t was an easy task to win her,
starved for love as she was. His low.
tender words and his caresses seemed
foretaste of heaven.
By skillful man9uvering. he persuad-
ded her into conscnting to a secret mar
riage. Walking in the glamour of love.
she doubted nothing. feared nothing.
Cliff Dallas, with his dark eyes and
mysterious smile, was a sort of god up
on earth to the foolish girl who could
not look into the future.
At seventeen, with vows of eternal
constancy, and many hot tears, she
parted from her husband and returned
home to her guardian.
Dallas returned to England shortly
after; but it was understood between
them that when she should have at
tanned her majority. he would come to
claim his wife.
Charlotte felt quite exalted and hero
ic. She entered society with feeling
of superiority to all the giddy butter
flies about her.
A pretty girl and an heiress could not
be long without suitors, and Charlotte
had her share; but one after another
was refused, until Mr.. Marlowe, her
guardian, began to think it rather sing
ular that not one out of so many eligi-
BILE young men had succeeded in win-
ming the appreciation of his ward. In
truth, MIR. Marlowo would not have OBJ
jected to shifting the responsibility of
lovely young lady and her property
from his shoulders to those of n suita-
BILE husband.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had kept up q
correspondence with Cliff Dallas. and
once. being in America for {. few
months. lie had called on her frequent
ly, fact which excited no comment,
as he was known to have been her
music-teacher while Mt Madame F-'s
seminary. -
1t was soon after Dallas's second re-
.uxn to England that Charlotte met
Charlie st. Omar. Charlotte was then
about twenty, and St Omar eight years
her senior.
Until now she had never faltered
from her old allegiance. Until now no
man had seemed to her for moment
to be compared to Cliff Dallas. But as
her acquaintance with this young fell
low ripened. he grew into her heart
unawares. There was something SO
true and loyal and manly about him
SO unlike the conventional
society dandy-that she admired him in
spite of himself.
And when rumor began to couple his
name with hers, she shrank and trem-
bled and wept in the solitude of her
chamber, remembering that she was
the welded wife of another man.
Then came the news of the loss OF an
ocean steamer. with The name of Cliff
Dallas on her passenger-list.
Charlotte read the newspaper &C
counts of the disaster with a terrible
eagcrness. Undoubtedly Dallas had
been on his way to claim her. 1t want
ed but month or two of her twenty
first birthday. Now Providence had
freed her from the bond which she could
only think of with loathing.
Almost at the same time Charlie st.
N. L. ofFl ~k D,.,.so
and she begged for few days in which
to consider the matter.
Then . great temptation came to
Charlotte. She loved St. Omar, truly
fondlY. and deeply-a feeling utterly
passion which she had entertained for
marriage had been private; why need
she tell Charlie of that old affair? Per-
haps he would not love her if he knew
all. She could not lose him. She
would put the past behind her, aud live
only in the present.
Accordingly, when he came for his
answer, she went straight to him, with
luminous, wistful dark eyes, and clasped
her slender hands about the tall brown
head and drew it down on level with
her own.
'.Dear, will you love me always the
same!' she queried.
] For all answer he held her close, and
kissed, with the ardor of a young
lover. the girls shining black tresses,
her questioning eyes, and her red
mouth.
..Can anything come between US,
Charlie?" she persisted.
'.Only another lover, sweetheart"
he said, laughing in sheer light-heart-
edness.
The shadow of cloud passed over
her face at his words as she recalled
that other lover, but he was dead. No
doubt of that. Cliff Dallas had no
power to trouble them.
What is IL, dear% said Charlie, as
he noted the change in her countenance.
II suppose ought to tell you," she
began hurriedly, with averted eyes
..When was at boarding-school, L"
Charlie laughed. and kissed the
words off her quivering lips.
..Never mind, Charlotte. I'll over
look all the love-affairs you had while
at boarding-school, for fancy that my
own record of those days is not quite
Clear
So Charlotte weakly allowed herself
to be silenced; and Charlie, thinking
that she referred to some girlish fiirta-
ton, dear to the hearts of boarding.
school misses, gave the matter no fur
ther attention.
In the following September they
were married; then followed two
months of uualloyed happiness.
For Charlotte put all unpleasant
memories aside. and devoted herself to
har rouna husband who loved har so