Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-02-09

W u AthlA "
"were you coming 10 look for met"
Mark said then, seeing how little fitted
she was for the walk home. She Ehud-
dered.
.No," she said with her old invineible
frankuess. al came TO meet Percival"
Mark sunburnt face changed color.
"After what said TO you, dearf' he
quietly asked.
"Yes; did not know when promised.
/ did not care. And now it is too late!"
TOO late TO come home with me, Sibyl1
Poor child! You are upset by all these
disclosures. You do not know what you
are saying"
"Yes.' she answered in n dull voice, 81
do; and l am not going home. l must
wait here for Percival."
Mark held the shivering creature closer
10 his breast.
"Sibyl. listen TO me" he said very gen.
tly. "Do not be carried away by any
false reasoning you may have heard. II
YOU wait to see Percival-if he is unmanly
enough to ask you to do so-how will that
mend mattersi Will it unsay the VOWS
you made FIVE years ago2 Will it make us,
unhappy as we are, the less husband and
wifef"
1--WE have never been that" Sibyl said
listlessly, shaking her head as it lay ex-
hausted on his shoulder. II gave him my
life first. had no right to take it back
and give it TO you"
"And"-Mark's steadfast voice shook
'and Mabl"
She put out her two shaking hands in a
kind of horror TO push him away.
"Don't, don'tw she said beginning to sob.
"Don't talk about Nab"
~ must, my poor Sibyl. 1t is of heI
you must think. If you cannot forgiv'
me for loving you better than all the other
women in the world That has been my
only fault, dear"
"Don't, don't" she said again between
her sobs; and at that moment the report OF
gun rang across the frozen fields.
"Perhaps that is hey' she cried, start
ing from his side. "Oh, let me go, let me
go! Why do you stay talking to me
here2"
because you are my wife-because
that other man must not find you here
without me. Sbyl. Gomez
She fell, breathing heavily, against the
little stile.
"No," she said family.
Mark stood and looked at her for few
moments in terrible emotion. Then he
turned and began to walk rapidly in the
direction of the gunshot.
ut is who must meet him first he
said.
Sbyl looked after him, unable to move
or speak word, as he tramped away
from her across the frozen meadows.
What was going to happen2 If she
could only lie down in the snow and die!
She was so tired of the pain of living, and
30 ashamed to look at Mark when he
spoke to her with such noble patience-so
afraid to think of the little child playing
by herself at home
She did not know how long she had
been leaning on the stile, when she heard
voices coming towards her beyond the
hedge. What were they talking about so
eagerly. Had Percival and Mark quar-
relled2
She began-suddenly gaining strength
in her terror-to run in the direction of
the sound, towards gap in the hedge
through which Mark had gone. She
brushed through the brambles, shaking
the snow down on her cloak, and saw
Mark running towards her and waving
her back.
"Sibyl," he cried in hoarse strange
voice, "go-go! You must not come
here!"
"Ah, it is to late!" she answered wildly.
"You shall not keep me back!'
"Oh, poor woman!" Mark cried with
bitter tenderness. ut is not I who bid
you pause. Come home with me, my wife.
Heaven has not willed that we should be
put asunder"
She looked at him scared, and then with
lew cry she broke away from him and
ran towards a little group that was coming
towards them across the snowy fields-a
groupof men carrying a dark burden, and
walking with slow and heavy feet.
What was it2 Why had Mark looked
at her with such great compassion2
A hoy was running before the men,
She stopped him with a gesture.
"What is it2" her white lips formed
rather than spoke; and he told her that
an accident had happened. A gentleman,
in leaping through hedge close by, gun
in hand, had been shot-shot dead. They
were carrying him to the nearest house.
Sibyl tottered past him; the men were
slowly drawing near. The wind had
blown the covering from the dead mans
face.
A wild scream of horror rang through
the lonely fields
X n X
"WYNDICOTE, l5' h NJ v, 49,.
"DARLING PAPA,-Mnnma and are very
lonely without you When arc you comi g
home? NJ ANNA and I think that you might ue
ry good and come back in tim for my birth
day. 1 sh IL be six years O 1, June y,u
W: and it won't be real birthday at all un-
less you are here to wis1 me ma y happy re-
turIs. Mamma says that nm very good girl
and that W II be II very great comfort to you
whe You come M Itry t. b comfort
to mamml; but crio9 often ou she is
30 sweet and dear and kind. Mamm di rot
want to put that down; but kissed p ito it.
Mamma Is writing, of course, p,pn; but she
promise to It down exactly what said.--
Dear darling papa, do write the v rv nom Mt
you get this, and say hat you will come M.
1t seems 80 very Ing since you went away to
poor mamma, aud yvu owd little
'QUEENIE."
''sIY HUsDAND,-Our G lid sk1 whit I ave
not dared to ask nll his long ha py an | unhap-
py year. But, forhor ak, and outof tn gre