The Penn's Grove record., 1884-12-20

where she sat chiSdishly ~deferring to
him
"You have nev9r done anything to
annoy herr he answered gravely.
''You have been a blessing in our house;
Helen is too just tq harbor fancles."
"a jealous worPan can harbor any
idea" she said, With a little ring of
triumph In her toll.
"A jealous won hni My wife has no
need to be jealous of any one" Then
he turned to leave her her victory over
him was hardly gained.
81 know she has no cause, - she said,
following him /; Tbut she is jealous
nevertheless. / think she is angry that
you were obliged TO accept a favor from
me, L know she dislikes me-" she
added. with a mournful droop of her
white eyelids.
"If / thought that were So But
| shall explain to Helen. | cannot yex
her for any reason"
Then he went slowly upstairs, and l
follow d him, despising myself for hav-
ing played the eavesdropper to such a
man, and wondering to what depth Of
misery may not drag a wO-
man down. !
Why would she not leave me him 7
He was my chief treasure, and l had
never injured her, Oh, if | could only
open his eyes-if l could only show him
that she was making shipwreck OF both
our lives, Of all the happiness that had
been sufficient for us before she came |
1t was in his w dres3ing.room that
/ found him.
"Do you feel better ?" he asked anx-
iously.
Eyes" looked up into his face,
and noticed there the now habitual look
of depression to which a year before it
had been a stranger.
"You have not been happy lately,
Helen" he went on. 81 want you to
tell me what it Is that troubles you.
Long ago l should not have needed to
ask"
He put his arm round me as he spoke.
but it had not its customary clasp. 1t
WAS like the careless careSs he would
have given to a fretful child; and | felt
this, and drew away from him.
SIS it about the money Katie Lent
me p' he asked, after a pause.
eff debt does not trouble you, why
should it me I" | said indifferently.
81 suppose you are as honorable as l."
How often words serve to conceal our
feelings | Even al | spoke l was think
ing how much too noble he was to ex-
anime closely my sayings, as ! had ex-
amined his.
Il don't think you quite understand
about the money, " he said gravely. sit
was most generous of Katie to offer 1t /;
many persons would not have ventured
to do so, seeing that the business APP
peared very unsafe just then. But
Katie trusted her money to me-trusted
to my honor not to accept it unless
it would save us, We are saved
now; and In the future she will find her
investment a very profitable one. Her
shares are already paying interest, and
in time will pay a much higher rate !;
therefore, if / refunded her money to-
morrow, the loss would be more hers
than mine, though my obligation to her
will continue as great always as | feel
it now. l think there are few people
in the world who would have behaved
as nobly as she has done. To her own
brother she could not have shown her.
self more trusting and generous"
81 don't think she would have shown
herself 50 to her own brother" | an
swered in a tone that even to my own
ears sounded obstinate and unconvinced.
81 don't know what has come over
you, Helen," he said, signing. 'Long
ago you were SO reasonable now"
Nov | am most unreasonable, am l
not 2 l mast seem 80, l am sure, after
that sympathetic tender angel down.
stairs.n
L had come to make peace, and this
was the result ; but surely | was mad
with the sense of my W misery.
~ do not understand YOU" he said
coldly.
l turned from him. Why had | salt
the things I ought not to have said, and
left unsaid all that | should have told
him Then l looked back. He was
resting his elbow on the window sill,
gazing out / knew with unseeing eyes /;
and in his whole body there was a list
less droop that touched Inc to the heart.
| went back to him ; l dropped upon
my knees beside him-I took hold of
the hand hanging 50 iistlessly by his
side and covered it with kisses, the love
ard despair of which he must have felt.
''Send her away,nI pleaded. do
you not see that my heart is breaking 7
She Is taking you from me and with
out you | shall die, On, Hugh, send
her away !"
you must never kneel TO me, Helen"
he said, lifting me on to my feet. SIS
1t Katie you wish me to send away ?"
Yes she is false and wicked. She
wants to win your love from me and,
Hugh, my fear of her is driving me
mad.o
"This is all fancy" he said, holding
my hands and looking into my face.
81 eve knew before, Helen, that you
had such a wicked Imagination"
"Win you send her away ?" 1 per-
sisted. "You must choose between
us.o
"Send away your sister, a woman of
her age, who has not a relative in Eng
land, after all she has done for me ?
Send her out of my house as | would a
servant who had robbed us-is that your
wish ?" he asked incredulously.
Il eS, sue must go OF H." / aWnsefed
doggedly.
''Then, Helen, l cannot consent. /
shall think the matter over; but to day
at any rate | cannot tell her that, since
she has served our purpose, she can co."
looked up at him.
"Then let her stay,"I said. per
haps | am wrong 4; but, right or wrong,
it does not matter. Let her st y."
He would have petted and caressed
me. but l could not bear 1t. | kissed
him once as we kiss the dead, and L
left him.
l thought my cup of bitterness was
full; it had yet to be set flowing over
AS Hugh's love and mine hlekered
and went out, my baby, by some subtle
influence, faded, blighted by | could
not tell what. The gray-black eyes, so
like Hugh's, lost their lustre, the little
hands grew thin and feverish, the burn
ing lips turned from food, and a suf-
fering wall rang constantly in my
aching ears.
HCcarlat;na >, oa;d A. r aDd