The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1884-08-14
ess hess ye i! Kept yourself since !

OUT agalns1ls nOtnlng happens to change
my determines ion. z d. tssEsS> !,
Mark Blair looked up into tie dark
face beside him curiously; but he had
mot known his companion long enough
I'd possess the olew to its gloom. ,,55l
With ready tact he turned the CON CON
yersation. q rs & g;ss55 n
81, while you are here you might
as well have Q little social enjoyment.
What Say you to making call with me
tonight? II have an aunt who has q
villa here who is The soul Of hospitality,
and would be charmed, I know to make
your acquaint ance. Will you come
Byfthe-by, she has a friend visiting her
who is as beautiful as q Peri ,Sand il q
magnif cant must cian. = 3atS G
The latter is an inducement, z Marks
companion answered. / am passionate
Ily fond Of music. But 7 fear my society
manners are sadly out Of repair. How.
ever if you wish it, I will accompany
you willingly
And 90 ct 9 O'clock, just as the young
moon filings her pale radianc over the
waters, the gentlemen wall SLOWLY
along the path to the villa, whose
grounds slope in q succession Of ter.
races down to the sands. e Il ;s5as5
. As they near the house they retard
their steps, for through the open win.
dow sweet sounds steal out upon The
night air. \. {; Fl; 1 .s 5.s5:
Pauaing beneath the balcony they
listen. Il! s VA 81
n The song Is q sad one, and is sung il
9 voice whose melting pathos pene-
trates one mans heart with a potency
SO strong as. to cause his face to pale
and his limbs to tremble beneath him.
He laid his hand upon Marks arm
with an urgent pressure. 4 js 81
sE DO not go yet = be said. wait and
see if she sings again.
sS.s vi right" Mark whispered back.
aBut if you are charmed with her voice,
just wait until you see her face"
But the song ended; there came not
another. Instead, q tread of feet and
rustic Of silken drapery above their
heads appraised them that the se-:
scret songstress, accompanied by anoth-
or has emerged from the room into the
balcony. NJ Il
Another moment, before the two men
had time to make their presence known,
they became The unint ntional listeners
to an ardent love declaration.
aI have looked in vain this whole
week for an opportunity to speak with
Iyou alone. Oh, Violet, thank you.
thank you, for granting it to me at last.
Surely, you knowSwhat I am going to
tell you how mad desperately I love
You. Violet, your manner to me has
never given me any encouragement,
but I can not believe that I am wholly
Indifferent to you. Such devotion as
mine must win some return. ;"
soft voice interrupts him.
Do not thank me, Cousin Ralph, 2
,it says; Il indeed .unde rstood your de-
sire for an interview, but ] have only
granted il to You to show you the
shopele ssness of your achment
+ 8. Why shopele ssness 2 There is ut-
ter despair in that word. on are your
own mistress, young and beautiful.
capable of loving and Of inspiring love.
Why say hope lessness 2 s /"
Because, comes the sad reply, it is
the right word for me to use. Cousin
! Ralph, ] have loved, but he who alone
possessed my heart is cold in his grave;
and all my hope is buried with him.
Ralph I am now going to tell you some
thing that will cause you pain, and
what, had il not been for this avowal,
3you would never have known.
3 Z One day; as you remen.b er, six years
ago, you came to my house, in the abb
sence Of my husband, to beg from me
the means Of assistance and concealment.
In a ct of passion you had challenged
% fellow student to an unlawful duel.
You had fought and had fled, wounded
Yourself, from the field where you had
left your contestant, as you thought,
mortally wounded. ssss
I5sSe. Oh had succe eded in reaching the
Hall before the alarm had been sounded
and the pursuit begun. 7 listened to
your story with horror. You implored
me, by she ties Of blood and old ac-
.quaintance, and for the honor Of our
name, to hide You until your hurt should
be healed and you could make your es-
cape to another country. i did So
Is excitement in the. town ran
lhigh; for the young man whom you had
wounded lay between life and death ;
but at inent risk to myself. T con-
cealed You in an empty tool house with,
III III my own park, and lninistered myself
to; your wants. BY my action IN thus
sbefriending yon 4 ruined my whole life.
Ny husband returned two days be-
fnra vo,, affectad yoi1r es,car,e,. A trench.