Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-20
But a CLOUD crept into the sky, and its

With sorrow, and | helped to expedite
his departure.
But one letter ever reached me. His
father was dead, and he was Sir Alan
now.
My Precious HELEN: My father, whom
l loved and respected above all men, died
yesterday. Ineed not tell you how desolate
we feel, and how the Eight seems tn have
died out of every nook and corner. My
dear mother is Frustrated with the blow
which has taken away the lover of her
youth, and | shall not be able to return to
you for some weeks. Announce our be-
trothal, dearest, to my unit and uncle,
which you know, was my intention the
very night l was called away. Be true to
me, my darling Helen, as I shall bet-ue TO
you. Good night, dear love. l shall write
at length as soon as the mother and l have
matured our plans tor her lonely future.
Goodnight, good night. Nav angels
guard you, and my the good Father fold
about you His everlasting arms.
Your friend and lover,
ALAN LEIGHTON.
Two years had dragged their slow
length along since that letter came, and
| had never heard from Alan, though
craving his presence as the prisoner
Graves the sunshine. I had written him
once, and l had regretted ever that,
"He was soon to be married to an earl's
handsome daughter" Mrs. Granger
read aloud from an open letter in her
hand; Gin fact, it was an old affair, pri-
Or 10 his visit to the hall" etc, etc.
How / regretted [ had written, though
TIE words had been few, merely asking
if he had been enabled to procure me a
certain book we had made mention Of
together, and the time was more than a
year ago when Ihad the right thus to
address him. And now! o pitiiul
Christ! another woman was to be his
wife, and | must never think OF the old
days, or the old dreams, or look into his
dark eyes, or feel his kisses upon nv
unkissed lips! Never! and l might live
fifty years.
And 0 the pity Of it, out of all this
worlds million possibilities I had only
the chance of two-either to wed Regi-
Maid Dacre, a mar old enough t o be my
father, or tc be a companion to some
naughty woman. l had decided upon
accepting Mr.. Dacre. The tiny note of
barely two lines l had placed between
the leaves ola book it was his nightly
custom to read.
But Alan! but Alan! 1 had thought
him SO true, SO noble. I had called him
my prince" "my king" alone in the
warm dusk under the stars.
81 will not soil thy purple with my
dust,"l mad whispered in my heart.
Nor breathe my poison on thy Venice
glass;" went down to the sea to
listen to its sullen roar; hear it tell its
tale of human misery; of fair faces dead
under its waves: of gold andjewels lying
on green beds of moss; of argosies gone
down, the wall of human misery their
requiem. | tried to remember all this,
so that mine might not seem such a
great thing amid a world Of sobbing and
tears. 1t was a good thing to think of
the sufferings of others, and try to ig-
more your own; q good thing. But, my
misery! the misery of the girl called
Helen Preston!
This girl was somewhat of a genius,
the people said. She possessed the gift
of song and she was handsome. too, men
said: And she had two chances in the
to have utilized her gift of soEg she
might have had three.
But she had smirched her soul, for all
her beauty and gifts; had been false to
herself, to God and humanity; false, too,
to Reginald Dacre, for she kept her love
for Alan locked in her heart.
II have sold my soul for houses and
lands" she said, land 1 am wrecked.
Mea cnlpa! Mea culpa!"
~ have sold myself with open eyes,"
she said knowingly, with malice pre-
pense. l have no one to blame. That
Alan forgot his VOWS did not make it
right that should forswear myself"
But the sea, with its fuss and fret,
made my heart ache, and the turbulent
water seemed wooing me thitherward.
The chimes of u quaint old church,
playing an old song, caused a choke in
my throat. would go and invoke
grand airs from the organ, and mayhap
l should forget the sea's roar.
1t was my wont to go there to practice,
and l knew the service would not be
held for a half-hour. The lights we're
turned down to a semi-darkness, and
the old sexton, with whom | was a favor
lite, had left the key in the door for me.
The moon shone across the organ KEYS
and across my face; and the trailing
CHASTITY in its light. Oquaint cd church!
0 quaint old chimes! Too O l would
be far away from you, over the sea to
my suitor's lordly home, carrying with
me a heavier heart than my years
should warrant.
But it was to late to look back; and
the fault was mine. l had ruined NV
own life, and must pay the price. b.
cause l had been forbidden the desire
or mine eyes, l had ealed my fate. |
had bound my hands, and had intoned
Phoebe Cary's wailing words:
l nave turned from the good gifts Thy
bounty supplied me,
Because OF the one which Tby wisdom de.
MED me;
l have bandaged mine eyes-yea, mine own
hands have bound me;
l have made ME a darkness when light was
around me.
Now I cry by the wayside, @ Lord, that /
might receive back my sight.
"Peccayi," 1 cried, and my head sank
upon the organ and tears stained the
red rose at my throat.
"Helenr' and my head was lifted gent
ly and Alan Leighton's tender eyes met
mine. "Alan!' was all that nv aston
ishment could utter.
MY girl, you rave suffered" he eiac-
ulated, in a tone of exquisite tender
ness. "Hclen, my first and only love
how we have been wronged. t only
learned, an hour before I embarked,
that you We're not the false woman you
had painted to me. Mrs. Granger wrote
me eighteen months ago that YOU had
,.Hiurrieu mir. brace, and left with him
for Cuba A subsequent letter, without
date or signature, ~inclosing the tiny
pearl pin | had given you, left me no
room for doubt. I left England forever
and have been on the wing ever since,
finding no rest for my heart on sea or