Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-10-23

dared to pity her for her vain love, al
though, like some village maiden. she
had gone about in tears bewailing her
self that some groom or gardener had
been faithless. But sitting thus for the
first mile, she choked herself to keep
down her sobs.
s.Mary," at last he whispered to her.
sWelf, MIR. Whittlestaff?"
,"Mary, we are both OF US unhappy.
81 am not unhappy" she said, pluck
inc up herself suddenly. why do you
say that am unhappy"
t.You seem SO. at any rate am un,
happy ~,
81 did wrong to take you to dine in
company with that man."
.It was not for me to refuse to go.'a
s.No: there is no blame to you in it;
nor is there blame to me. But it
would have been better for us both had
we remained away Then he drove
on in silence, and did, not speak anoth-
er word till they reached home.
.Well!" said Mrs. Baggett, following
them into the dining-room.
s.What do you mean by swellP' sy
NV nat Ola UIc 1OlhS Say W YOU al
Mrs. Halls? 1 can see by your face
that some of them have been saying
Summat."
:Nobody has been saying anything
that [ know Of" said Mr.. Whittlestaff
..Do you go to bed" Then when Mrs.
Baggett was gone. and Mary had list
lessly seated herself on chair, her
lover again addressed her. 81 wish I
II. Sc, in, -
Yet she would not tell him; but turned
away her face and sat silent. slave
you nothing to say to me-"
"What should 1 have to say ., you?
/ have nothing to say of that Of which
you are thinking
He has gone now, Mary"
Eyes; he has gene"
"And you are contented?' It did
seem hard upon her that she should be
called upon to tell lie-to say that
which he must know to be leland to
do so in order that he might be en-
couraged tc persevere in achieving his
own object But she did not quite un-
derstand him. .'Are you contented?"
he repeated again.
Then she thought that she would tell
the lie. If it was well that she should
should it not be completed? If she had
to give herself to him, why should not
the gift be as satisfactory as it might be
made to his feelings? Eyes; l am con-
tented"
And you do not wish to see him
again?"
Certainly not, as your wife"
"You do not wish it at all,'' he re-
joined, ''whether you be my wife or
otherwise9"
81 think you press me too hard. :"
Then she remembered herself, and the
perfect sacrifice which she was minded
to make. mo; do not wish again to
see Mr.. Gordon at all. Now, if you
will allow me, / will 60 to bed. I am
thoroughly tired out, and hardly know
what am saying"
ayes; you can go to bed" he said.
Then she gave him her hand in silence,
and went off to her own room
She had no sooner reached her BED
than she threw herself on it and burst
into tears. All this which she had to
endure-all that she would have to bear
would be. she thought, too much for
her. And there came upon her feel
ing of contempt for his cruelty. Had
he sternly resolved to keep her to her
promised word, and to forbid her all
happiness for the future-to make her
his wife, let her heart be as it might
had he said: ''You have come to my
house and have eaten my bread and
have drunk of my cup, and have then
promised to become my wife, and now
you shall not depart from it because
this interloper has come between u.s."
then, though she might have felt him
to be cruel, still she would have re-
spected him. He would have done, as
she believed, as other men do. But he
wished to gain his object, and yet not
appear to be cruel. 1t was so that she
thought of him. ''And it shall be as
ne would have it, she said to herself.
But, though she saw far into his char
acter, she did not quite read it Alright.
He remained there alone in his Ii
brary into the late hours of the night.
But he did not even take up book
with the idea of solacing his hours. He,
too, had his idea of self-sacrifce, which
went quite as far as hers. But yet he
was not as sure as was she that the self
sacrifice would be a duty. He did not
believe, as she did, in the character of
John Cord What if he should give
her up to one who did not deserve her
to one whose future would not be
stable enough to secure the happiness
and welfare of such q woman as was
Mary Lawrie! He had no knowledge to
guide him, nor had she;-nor, for the
matter of that, had John Gordon him.
self any knowledge of what his own flu
ture might be. OF his future Mr.. Whit
tlestaf could speak and think with the
greatest confidence. 1t w ould be safe,
happy. and bright. should Mary Lawrie
become his wife. Should she not do so,
it must be altogether ruined and con-
found ed.
He could not conceive it to be posi-
BILE that he should be required by duty
to make such sacrifice; but he knew
of himself that if her happiness, her
true and permanent happiness, would
require it, then the sacrifice should be
made.
CHAPTER XVI.
MRS. BAGGETr's PHILOSOPHY
The next day was Saturday, and Mr..
WhlttIpStaff nama ont IF hs- rooyn