The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-14
without q Heart.

"a girl without hearth exclaimed a
lady as she looked after beautiful de-
parting guest.
81 have heard of man without a
country, and of man without q
shadow but I don't think person
could live without hearth said the
niece of the Lady.
II don't mean the organ we share in
common with the lion and the OK. used
the word heart in higher sense. can
easily believe that the girl who boasts of
the offers she has refused, and the morti-
fication she has inflicted on those who
have paid her the highest compliment
man can pay woman, could play tho
cruel hoax of which JUNE just boosted.
If there had been spark of humanity
in h er heart she would have spared poor
Roy West the fresh disappointment from
which he is now suffering-if her mean
and cruel letter has reached him" said
the lady.
And what had this rich and beautiful
girl done for which this gentle woman
was censuring her so severely?
She had lovely friend-unlovely
girls often have very lovely friends
named Maud Weston. Maud had boy
ish lover, whose visits her father had for
hidden because of business feud with
his father Mauds own thoughts were
more on her books than on lovers, and
like an honest and generous girl, she said
so kindly to Roy, who was then prepar-
ing for voyage and a winter in Cuba
for his health.
Unwisely, hut very naturally, Maud
told all that had passed to JUNE Sewall,
the hirt. dwelling with regret on the
deep feeling the young fellow had mani
tested in the matter.
Now, as his time for sailing approach
ed, it occurred to JUNE that she could
get some fun out of him, as she had done
out of those who had placed themselves
at her mercy.
She sat down to her richly carved desk
and wrote:
"Mr. West A friend of Miss Weston
feels very sure that she has repented the
words she said to you at your last meet
ing. If you have suffered from them,
she has suffered more. Pardon her ap.
parent GOODNESS, and do not leave your
native land without seeing her. Her
father is very severe, but she is true to
YOU"
OF course this reused hope in the poor
fellows heart, and against the advice of
his mother and sister, he insisted on
driving out alone that afternoon.
He was not prepared for the look of
surprise with which Maud met him.
I'm sorry you came again, Roy" she
said. with rather stately air. Father
will be Observation-Disclosures me-and
-and-besides, I did not care to zee you
again-myself,
He drew the note from his pocket, and
said only:
"This is why l came, Maud"
She read it with deepening color; and
then, said:
"Roy, this is a cruel hoax and feel,
indignant, both on my own account and
yours-for you are my friend yet. l
know who wrote this, and l will never
call her my friend again hope you
will have a pleasant voyage, Roy, and
come home we'll in the spring. Good
by"
They shook hands and parted kindly.
But there was look of terrible exhaus-
ton on poor Rows face as he took the
reins and drove towards home. He was
nor only disappointed but vexed and
chagrined to think that any woman was
so mean and cruel as to make sport of
what was so sacred to him.
Nor could he relieve bis mind by talk
irg of the matter at home. No one there
knew his feelings towards his school
friend; and he was a young man now,
and no longer schoolboy to carry his
complaints apd grievances to his mother
and sisters.
The next day he was restless and fe-
verish and the family thought he had
injured himself by driving when he was
SO weak.
"But he would go alone, and no one
could help it." said his mother to the
physician.
He had had more than one attack of
hemorrhage, and his physician feared
another. He called in friend to con-
suit with him. He saw only nervous
prostitution, and felt sure he would rally
before the time for sailing.
While medical skill and family love
were doing everything possible to
strengthen him, he announced one day
that lie was not going to Cuba. He said
he dreaded the effort, that he had not
strength to take the journey to the
steamer; and, besides that, he did not
want to go, that Massachusetts climate
was native air for him, and that if he
could not live here, with all his home
comforts, he certainly could not live in