Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-07-15

de Miramon is in need of compassion, ana
yours is too sweet TO be wasted
Chut. monsieur she interrupted.
:. Forget that am as fond of pretty
speeches as most young women, ana
think of me only as Jeanne de Miramon's
sister. who believes that. much as she
loves her. you love her even more
For the second TIME this evening De
Palissier forgets possible observers, and
clasps both the girls slender hands in his
as ne mnrmurs, unsteadily: :" God bless
your'
You forget that we have an audience.
monsieur she saws, Withdrawing her
hands quickly, but with smile of frank
comradeship. Il have a story to tell
YOU. and not much time to tell it in
Years ago. when Jeanne left her convent
on becoming fiancee to MI. de Miramon,
she met YOU at her first ball, and you
loved each other. Ii was very foolish.
for you were a cadet of your house, and
only a sous-ieutenant, and Jeanne had
not a sou. so both the families were
furious; but all would have ended as
we'll as fairy tale if you had been rea-
sonable. Jeanne met you time after time
in secret. and promised any amount of
and marry you in defiance of her parents;
so you tormented her with doubts, and
shamed her with suspicious until she
dreaded those secret meetings almost as
much as she longed for them. AT last,
after making a more violent quarrel
than usual, you exchanged from your
regiment at Versailles to one in Algiers,
and left her no refuge from the re-
proaches of our father and mother but
to marry NJ. de Miramon. He might
have refused to marry her after hearing
her confess, as she did, that she had
given her heart to you, and that only
your desertion had induced her to con-
sent to their marriage. But he did not;
he had better revenge than that. He
married her, and for eight years he tor
tured her in every way that jealous and
cruel man can torment a proud, pure
woman. He opened all her letters, he
made spies of her servants, and not day
passed that he did not insult her with
some mention of your name. Our pa
rents died within few months of the
marriage, and / was at the convent
There was nothing to be done with her
misery but endure it, knowing that she
owed it all to your impotence. Can you
wonder that she is unforgiving r.
He is leaning on the small table be-
tween them with folded arms and down
bent eyes, and he is very pale, even
through the bronze of ten African sum-
mers:
q loved her always" he says, al
most inaudibly; then pauses; nor does
he finish his sentence, though she waits
for him to do so.
You love herr You could not have
wrecked her life more utterly if you had
hated her. Can you wonder that she has
grown to fear the thought of love that
has been so cruel to her as yours and her
husbands9 Monsieur, my brother-in-
law died two years ago-God is SO good! J"
continues Lucille, tiercely. Since then
Jeanne has been at peace, and she shrinks
with absolute horror from disturbing the
calm which has come to her after such
storms. She fears you, she avoids you,
because-shall tell you why?"
She can see his lips culver even under
the heavy mustache, but he neither
speaks nor raises his eyes.
She loves YOU" murmurs Lucille,
just aloud.
He lifts his eyes now and looks at her
dumbly for an instant; then, rising, alb
ruptly walks away.
He comes back presently.
My child, ? he says, very gently, "do
not try to make me believe that, unless
you are very sure, for if | once believe
it again, Il"
. am as sure as that / live that
Jeanne has never ceased to love you, and
that you can force her confess it if you
will make love to me.
III You? You are laughing at me !"
with rush of color into his dark face.
Do you think so i'll of Jeannes sis
terl" she asked, softly.
Pardon. l am scarcely myself, and
| cannot imagine how"
Jeanne will not receive you because
she knows her own heart and is afraid of
it, She fears that you will destroy the
hard-won peace she values so highly.
But you are wealthy, distinguished, the
head of your name-a very different per-
son from what you were ten years ago,
and she can find no reason for refusing
you as my sutton if / consent, and as my
chaperon she must be present at all our
meetings. You begin to understand?
Make her see that YOUR love is not all
jealousy; make her mako her
regret"
But, forgive me, when one has loved
woman for ten years, with a faint
smile, there is no room In ones heart
for even pretense at loving another
:" If there were, monsieur, / should
uavar have ,aronoca1 nv 9.lo4 che 20