Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-08-08
where have you kept yonrs since

returned last week lmpelled by q long
ing to set foot on c. MOI I'LL Son my 81 Ia.
tive soil but 4 find now that ( am here
that / have no desire to- remain The
associations revive the old pain too
keenly shall take the next steamer
out again i nothing hap pens to change
my determination !.
Mark BLAIR locke d mp into the dark
face beside him ously but he had
not known his comp on long enough
to possess the clew to ita gloom. 53l5.
With read tact he turned the con-
yersation. zisl .5.st3 S3
55" Well while you are here you might
as we'll have q little social enj yment.
What say you to making q call with me
tonight 7 have nm aunt who has a
villa here who is the soul Of hospitality,
and would be charmed, / know TO make
your acquaint ance. Will you come
By-the-by, she has a friend visiting her
who is as beautiful as a Peri, and is q
magnif cant musician. I u. & s 4 5 Il
= The latter is an inducement,Y Marks
companion answered. I am passionate-
II fond Of music. But I fear my society
manners are sadly out of repair. How
ever if you. wish it, I will accompany
you willingly" ss:.. & 1, "
4. And SO at 8 o'clock just as the young
moon filings her pale radiance over the
waters, the gentlemen walk slowly
along the path to. the villa, whose
grounds slope in a. succession Of ter
races down to the sands. s5s3 @ t't.5 N.
AS they near the house they retard
their steps, for through the open win
dow sweet sounds steal out upon the
night air. 2.5 a & :s5.f*t Y
Pausing beneath the balcony they
listen. IN. Z, %>..t.
The song is a sad one, and is sung in
a 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.
."'Do not go yet" he said. "Wait and
see if she sings again" - -.
"All right" Mark whispered back.
"But if you are charmed with her voice,
just wait until you see her face"
But the song ended; there came not
another. Instead, a tread of feet and
rustic of silken orapery above their
heads appraised them that the Sc
cret songstress, accompanied by anoth-
err has emerged from the room into the
balcony. r H.
Another moment, before the two men
had time to make their presence known,
+}o1y 1,o,a -, n ~, +o,, t;o,,a1 1ict,r,o,e
to an ardent love declaration.
IT have looked in vain this whole
week for an opportunity to speak with
you alone. Oh, Violet, thank you,
thank you, for granting it to ME at last.
Surely, you know what I am going to
tell you--how maoly, desperately I love
you. Violet, your manner to me has
never given nue. any encouragement,
but I can not believe that I am wholly
Indifferent to you. Such devotion as
mine must win some return"
A soft voice interrupts him.
"Do not thank me, Cousin Ralph, y
it says; II indeed understood your de-
sire for an interview, but I have only
granted it to you to show you the
hopelessness Of your attachment. ;"
"WhY thopelessness? There is ut
ter despair in that word. You are your
own mistress, young and beautiful,
capable of loving and of inspiring love.
Why say shopslessness?'" :. "a.
Because, comes the sad reply, lit is
the right word for me to use. Cousin
Ralph, I have loved, but he who alone
possessed my heart is cold IN his grave,
and oil my hope is buried with him.
Ralph I am now going to tell you some
thing that will cause You pain, and
what, had it not been for this ayowal,
you would never have known. -,...>'..
"One day, as you remember, six years
ago, you came to my house, in the alb
sence Of my husband, to beg from me
the means of assistance and concealment.
In fit Of passion you had challenged
q 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. ..<g5, -. =.
"You had succe eded in reaching the
Hall before the alarm had been sounded
and the pursuit begun. I listened to
your story with horror. You implored
me, by the ties Of blood and old ac-
quaintance, ana 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 Gid so.
''Tbe excitement in the town ran
high, for the young man whom you had
wounded lay between life and death ;
but at imminent risk. tomyself L con-
cealed you in an empty tool house with !
In my own park, and 1ninistered myself
to your wants. BY my action in thus
befriending you Iruined my whole Life
My husband returned two days be-
fore You effected your escape. a treach-
erous member Of my, household aroused
his suspicious. Ny solemn promise to
you bound me in iron letters, and when
he questioned me, and imp1ored me, if
it were indeed possible to xp1ain my
mysterious nightly absences from my
home J was obliged to remain silent.
All that sustained me through that
dreadful interview was the hope that in
q brief while You would be far away
ard safe from the disgraceful conse-
quences Of your rashness, and then I
could tell my husband all. But that
hope was not to be realized.
Il He left me in bitter anger, and I have
never seen him since, nor heard from
lain, until Q year ago q friend abroad
sent me papers containing the account
OF the loss Of French steamer, one Of
whose i'll fated passengers. lie was.