The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-10-21
OHARLOTTEs SECRET.

When Charlotte Castlemayne was
schoolgirl of sixteen, she made the
great mistake of her life; mistake
which was to cause her unutterable
sorrow and remorse.
By nature Charlotte was intensely
affectionate. She had been bereft of
both her parents while mere child,
and her guardian being cold, rather
reserved man of business, the girl had
learned to keep back such demonstra-
tons 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 Of
thirty. who used all the art 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 manpuveriug, he persuad-
ded her into consenting to secret mar
rage Walking in the glamour of love,
she doubted nothing. feared nothing.
Cliff Dallas, with his dark eyes and
mysterious smile, was q 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 ehgi-
bic young men had succeeded in win
ming the appreciation OF his ward. In
truth, Mr.. Marlowe would not have OBJ
jected TO shifting the responsibility OF
lovely young lady and her property
from his shoulders to those Of suita-
bic husband.
Meanwhile, Charlotte had kept up a
correspondence with Cliff Dallas, and
once, being in America for a few
months, he had called on her frequent
| ", fact which excited no comment,
as he was known TO have been her
music-teacher while at Madame F-'s
seminary.
Ii was soon after Dallass second re-
turn 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
something so unlike the convent onal
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 ac-
counts of the disaster with q terrible
eagerness. Undoubtedly Dallas had
been on his way TO claim her. 1t want.
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.
Omar made her an offer Of marriage,
and she begged for few days in which
TO consider the matter.
Then q great temptation came to
Charlotte. She loved St. Omar, truly
fondly, and deeply--a feeling utterly
unlike the blind, scnseess, schoolgirl
passion which she had entertained for
Cliff Dallas. Dallas was dead; their
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 q level with
| her own.
Dear, will you love me always the
samep" she queried.
for, all answer he held her close, and
kissed, with tho ardor Of young
lover, the girl's shining black tresses,
her questioning eyes, and her red
mouth.
''Can anything come between us,
Charlie7" she persisted.