The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-08-17
r0ken. His messenger brought him

broken. His messenger brought him
her answer.
at is best" she wrote, sEthat we
part. Goodbye, and may Heaven bless
your
Not until he read the few short words,
which were so full of import, did he
realise the full force of the blow.
Accompanying them was package,
containing her bctrothal-ring and all his
gifts. His notes and letters she had re,
tanned.
And she asked Heaven to bless him
Had he made a prayer, would it not
have been to call curses not blessings on
her head?
She attempted no explanations; she
| expressed no regret. She accepted his
fiat as though it lifted a weight from he1
breast.
Almost mad with agony, he called a
carriage and drove to her house. AS he
reached it., the front door opened to ad-
NIT man. He caught but a glimpse
of him, but that sutliced. 1t was the
man whom he had learned to look upon
as his rival.
Returning to the hotel he hastily
packed his scattered belongings. There
was steamer left Civita Vecchia for
Genoa that afternoon. A few minutes
before the hour he was aboard of her.
Standing upon the deck and survey
ing the city, the scene to him of eXquis-
ite happiness and exquisite pain, he
smiled a bitter smile, as he made to his
own soul solemn ath-henceforth he
would believe in woman never againi
There was little danger of his breaking
it. The only danger was to himself, in
the daily, hourly torture that time, it
seemed to him could not assuagc.
Night and day the lovely face of Ca
rita rose before him; night and day the
sweet, musical accents of her voice
rang in his ears-the voice, the beauty
which had lured him and betrayed
him.
Twelve months passed, and his suf-
fering was as keen as in that moment
when he had read her farewell.
He told himself he had learned to hate
her, but his hate was as ever-present
with him as had been his love.
One evening returning to his rooms,
he found a packet-a thick letter and a
paper. The letter bore the signature,
'Luigo Cortez;'' the paper a marked
notice of Luigo COrtez's death. The
writing of the letter and the name af-
fixed, were in a different hand. 1t ran
thus:
81 am dying, but before die wish to atone
for wrong. | loved Carita with Il love such
as you cold-blooded Englishmen cannot feel
This love she never suspected until after youl
betrothal to her. do not know that she would
ever have suspected it, since was in no con
ditiOn to marry her, but that you forbade hel
to see me. She was my only friend, my child
playmate and sweetheart, the one ray of sun
shine i'll my darkencd life, and l told her yoU
We're engaged in a conspiracy, that your de
clared object in visiting Rome for health was
pretence; that could win from the authors
ties my own pardon by giving up these proofs
that your imprisonment, ifnot your life, would
be the result. She refused ut first to believe
me. Of course, | had not gone into her pres
ence without forged papers. produced these
She pleaded then for mercy, and begged me tC
contide the proofs to her. In mad, burning
words poured out then the story of my long
rcprGSScd love.
'Hush!" she cried. 81 am betrothed! You
words are INSULT
"'YOu shall never marry this manr' | said
Unless you swear this solemnly to me tonight
this very night viii betray him!
4 must think, she answered. Give mt
until to-morrow-only until Tomorrow.
"Hcr prayer was so pteouS could not refuse
it, but when | saw her next day, started to Sc,
the awful change in her.
"'You need evoke from me no OATH" sh'
said. at has been decided for me. tits he wht
| has broken our troth.
''Then she turned away and left me-
"What had ] gained? Her misery and ny
own. But one drop of balm remained for me
1t was the knowledge that you shared our sui
fcring. J thought, remembering this, that
should stli be strong-hut dying men view
things liiforn,1tls In ti.is he,i,. Love con
quers hate. On the altar of the love bear K
her, l sacrifice the cruel hatred have nurse
toward you. ] shall not live 10 see the fruit o
my sacrifice. am dying of the fever, and i
| is she wbo angCl-like i'll her forgiveness ha
come to ana ulIlSpu to the end. GOj
would scarcely know her..
And it was the woman whom he haC
thought he had ceased to love. He coul'
not write; paper could not hold hi
! burning utterances. He must look int
her eyes once more, and lookingtell tn
story through. 1t was only the day
and hours that lay between which h'
thought of.
But these at last were passed. TIL
| steamer had borne him to his destina
! ton. Nor time nor distance could long
er separate him from his hearts desires
| With beating heart he stood before he
| door, nor noticed that the bell he ran,
! was muff1ed.
"Signora Corsi! Is she at home?n h
asked the servant, who started back a
| him.
You do not know, sir?'' she gasped
1.-The signora is dying of the fever. Sh
caught it of some one whom she woul
| go to nurse. When she came back to us
knew that she was doomed"
''She shall not dier' he said. Tax
me to her."
''No one is permitted" the woma
began; but he motioned with his hanC
and there was something in the sterr
silent command she dared not diSobey
At the entrance to the room sh
paused, but he, looking neither to tn
right nor left, went in, and kneeling be
side the bed, lifted the slight, fever
stricken figure in his strong, tende
arms.
my own dear lover he whispered
'Look up-take courage! I have com
back! You will live, darling fo
loves own sake! Hush! hush!" for eve
i'll her weakness she would have spoker
Il know all 1t was hate which parte
us; it is love which unites us. Not eve
DEATHS cold hand shall again thrust u
from the othern'
The others thought that he was mao
but he never doubted, through the Ion
after-days and nights, when the life h
guarded held by but feeble thread.
''She belongs to you indeed" th
physician said, when at last the cris
had passed, ''for you have saved her.
''She has belonged to me always!
was the proud, triumphant answer.