The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-02
n DEAD III EAKT.

Everybody wondered when Robert
Egerton married his wife.
He was plain, and quiet, but honest
and good as gold, and he worshipped
Marguerite as a devotee does his saint.
But all the same people wondered
how in the world such a plain unas,
sumlng man had won such gloriously
beautiful creature as she, while equal
astonishment was felt and expressed
that Marguerite Lasseur had taken up
with HIM when so many other more
desirable men had been at her feet.
Of course nobody knew the true
inwardness of the affair, how that in
her twenty years Of life, Marguerite
Lasseur had never had a friend 50 good
to her rs Mr.. Egerton; how, notwith-
standing all her admirers, no one of
them all had ever caused her quick
ened heartbeat; how gratitude urged
her acceptance Of Robert Egerton s
suit, when he asked her, in his quiet,
intense way, to be his wife.
He did love her so entirely.
1t seemed to him that his heart and
soul were one flame of passion for her,
and yet, in his reserve and reticcnce,
he very seldom gave expression to it.
Well, Marguerite liked him infinitely
better than any one else in the world.
lie was able to give her a delightful
home, and many of the things of life
that she wanted, and she married him,
and they were happy.
That there was no delicious oostasy
about her feeling for him, she never
cared, and believed there was no ca
pacity 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 touched by loves
fire yet.
He was wonderfully handsome-this
friend of Marguerite's husband--as
handsome for man as Marguerite was
wonderous'y beautiful for n woman.
He was rich, and all through his life
he had been accustomed to 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.
Egerton's serene eyes told his observant
glance it's own story.
He looked at her keenly, sharply
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-fel
in love with her there and then, as ht
had never fallen in love before.
And deliberately set himself to worl
to awaken her sleeping heart,
And succeeded.
It was not week later when Mar
guerite discovered what had come tt
her, and in her first discovery she was
Mortified and frightened to know tina
there had been depths lying dorman
in her nature of which she had no ide:
until Eugene Sartors's master han(
touched them with unsealing power.
1t seemed to her that very first mo
ment of it all that suddenly some rap
turous cup was given her to drink, j
only she would lift it to her lips.
But she neither dared enter in, no
lift the cup, because Of her conscience
that would not hush it's ceaseless mono
tone Of warning, that faithful desperat
conscience of hers that continued,
Ieminded her how horrible, how sin
full, how hopeless it would be.to yiel,
to the sweet temptation.
But Sartoris, understanding so wei
just what woman of her Temperament
would Of necessity have to go througl
before the struggle between passion
and duty, wrong and right, were ad
justed, patiently bided his time, and b.
his looks, his words, his manners, mad
her love him even more and more.
Until at the moment of awfulles
indecision, he made the temptation tn
wceter, and conquered, and hit
masterful blow on her conscience tina
deadened 1t.
After the confession and the avOwa
oh how rapturous was the desceI
into that enchanted landl and even i
the midst Of her wild, wicked happ
ness, Marguerite remembered that
was descent, not an ascent
l hardly know how to chronicle til
pitiful story of those DAYS.
Mr.. Egerton never doubted his wife