The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-08-25
realise the full force of the blow.

realise the full force of the blow.
Accompanying them was package,
containing her betrothal-ring and all his
gifts. His notes and letters she had re-
tanned.
And she asked Heaven to bless him!
Had he made prayer, would it not
have been to call curses not blessings on
her headP
She attempted no explanations; she
expressed ne regret. She accepted his
fiat as though it lifted weight from her
breast
Almost mad with agony, he called a
carriage and drove to her house. AS he
reached 1t, the front door opened to ad-
NIT man. He caught but glimpse
of him, but that suf1iced. 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-
lite happiness and exquisite pain, he
smiled bitter smile, as he made to his
own soul solemn oath-henceforth he
would believe in woman never again!
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 assuage.
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 Us 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 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:
~ am dying, but before die wish to atone
~
as you cold-blooded Englishmen cannot feel.
This love she never suspected until after your
betrothal to her. do not know that she would
ever have suspected 1t, since was in no con-
dition to marry her, but that you forbade her
TO see me. She was my only friend, my child
playmate and sweetheart, the one ray of sun
shine in my darkened life and told her you
were engaged In n conspiracy, that your de-
clared object I'm visiting Rome for health was
pretence; that could win from the authori-
ties my own pardon by giving up these proofs;
that your Imprisonment, If not your life, would
be the result She refused at first to believe
me- OF course, had not gone into her pres
She pleaded then for mercy, and begged me to
confde the proofs to her. In mad, burning
words poured out then the story Of my long
repressed love.
"Hushr she cried. ~ am betrothedl Your
words are insultv'
".You shall never marry this mani Isaid.
unless you swear this solemnly to me tonight,
this very night will betray him.!
:" must think, she answered. Give me
until to-morrow-only until tomorrow.
Her prayer was SO piteous could not refuse
II, but when saw her next day, started to see
the awful change in her.
lyon need evoke from me no OATH" she
said. ut has been decided for me. 1t is he who
has broken our troth.'
"Then she turned away and left me-
"What had gained2 Her misery and my
own. But one drop of balm remained for me.
1t was the knowledge that you shared our suf-
fering. thought, remembering this, that
should still be strong.but dying men view
quers hate. On the altar of the love bear to
her, / sacrifice the cruel hatred have nursed
toward you. shall not live to see the fruit of
my sacrifice am dying of the fever, and it
is she who, angel-like in her forgiveness, has
come to me and nursed me to the end. You
would scarcely know her."
And it was the woman whom he had
thought he had ceased TO love. He could
not write; paper could not hold his
burning utterances. He must look into
her eyes once more, and looking tell the
story through. 1t was only the days
and hours that lay between which he
thought of.
But these at last were passed. The
steamer had borne him to his destina-
ton. Nor time nor distance could long,
er separate him from his heart desires.
With beating heart he stood before her
door, nor noticed that the bell he rang
was muffied.
"Signora Corsi! Is she at homer" he
asked the servant, who started back at
him.
"You do not know, sirp" she gasped.
1.-THE signora is dying of the fever. She
caught it of some one whom she would
go to nurse. When she came back to us,
knew that she was doomed"
"She shall not diep' he said. Take
me to her."
mo one is permitted" the woman
began; but he motioned with his hand,
and there was something in the stern,
silent command she dared not disobey.
At the entrance to the room she
paused, but he, looking neither to the
right nor left, went in, and kneeling be-
side the bed, lifted the slight, fever
stricken figure in his strong, tender
arms.
my own dear lover' he whispered.
"Look up-take courage! / have come
back! You will live, darling-live for
loves own sake! Hush! hushp' for even
in her weakness she would have spoken.
II know all. 1t was hate which parted
us; it is love which unites us. Not even
deaths cold hand shall again thrust us
from the otherp'
The others thought that he was mad,
but he never doubted, through the long
after-days and nights, when the life he
III L = Al