The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-22

put myself in the way of enabling her
to become my wife. / did not desert
her.
VERY well. Then You came back
and founi her engaged TO be my wife.
You had itfrom her own mouth. When
q gentleman hears thai. what has he to
do but 10 go away? "a
There are circumstances here
s.What does she say hers-lf? There
are no circumstances to justify you. If
you would come here as i friend [ Of
fered 20 receive You. As YOU had been
known TO her i did not turn my back
upon you. But now your conduct is so
peculiar that / can not ask you To re-
msin' any longer" They were walk
ing up aud down the long walk. and
now Mr. Whittlestaff stood still. as
though to declare that the interview
should be considered as over.
al know that you wish me to 60
away" said Gordon.
.Well. yes: unless you withdraw all
idea of q claim to the young lady
hand"
But / think you should first hear
what have to say. You will not sure
ly have done your duty by her unless
you hear me-"
You can speak if you wish to-"
1T was not till yesterday that you
made your proposition to Miss Lawrie. |"
what has that to do with it9''
Had 1 come on the previous day.
and had l been able then to tell her all
that can tell her now, would it have
made no ditference?"
Did she say SOP" asked the fortu-
nate lover, in a very angry tone.
..No; she did not say so. 1t was
with difficulty that forced from her an
avowal that her engagement was SO re-
cent. But she did CONFESS that it was
so. And she confessed in her manner
that she found it impossible to refuse
YOU the request that you had asked"
II never heard a man assert so i'm
pudently that he was the sole owner OF
lady's favors. Upon my word |
think YOU are the vainest man | ever
met"
..Iet it be so. / do not care to de-
fend myself. but only her. Whether l
am vain or not, is il not true that which
say? Iput it to you. as man to man,
whether you do not know that it is
trues If you marry this girl, will You
not marry one whose heart belongs to
me? viii you not marry one OF whom
YOU knew two DAYS since that her heart
was mine? VIII you not marry Que
who. if she was free this moment,
would give herself to me without pang
of -emorse?
Il never heard anything like the
mans vanity
.But is it true? Whatever may be
nv vanity, or self-seeking, or unmanli-
ness if you will, Is not what say God
truth? 1t is not about my weaknesses,
or your weaknesses. that we should
speak. but about her happiness.
Just so: don't think she would De
happy with YOU" 60.
Then it is to save her from me that
you are marrying her-so that she uay
not sink into the abyss of my uaworthi,
ness
Partly that"
But if l had come two days since,
when she would have received me with
open arms" --~-..-
You have no right to make such 8
statement" FEre
Il ask YOU whether it is not true:
She would have received me with open
arms. and would you then have dared,
as her guardian, to bid her refuse the
offer ma ie to her, when you had lesrned.
as you would have done, that she loved
me: that had loved her with all my
heart before l left England; that | had
left it with the view of enabling myself
to marry her; that had been wonder
fully successful: that had come back
With no other hope in the world than tha
of giving it all to her: that | had beer
able to show you my whole life, so tina
no girl need be afraid to become my
wife"
What do 1 know about your life:
| You may have another wife living q
! this moment -zrz7
No doubt: l may be guilty of any
amount of villainy, but then. as he
I friend. you should make inquiry. IoI
would not break 4 girls heart because
( the man to whom she is attached may
possibly be rogue In this case yoI
have no ground for the suspicion"
"Inever heard of man who spok'
| of himself so grandiloquently!'
There is ample reason why yol
you should make inquiry. In truth. a
/ said before, it is her happiness am
not mine nor your own, that you shoul'
look to. If she has taken your offer be
cause YOU had been good to her in he
observation-disclosures she had found her
self unable to refuse aught to one wh'
had treated her so well; if she had dom
all this, believing that l had disae
peared from her knowledge, and doubt
inc altogether my return; # it be So
and YOU know that it IS so-then yo
should hesitate before you lead her t
her doom.
You heard her say that was not t
believe any of thesethings unless L GO
them from her own mouth"
II did: and her word should go 70
nothing either with YOU or with me
She has promised. and is willing to sac
rifce herself to her promise. She Wi
sacrifice me, too, because of your good
ness-and because she is utterly unabl
to put fair value upon herself. To m
she Is all the world. From the frs
hour in which | saw her to the present
the idea of gaining her has been every
thing. Pat aside the words which sh
I Just spoke, what Is your belief of tn
state of her wishes"
81 can tell you my belief of the stat
of her welfare
There your own prejudice creeps in
and might retsliate by charging yo
with vanity as you have done me, orl
that think such vanity very natura
But it is her you should consult on sue
matter. She is not 20 be treated Hk