The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-09

heau away.
You know that love you," he said,
in low tone. .'When l go away to-
morrow, will leave all my happiness
behind me-"
Zone never knows when to believe
you men," Georgette said with affected
carelessness.
Il suppose it doesn't make much diff
ference whether you believe us or not"
he answered in piqued tone.
Excuse me-" she said quickly, ''but
it makes all the difference in the world
to me-more difference, infinitely more,
than it ever could make to another wo-
man."
"How?'
She paused moment.
my position is so peculiar" she said
presently. eff accepted in good faith
any protestations that might be made TO
me. would be called upon to subject
them to a trying ordeal-a test of sim
cerity perhaps stronger than they could
bear"
''You may
''As for you, Mr.. Dearing," she in
terrupted hastily, Il know of old your
gallant speeches, so do not take them
for more than they are meant. But
fancy my position if some day were to
take man at his word, and entangle
him in matrimonial engagement! Per-
haps you didn't know, Mr.. Dearing,
that my uncle only bequeathed his for
tune to me conditionallyp If 1 marry
an American it is to revert to a distant
cousin. My uncle was bent upon me
having a German husband, and if |
| married q foreigner / was to forfeit my
inheritance"
Ralph Dearing had paled suddenly,
and he caught at the branch of a tall
shrub as. though he sought its support
What very absurd provision!'' he
exclaimed. "It is no wonder, Miss
Schubert, that you have resisted the
pleading of SO many suitors. A fortune
like yours is not to be thrown away for
passing fancy. I was not aware that
you held it conditionally. If were only
German nobleman, nowl But, alss! /
am only poor barrister and free-born
American"
He laughed, but there was something
in his voice that made Georgette's heart
strings vibrate with pain.
He did not know, and she would not
have had him know, that her money
| would have been as nothing in the bal
ance against his love, had she only been
sure of it.
''Shall we 90 out on the lake?' he
asked, changing the subject so quickly
that her heart gave adespairing culver.
1t was only her money then, after all,
! that he had courted so assiduously.
No" she answered, shivering Slight
ly. Il think it is too damp this even
ing. Besides. the lilies are closing. l
will get some in the morning"
When they came into the house, /
saw by her face that something had
happened.
That night, after Ralph and his moth
er had gone, she came into my room
and said simply:
''There is no room for doubt. l have
weighed him in the balance and found
him wanting"
Three days later she received letter
from Ralph Dearing, from which this is
an extract:
II love you with my whole heart, Georgette;
bnt am neither foolish nor selfish enough to
ask you to marry me when knoS- what you
would sacrifice by SO doing.
AT first was afraid to ask you because
feared you might misconstrue my motives,
and my love for you caused me to shrink from
the imputation that might have fallen upon
me-.
linen When learned that by marrying me
you would lose the fortune you were born to
enjoy, saw how wrong it would be for me to
expect or to ask 1t, though that you would for
one moment listen to my suit is nothing more
than presumption on my part"
''She gave me this with sarcastic
smile.
'What does he mean about your los
ing your fortune?n | asked when l had
read it.
Il told him that my uncle's will was
made in my favor conditionally, and
that if l failed to marry German l
would forfeit my fortune"
"You never told me thatr' l cried
No? l never cared to speak of it. I
cannot bear to have questions of inter
est and matrimony SO closely con-
nected."
s'But," | ventured to observe, Sin
that case it would have been folly for
you to marry Ralph Dearing. He has
his mother to support, and he hasn't a
penny in the world.''
'.Do you think would have cared for
that?" she said, with a passionate burst
of tears. eff he had loved me, 1 would
have gone with him to the ends of the
earth and lived upon bread and water!r'
laid my hand gently on her glossy
hair.
Dear little Jetr' murmured, and
felt that l could have killed Ralph
bearing.
Three months passed and there came
q change-oh, such a change!-in
Georgette. She had been ill, and,
though the doctor said she had praeti-
cally recovered, she did not seem to
ran a particle of strength from day to
LAY. 1t was with terrible agony that /
saw at last that, if there were not a
speedy improvement, her days on earth
| were numbered.
One morning, when we were out driv-
! ing under the doctors orders, she re-
| quested to be taken to the office OF Mr..