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

"You would have re 90, then, SC
that you should never hear of or see me
again?'
81 shall never see you, I suppose.
What good would come of seeing you?''
And YOU can bear to part with me
after this fashion,"
The world is full of hard things which
have to be borne. 1t is not made tc
run smoothly altogether. You mus,
bear your cross-and so must |.
And that is the only word / am to
receive, after having struggled so hard
for you, and having left all my work.
and cares, and property, that l might
come home, and catch Just one glance
of your eye. Can you not say TO me G
word of kindness that may carry bacs
with me?"
mot q word. If you will think oil
it, you ought not to ask me for . word
of kindness. What does o kind word
means kind word coming from me t.
you? There was time when wanted
q kind word, but did not ask for it.
At that time it did not suit Nor does
it suit now. Put yourself in Mr.. Whit
tlestaff's case; would you wish the girl
to whom you were engaged to say kind
words behind your back to some Other
man? If you heard them, would you
not think that she was q traitor2 He
has chosen to trust me-against my adj
vice, indeed; but he has trusted me,
and know myself to be trustworthy.
There shah be no kind word spoken"
MARY" said he, ''when did ali this
happen?" =
"It has been happening. l suppose,
from the first day that came into his
house"
..But when was it settled? When did
he ask you to be his wife? Or when.
rather, did you make him the promise?''
John Gordon fancied that since he had
been at Cookers Hall he had seen signs,
indicating that the engagement h.d not
been of long date. And in every word
she had uttered to him he had heard
whispered an assurance of her perfect
love for himself He had Seen sure OF
her love when he left the house at
Norwich, in which he had been told
that he had been lingering there to nc
good purpose; but he had never been
more certain than he was at this mo.
ment. And now, in her mock anger
and indignant words, with the purpose
of her mind written SO clearly on her
brow. she was to him more lovable and
more beautiful than ever. Could it be
fair to him as man that he should lose
the prize which was to him of such in
estimable value, merely for word
of cold assent given to this old man,
and given quite lately? His devotion to
her was assured. Nothing could be
more assured than his love. And he,
too, was somewhat proud that he had
endeavored to entangle her by no prom
Use till he had secured the means OF
maintaining her. He had gone and had
come back with hopes which he had
felt must be sub ect to disappointment,
because he knew himself to be a reti-
cent. self-restrained man: and because
he had been aware that 1.-THE world as
she had said, lis full of hard things
which have to be borne"
But if, as he believed, the engage
ment was of recent date, there would
be hardship in it, which ne could not
bear patien;ly-a hardship, the endur-
ance of which must be intolerable to her.
II it We're so, the man could hardly be
so close listed, so hard-hearted, 50
cruel-minded. as TO hold the girl to her
purpose, When did you promise to be
his wife," he said, repeating his ques-
ton. Now there came over Mary s
face look the opposite to the strength
she had displayed when she had babe
him not ask her for a word of kindness.
To her the promise was as strong, even
though male but that morning. as
though months had interviewed But
she ielt that to him there woulu be an
apparent weakness in the promise OF
her engagement, if she told him that il
was made only on that morning.
What is it, Mary?"
1T matters nothing" she said.
But it does matter-to me-"
Then a sense of what was fitting told
her thSt it was incumbent on her to tell
him the truth. Sooner or later he would
assuredly know. and it was well that he
should know the entire truth from her
lips. She could not tolerate the
feeling that ne should go away deceived
in any degree by herself.
1T was this morning." she said.
This very morning.
at was on this morning that I gave
nv word to Mr.. Whittlestaf, and prom
ised to become his wife"
And had / been here yesterday
should not have been too late?h
She looked up imploringly into his
face. She could not answer that ques-
ton, nor ought he to press for an an
swer. And the words were no sooner
out of his mouth than he felt that il
was so. 1t was not to her that he must
address any such remonstrance as
that. This morning." he repeated.
.'onfy this morning.
But he did not know, no. could she
tell him. that she had pleaded her love
for him when Mr.. Whittlestaff had
asked her. She could not tell him of
that second meeting, at which she had
asked Mr.. Whittlestatf taat even yet he
should let her 90. 1t seemed to her, as
she had thought of it, that Mr..
Whittlestaf had behaved well, had in
tended to do good thing TO her, and
had ignored the other man, who had
vanished from the scene of their joint
lives. because he had become one who
ought not to be allowed to interest her
any further. She had endeavored to
TO think of it with stern justice, &C.
cusing herself of absurd romance, and
giving Mr.. Whittlestaff credit for all
goodness. This had been before John
Gordon had appeared; and now she
struggled not to be less just to Mr..
Whittlestaff then before. She knew
him well enough to be aware that he
could not easily be brought to abandon
the thing on which he had set his mind.
1t all passed through her mind as