The Penn's Grove record., 1883-12-08
MY SISTERS LOVER

MY SISTERS LOVER
The month of May, and through my
half-open window came stealing a soft
WIND. filed with summer warmth and
summer fragrance. The trees IN the
garden were full of blossoms. The
early roses we're in bloom, but of all
this | saw nothing. My gaze was fixed
upon two figures slowly walking down
the garden path-a man and a woman.
The man was tall, and strong, and
masterful, yet tender as a mother with
her t~rst-born, gentle as a girl in ali the
little acts and courtesies Of life. The
woman was young and very beautiful,
with a figure slender and swaying like
the reed as she walked, and dark, lus-
trous eyes, which brought to many q
man his hearts undoing.
1 faneied the light in them now, as
she lifted them to Geofry Branseombe's
face. He was her guardian, and he
loved her. She was but my half-sister,
five years my senior, and so l was not
entitled to her confidence. indeed only
a little month ago l had returned from
school, with my education completed,
IN a fashionable sense of term, ana
since then / had been very Ill. Over
.tudy, the doctor said, but l knew
better. To my own soul could whisper
the buniliating truth, could pour out
the cruel confession, with a sort OF
savage pleasure at the self-intiicted
torture. A-e areaesa
1t was my heart, not the body, that
sufft red-the heart that bad forever
passed into Geoffry Branscombe's I'M
conscious keeping. / loved him--be
who was to be my sisters husband. il
l had never suspected 1t before, /
should have known it by the new hight
in her eyes, the new radiance OF her
beauty, as 1t burst upon me on the day
of my return.
And what couit be more natural than
that things should be as they were?
Did not guardians always love their
wards, and wards their guardians.
/ had never read a book which treated
OF such a relationship in which such
was not the sequel of the tale, And
yet-and yet, dld 1t make it easier for
me to bear.
j turned my gaze away from that
other picture, and lifted myself up from
the depth OF the big chsir in which
lay, until ] could catch a glimpse OF
my " face in the mirror opposite.
What a contrast My eyes, the only
beauty / possessed, looked many times
too large for The thin, dark face; and
my Ialr. which had been the rival
beauty to my eyes, was close cropped
to my head. a. ~
They had cut it off as / lay delirious
with fever, and crying that its weight
hurt me.
/ sank back, with q groan. At that
instant my sister, returning, entered
the room. a
..Mabel, : she cried-'HMabel, darl-
ing, | am so happy
And rapidly crossing the floor, she
sank down on her knees beside my
chair. @s sass
The contrast was too great. Never
had I seen her hall SO beautiful.
Don't teli me-don't!" I hastily ex-
claimed and iiited up my hand, as il
to ward of a blow, 81 know,"I con-
timed, Il congratulate you; but don't
say any more"
lyon know dear?" she answered, a
look of surprise sweeping over her face.
''Row is that possible?h
Don't ask me. Only, l know.
T."
But / could say no more. Ny weak
ness conquered my strength, and | burst
into bitter weeping.
Poor chilul Dear little Mabell'
she whispered tenderly. "Do YOU love
me so well that you hate to lose mt?
Bat you will not really loose me dear.
When l am married.
'HushP' i interrupted, II won't
lnn- o1- - ..Al EaIL,a. lSkkaulw,
buried my face Iii my hands.
OF course 10 heroine would have don
such q thing, but l was no heroine.
was only a foolish child, who had lived
but eighteen years, and could only look
forward to a long, long life of lonely
misery-for ! loved Geoffry.
He had not meant to make me love
him| knew that; but when / had
come home for my Christmas holidays.
Alice had peen away on a visit, and so l
had seen him every day. We hadrIdded
and driven and walked together, and,
as / have said, his manner held uncon.
scious and inherent tenderness toward
things weaker han himself which had
charmed my heart into recklessness,
pouring forth its unheeded treasures al
his feet.
My excitement in representing all
this, and seeing the seal set upon my
misery, brought its own punishment
For q week my lite was again despaired
OF. @ VS.
Then because l did not wish the boon,
strength anne slowly back. Every day
he came; every day he sent me flowers,
or ffuit, or some sweet message; but il
was all al added texture.
AT last, when | grew better, the
physicians said l must have change,
and so they sen ms to the seaside, to
visit an aunt who had ahouse at Worth
log.
1 was glad to go. Had I stayed at
home 1 should have gcne mac. Alice
and Mr.. B~ranscombe went with me to
the train. l bade her good bye, and the
train was Just about to start, when he
put his head in through the window.
You will let me come and see you,
he said, and | had only time to answer;
mo, no, you must not comet
Only time for this, and to note the
swift look SO like pain, which swept
over his face ere he moved away, and
my last glimpse was Of them both
standing side by side as they should
hencetorth stand thronghhfa
Notwithstandn my injunction to
the contrary, he came. l had been IN
my new home a fortnight, N some OF
the color was stealing back into my
cheeks, when n afternoon, as
alone, dreaming, as / dreamed all my
idle hours away, l saw the face which