Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-01

a and 1t occurred to him that while Lutle'
mind was thus turned towards mstri
1 mony, doubtless pleasantly from III
\ standpoint OF an expectant bridesmaid
would be n good time 10 try his own fat
Q and he had therefore patiently awsite'
her return to the house. As she did no
, come he determined TO 90 and seek be
! and accordingly he marob ed undsuntedl!
10 his fate. Lutte had closed her eye
/ for moment TO ease their achinR, ant
! the colonel paused thinking she wa
, asleep.
"Good morning, colonel" she said.
, "Good morning, again, Miss Lutte
he replied. ~ was about to step out
and walt for you TO awake"
II was not asleep" she answered, "a
had closed my eyes to think"
Sand now my child" he said, 'iI wish
you would close them again while you
think Of something else. Close them
long enough to forget my gray hair"
TIE colonel was evidently sin for it''
and with the dazsd feeling Of indifference
to whAtever may happen sometimes
brought about by q sudden blow Lutte
resigned herself to listen to him.
"My dear Lutte" he went on with q
tremor In his voice which showed him
to be but little II any cooler lover than
the much younger man who had recently
stood In his plsoe. "My dear child, you
cannot bs in doubt as TO what have TO
say 10 you. am lot so old man as my
gfey hairs make me appear and am
certainly \ young enough man to love
you dearly. Dare continue to indulge
. hope that has grown very bright Of
late that you have seen my love and not
with sversion or even entire indiffer-
enoe."
"oh Colonel Butler" Lutte exclaimed,
II am not Indifferent to you. l have no
desrer friend; know none l honor and
respect 30 muoh."
"But Lutte, my child" he said, at Is
something more than friend ship l am
Offering and asking. l love you, dear,
and want You to be my wife. Do you
feel that the difference In our yesrs
makes this impossible 2"
"No, no." answered Lutte, but shrink
ing back as the colonel joyfully advanced
q step towards her, 81 would not care
anything about your age II 1 loved you"
"But Lutte" he asked in surprised
tone, "have been mistaken In supposinR
shat you understood me and been merely
foolishly fattering myself with the belief
that you were coming to like me better,
You knowing tina. l should ask you to be
my wife :"
No, no." she answered, "oh, / do
mot know what am saying. Col. Butler
am not worthy Of your love nor Of that
Of any other honest man."
"What do you mean 2" he asked with
. startled look at her, "surely child you
do mot know what you art saying"
sob yes, l do" went on the now eeb.
bi,g girl. 81 haue understood your atten
tions colonel. l haus encouraged them
knowingly and wiliully. did know y on
would ask me to be your wife and | in.
tended to say yes knowing all the tins
that did not love you. liked you,
admired you, WAS fkttered by your love,
and thought / should be proud OF my
position as your wife, and tried to make
myself think It right that should marry
you. Bat oh, cannot, cannot. am
wicked girl to have encouraged you,
you my dear friend and my fathers
friend 2"
"But my dear girl" protested the
colonel, "there Is nothing wicked in all
this. hope you may yet come to love
me and surely am the last man in the
world to blame you for having tried to
believe you could love me and become
my wife Come child, don't sob In that
way, It tortures me. Be my wife II you
will, liking and esteeming me, as you say
you do, but II you cannot now consent,
then | will try TO wait patiently, hoping
you will 60 on trying to love me until at
last you will succeed, It may be-"
'No, Colonel Butler" said Lutte, 81
know can never love you AZ you want
to be loved. hoped might yesterday, |
but now knOp cannot"
81 cannot account for so sudden q
CHANGE" said the colonel gently, "but
II you are not engaged to some one else |
will wait for you toreturn to your former |
feeling about the matter"
"Let me deceive you DO longer in any
thing" said Lutte raising her head and |
facing him, 81 did lot know myself or |
should not have deceived you as have
done. do love another with all my
heart and soul, and that is why cannot |
love you who are SO dear to me as q |
friend"
"But Lutte, are you engaged to this
man who speak Off" eagerly began the |
colonel, but suddenly breaking off with a |
gesture commanding silence he protested,
"Nc, no, l have no right to ask You |
that"
"You haze the right" Lutte passion |
ately declared, "to ask me anything. |
have treated you cruelty, sbominsbly, |
aud you have shown me nothing but |
courtesy, consideration tenGerneos. Oh |
wish l could love you. You are the |
Doblest man | ever knew, but do not
love you and / do love my cousin. But | |
shall never be his wife. Now colonel |
you know all. Please leave me to my
self' and tears once more filled her eyes. |
She was standing as she said this and in
voluntarily extended her hand. The colonel |
took 1t and raised 1t almost reverently TO |
his lips and then yielding TO an irresista
BILE impulse he took the sobbing girl in
his arms and gently stroked her hair As
he murpured, "My poor child, my suffer
log darling, would to God could add
Your pam to mine and bear It all. Oh
Lutte, dear, II but knew how to comfort
Jou / would ask nothing for myself"
Lutte sobbed like q child as he held
her thus, and then gently disengaged
herself from his embrace saying, "God |
bless you, you have oomiorted me. It
comforts me to know that 30 noble man |
can still love woman who has through
her own pride and vanity broken her
own heart and cruelty wounded his.
Forgive me dear, dear oolonel-but now
leave me TO myself for q while"
The oolone, walked rapidly away with |
a sal heart, but never before had he 80 |
loved his friends lite daughter as he |
did at that moment. He formed his own |
theory Of the events Of the morning and |
had no doubt that Frank Broughton had |
triumphantly told his cousin OF his |
engagement and then in happy iRnofauos
impstiently ridden away to Join his lady |
love, leaving the poor girl to silently |
weep her heart away as the sense Of her |
loas came home TO her. HHow noble she |
was 10 confess II all to me |" he mentally
exclaimed, and as he walked on he re-
solved on his own future course. The |
sight Of him, he thought, could only re
mind Lutte Of her sorrow, and 40 he |
determined to 60 away and wait till after |
BroughtOn was married. Then he |
thought he could, As Lutie's friend, WOO
hsr gently to begin anew the effort she |
confessed she had made TO learn to love |
him Meanwhile he resolved TO scrupu- |
lously guard his manner and converse |
tion 80 rs lead her to look TO him more |
and more as q friend. When he opened |
his mail that afternoon he said to |
Mr.. Curtis that letter called him imme. |
diately to Washington and he announced |
this later to all at the supper table. His |
oomings and goiDgs were SO frequent that |
this occasioned no surprise, though Lutte
understood, and she said good-by to him
next morning with feeling Of unaffected
rAufat thouph Rha WAS uot aorYv IN hava