The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-10-14

I
For loug minute there was silence.
AZ length, turning impetnously, Hobart
spoke:
81 can never take your hand again,
the hand from which have received
only help and kindness, unless ] am
true to you, Warren. This is the con-
fession l must make to you-that l love
Helen Blaine. ! have spoken words of
love TO her. ] have tried to take
your place in her heart knowing that
you loved her and were, soon to make
her your wife. Now, do you think /
ought to take your hand in mine ?"
For all answer Ten Eyck stretched
his hand out and grasped Hobart's
heartily. That clasp, and the silence
that followed, we're eloquent indeed.
confession for confession" he said,
quietly, and commenced again to puff
his cigar, which had suffered neglect
for some moments. 81 will say to you
what l would say to any one else, that
am trying, as gradually as possible, to
break my engagement with Helen. 1t
is daily more apparent to me that we
are not suited, and l am hoping that
she will be shrewd enough to dismiss
me-in time"
"You are trying to break the engage
montH" Hobart asked, slowly in an ac-
cent of deep surprise.
Ten Eyck nodded. at will not be
so easy matter, 1 am afraid. l have
just received a letter from her that has
discouraged me considerably. Perhaps,
under the circumstances, ! am excusa.
BILE in showing it to you p
Hobart received and read the note,
his face changing to the very palIor of
death, His hand trembled until the
paper rustled like leaf in the wind.
AS he ended, it fell slowly to the
floor, and he sat looking at his friend
in a terrible silence.
81 am justly punished, he said, in a
low voice, at last "she has deceived
me, too" He drew a scrap of paper
from his breast. This came to me two
hours ago. Read it, Warren. We shall
learn by-and-by what women are p
And Ten Eyck read:
81 waited for my boy blessed hour
to day. What detained you, dearestP
The park was lovely. And / wore the
little bluC bonnet You admire, and sat in
my shady conner and loved and waited,
and no one came. Will expect you to-
morrow, same time and place, Have
not had word from T. E., and it is
more than a week since we met. was
earnest when l told you would try to
break the engagement, | think he is
beginning now to understand my inten-
tion and is too proud to oppose it
God grant! With thousand happy
hopes and thrice as many kisses, all my
thoughts and all my heart, / am your
own little girl, your HELEN"
The note was written on the delicate,
perfumed paper with which Ten Eyck
had always kept his ailianced supplied,
He smiled n little as he picked the
other letter from the floor and COM
pared them,
There was none of the amazement or
Indignation apparent that Hobart had
expected this revelation would arouse.
Ten Eyck merely said:
1--WE shall never know women-noi-
ther you nor /, neither Gods nor an
gels |" And then he continued calmly:
The fact is, my surprise came long ago.
/ knew of this affair between you and
Helen two months past. You remem-
Der that day you came in and found me
asleep on the lounge? l had not been
asleep, Grant-in fact my eyes were
opened pretty widely"
"Warren Warren"
"Oh, we'll, don't mind it 80 much, my
boy don't mind it now. can un-
derstand how such a temptation might
overcome man, Anyway it has not
separated us. We have each other, and
Helen may have-any one she can
getp
"God is my witness, it began with
her" said Grant, low and solemnly.
"She sought me here. / tried to be
firm and loyal, but a moment came
when her arms were round me, and
everything was swept away in whirl-
wind of passion. asked her then at
once to break with you and share my
life, such as it was but her honor, she
said, bound her to be true to you, Her
honor-oh, her honor Yet l have not
the right to blame her, God knows
Warren, how is it possible you can for
give me this%
"Come with me to South America"
was the quiet answer. ~ have made
my plans. This day week we can sail.
/ intend to leave Helen q few thousand
dollars to take ber abroad, and she will
soon make brilliant match. / don't
think we need, either of us, keep her
on our conscience to any great ex-
tent"
ooh, God, ! loved her !" said Hobart
with a groan. ~ would have staked
my life on her love for me- II is hor-
rible 1t is worse than death to know