The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1884-03-14

| Her tones thrilled with new
intensity, her quiet features glow
ed aud flushed iuto a sudden love
illness.
"l love you dearer than my life
| am not eloquent and educated
George, and-and | think | feel toe
deeply to talk about it. But
though seem to you quiet and
shy aud dull under it all, all the
time my heart speaks, and it saws
Il love you dearer than my life pm
| | was delighted with her little
innocent outburst. supposed il
tiattered my vanity, for realized
fully how much meant from one
who was rather Ieticent aud re.
verSed; she had looked so pretty,
too, when her cheeks flushed and
her eyes sparkled-I liked to think
that | could call this glow OF
beauty into life
"She will look so always when
she is q loved and happy wife,
! thought and began to feel that
| was really aud truly in love with
her.
Alas poor MIlly!
May Ellis was now sixteen, and
had finished her time at school
Milly had talked of giving her an.
other year, but | opposed that
earnestly.
"What! would she sacrifice me,
as well rs herself to MayP And
so the gentle creature yielded to
my wlsh-which was the young
girls also-for she wrote that her
education was quite sufficient no v
to enable her to get her own living
and relieve her sister OF the burden
she had borne SO long and lovingly.
ga very proper SENTIMENT 1
declared approvinsly, and some of
unjust prejudice which l had con.
ceived against the unconcious girl
began to pass away from my mind.
1t was settled that May should
come home for the the holidays,
aud as soon as she could secure 1,
position as a governess, Milly and
| should be married.
Alas, those holidays! She came
the brightest, the loveliest crea
ture that ever my Imagination had
conceived OF, and before she had
been in the house one week | had
learned what it was 10 love.
Did Mi!ly suspect u change in
me ] could not tell. Grave and
quiet always, | saw no difference
in her except that she grew quieter
and aud more pale, and that might
be the effect OF the close. summer
weather. | hoped s.. | priced
and esteemed my gentle love no
less, because had learned to love
her sister more, aud my conscience
reproached me constantly with the
memory of those simple, tender
words:
81 love you dearer than my
life.'
TO have won such love and then
to east it away-oh, it would be
villianousl No, let passion urge
me as it might | resolved to be
true TO my obligations and my
honor.
l cannot tell how my resolution
might have served ii any one had
tempted or encouraged me to a
different course but the girl gave
me no hope-none.
She knew that | loved her, oh,
| was sure of that! And dared
to think, to hope, to fear that she
loved me; some subtle intelligence
passed between our hearts and
souls and so informed them; but
by neither of us was the knowledge
confined by either look or word.
And a change had come upon all
these. Something intangible-a
shade-a secret care, hidden, sus.
pected, but unshared; there was a
certain relief in spite of the quick
pang of loss and sorrow, in the
intelligence May gave us suddenly
one morning-she had succeeded
in obtaining "a position and was
going away at once.
No one opposed it. For mo
ment some recollection of noble
women who had sacrificed them.
selves aud their own hearts for the
sake OF those they loved flashed
through my mind.
"Must we to suffer to secure the
peace ofonep
But | put the ungenerous
thought aside-ashamed of it.
Why should the true and loya
heart be sacrificed to the tickle one
that could not be legal and true2
And, besides, it may be that
Milly does not dream of my false
hood, | thought; for | believe
had kept my secret well.
Whatever she dreamt of or what
ever she knew she made no sign
Her pale cheek wbitened another
shade while May was speaking
aud her eye shot one swift glanc,
from the girl to me but said moth
ing, and it was understood tina
May should go.
Through the few days that re
mained before her departure
llyed like one in u dream. To th,
last il seemed to me that some
thing would interpose to detail
her; that Milly would speak :
..u,.l.l ,.o...an, hn,n.lf o.,n.. "a a.