The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1883-08-01
A DEAD HEART.


He was plain, and quiet, bul
honest and good as gold, and b,
worshipped Marguerite as d deyo
tee does his saint,
But all the same people wonder
ed how in the world such a plail
unassuming man had won such
glofiously beautiful creature asshe
while equal astonishment was fell
and expressed that Marguerite
Lasseur had taken up with hin
when so many other more desirable
men had been at her feet.
ofcourse nobody knew the true
inwardness Of the affair, how thai
in her twenty years of life, Mar
guerite Lasseur had never had q
friend so good to her as Mr.. Eyer
ton; how, notwithstanding all her
admirers, no one Of them all had
ever caused her a quickened heart.
beaE how gratitude urged her &C.
ceptance of Robert Egerton's suit,
when he asked her, in his quiet,
intense way, to be his wife.
lie did love her SO entirely.
II seemed to him that his heart
and soul were on flame Of passion
for her, and yet, in his reserve and
reticence, be very seldom gave ex.
preston to it.
Well, Marguerite liked him in
fnitely better than any one else in
the world.
de was able togiye her a delight
full home, and many Of the things
oflife thatshe wanted, andshe mar.
ried him, and they were happy.
Ira, -ii.ara ,sl..liAi,...s
about her feeling for him,
she never cared, and believed there
was no capacity for deep passion
about her.
Then, when they had been two
years married, Eugene Sartoris
came home with Mr.. Egerton to
dinner one day, and then-his first
glance into her magnificent eyes,
great dark.grey eyes, that shone
like star.beams from under the
heavy black brows, as the luscious
scarlet lips, and pale, proud face,
told him that there was a woman
whose heart had never been touch.
ed by loves fire yet,
He was wonderfully handsome
this friend Of ofMarguerite's husband
AS handsome for a man us Mar.
guerite was wondersously beauti.
full for q woman.
He was rich, and all through life
he had been accustomed 10 having
things pretty much as he wanted
them-his horses, his servants, his
travels, and among women, who
idolized him.
That one very first look into Mrs.
Egorton's serene eyes told his obser.
want glance its own story.
He looked at her koenly, sharp
ly, with his handsome, lazy blue
eyes, noted the exquisite beauty Of
her face and figure, heard the
sweet melody Of her low, womanish
voice, watched The lissom grace Of
her manner, and-fell in love with
her there and then, as he had ncy.
er fallen in love before.
And deliberately set himself to
work 70 awaken her sleeping
heart.
Aud succeeded.
1t was not a week later when
Marguerite discovered what had
come to her, and in her first dis.
coyery she was Mortified and frigh.
tened to know that there had been
depths lying dormant in her na.
ture Of which she had no idea until
Eugene Sartori's master hand
touched them with unsealinp
power.
1t seemed to her that very first
moment of it all that suddenly
some rapturous cup was given hel
to drink, il only she would lift il
to her lips.
But she neither dared enter in
nor lift the cup, because Of hel
conscience, that would not hush iti
ceasGless monotone of warning
that faithful desperate conscience
Of hers that continuedly reminded
her how horrible, how sinful, how
hopeless it would be TO yield to tb,
sweet temptation,
But Sartoris, understanding 81
well just what u woman of he
temperament would Of necessity
have to gothrough bsfOte the strug
gle between passion aud duty
wrong and right. worn nlinstad