Daily Republican., 1885-08-14
HIS ATONEMENT.
BY MRS. Il. BURKE COLLINS.

BY MRS. Il. BURKE COLLINS. |
Overhead sky of azure, under foot
the softest and greenest OF velvety
sward ; in the distance sandy shore
cleaning white, where the blue waves
Of old OCEAN dash themselves upon the
beach, breaking into foamy sparkles.
And upon the sandy slope, beneath a.
great oak tree, a man with handsome,
patrician face, and dusky, eloquent
eyes, bent row with dangerous 9 gleam
in their depths upon the dropping orbs
of the girl at his side.
Not a beauty. for she is thin, sallow,
angular, and the gray brown eyes seem
very large, set in that eolorless, child.
ish face. The two small hands are
nervously q 6ismautling red rosa OF It's
fragrant petals. and her breath Is COM
| ing and going III titful pants. He
gazes upon her almost as though he
enjoys her confusion perhaps he
does.
"And so, VAL" he Is saying, the soft.
sweet voice which is part OF Bernard
lDaytori's stock in trade growing sol .er
or more tender as he stoops and touches
her hand lightly, we must part My
dear, what summer this has been.
Away off in foreign lands l shall bear
its memory with me, and in the dreary
days to come. my heart will go back
to this time, the only happy days OF my
far from happy life. l have lived this
summer, Valerie be fore l knew you,
think only existed. But it is all over
lnow, aud-oh, HeaYen We must meet
no more :"
She giances into his face with wide
| startled ewes, What she reads there
=. idriyes the blood from her cheeks, auC
, makes her catch her breath with con
svulsive shiver. 1t is the shadow o
coming doom.
"Meet-no-more?" she falters, re
( | peating the words slowly, strang
:. pang tearing at her heart strings; "ot
Bernard, surely-surely you do not
cannot mean that? True, you ar
: going away, and Europe is an Intern
It nabla distance, but
He has her hand in his arm now, an
% for a moment Bernand Dayton Is hor
estly sorry for What he has done. Bu
his penitsnt moods never last long. ID
= draws the little head with Its wealth
nut brown n hair down upon his shoulde
he does not care to look into the grea
gray brown eyes, while he tells u
story which he is forced to tell crave
tIEkb D6 no udiCo NV AhOOS WV AAH'
cent eyes OF the child whose heart
has broken.
"It il an old story, Val" he is say IL
when next abe catches his meaning.
bad story--a hard, harsh experience
but the time has come in which l cs
.h no longer evade the past. in which
in must tell you of my own life. Val,
d. you care for me?'
She lifts ber head and gives one lo'
N. Just glance-nothing more: Wh
st' that glance says would fill a volume |;
ie- is full of alteration. A papg of remor
" rends the mans heart then q wild thr
of triumph. No matter what happeI
nd she loves him.
IL Valerie" he goes on gently, as /
no head droops until only her profile
IN IN revealed TO his eager, burning ey'
ro "there is a secret in my life, In
III. past; q secret of which the world
an large knows nothing. This is why
los not explain at first. thought that )
m. would consider me conceited fool II
nat told you when first We mat; 1t wou
appear as II l believed myself dang
IN, IN. Gus to your peace OF MIND. Sut
oer time has come when 1 must tell "
10 when you must know the misera
lC4 truth. Valerie, am married man
lar- The cry of horror that falls from
ket pale lips rings In his ears for man!
..sse. day, 1t Ia like a death knell. She
~ on her feet now, q slim, delicate girl
: a soft white gown, her two little di
ID hands clasped, her great, anguisl
n eyes uplifted to his own.
Ii Cowardn'
' The word smites the silence lik
blow.
"Coward Traitor ! Worse Il
the thief in the nj sht, who steals
o~ 8 mans house, and roos 1t OF its u
CO. fsares. You have robaed me of all
made life worth l.xiug-faith In
fellow creatures, trust in manki
0u. of my path, Bernard Dayton
detest the very sight of you'll"
E.s dark cheek has t. tGshed angr
the great, eloquent eyee sre upon
childish face, all the youth gone ou
al, 1t forever.
L,isten," he begins ,imi,erativ
Jo and sOu ething prompts her t6 obey.
aSr Ths sun, which is about to drop ou
|. sight bshiDd gorgeous bank ef an
and goli, suddenly flames oEt ri
1t casts o weird, crimson glow &C
the stern, white, accusing face q.
erie We're 50 she stands there con fir
ing this mnu who has murdered
- faith, who las struck hope dead, WI
-" sudden, cruel blow.
r;,r In all tha after years of his
Bernard Dayton never quite forgets
fscene.
He turns his eyes way, for he car
endure the blazing scorn in her g
and with avertel face goes on swift
1t is an old story MARI
which is after all 60 marriage. W
God hath Joined together let no I
. e. put aslnder.' Valerie, / am sure
this marriage owed nothing to Div
Iinterposiuon. Ifever Satan instig
anything on earth, he certainly pror
8. ed my marriage to the woman '
. from first to last, has wrecked
ruined my life. She wax beau.if
much older than I-aud she daz
c tme. was only two-anG-twenty,
De 1 asked her to marry me. ] did
Irealiz, the mistake that 1
M made-men seldom do-until the
SA~ ters were on aud 1 WAS bound.
parted we have never met since
nartino IL was five wears ago, Aft