Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-06-24

Poor chndrr was all he said.

"Poor childr" was all he said.
He knew she was weak now, ,unstrung
through watching and sorrow; he un-
derstood her grief, her loneliness, her
remOrse. But he could not comfort
her, He might net pass his hand over
the golden sheen of her hair; he might
not tell Eer that there was one who
thought of her and prayed for her
wherever she was; he never for an in
slant forgot that she was Claude Crau-
furd'S wife.
But there came a revelation to her
as she grew calmer under the light
pressure of his hand. She had betray
ed her misery and her secret, and with
that thought she shrank from him; and
he reading her hart, drew back.
Forgive me?p she said brokenly.
"Oh, if | thought you could forgive the
pastr'
He folded his arms across his breast,
and answered unhesitatingly--
al have no memory of the .past-aO
hard thought of you. Heaven knows |
have never dreamed of judging you"
mo hard thought of me-not even
nOwl'' she said. ''Then | will bear a
little longer-till she is grown up and
does not want me-"
He could not trust himself to speak
| just yet, but stood motiOnless. Pres
emily he stepped forward to her side
and laId his hand upon her golden
head.
Goodbye again-Gwendolen; good
byeI"
"Come To me. You are the only
friend have"
They lay before him, the brief words;
and Philip Avrell never paused for an
| instant nor heSitated to answer the
summons. Gwendolen was in trouble
that was enough; but there WAS a
deadly sinking of heart as he strove to
| picture what the trouble was. Was
she Ill-dying? She had gone abroad
with her child, and had been all the
summer in Switzerland; and this tele-
gram was from PARIS. Was Daisy i'll
again, or was it her husband?
In twelve hours he was in Paris, at
the door of the splendid hotel where
! Lady Gwendolen and her husband and
Cullu WeIt SlOppluS
Doctor Avrell asked no questions of
the servant. He only babe him tell his
mistress that he was there; and he wait
ed, walking restlessly up and down,
But he was the calm physician the mo-
ment he heard the handle of the door
turn; and then she entered, white and
quiet; but he could see that there was
terrible strain on every nerve.
You are well, ," he said taking her
hand for secondhand Daisy?"
"Yes," she answered; lit is-it is
Claude. He is ill-very i'll. They say
he cannot live" She faltered a mo
ment, and then went ON huriedly. 81
know he has done you great wrong-ah
but ventured TO ask you to come.
You could do something perhaps toto
give him time-to lessen his suffering
You are not angry with me?"
"Hush, childr' He uttered the
words quickly; and then he added in
his usual gentle way, why should
be angryP This is. think, nc ordi-
nary illness. Lady Gwendolen?'' - =
''He is shotl'' she whispered, turning
away. ''It was duel. Spare me-in
pity spare mel"
He knew the whole story then with
out her telling him, and asked no more;
but his brow grew very dark, and the
sweet firm mouth very stern.
"Will you come to him now?" said
Gwendolen, after few moments. And
he bent his head and followed her.
So the two men-the wronger and
wronged-met again.
Philip Avrell stood beside the bed of
HIM who had taken away the jewel of
his life, and looked down upon the
wreck-the mere wreck-Of manhood
that lay there; the fair aristocratlc
looking face was drawn and pallid with
pain, lines OF dissipation craven on the
brow, the eyes wandering wildly from
one object to another.
There had been times when in Phil
ip's heart had burnt fierce passionate
hatred of the man who had taken his
treasure only TO despise it; but any such
feeling could not live in presence of the
awful retributiOn before him.
He stood by the unfortunate man.
and his glance said, There is nothing
to he done here;" yet he laid his fingers
on the quivering pulse; and Claude
seemed then. for the first time, aware
of the proximity of a stranger.
"Who are you?" he said almost |
fiercely, staring at the pitying face that
was bent over him.
81 am Philip AvrelI. l have come
to see if can do anything for you.''
"She has sent for your he cried
"My death is all she wantsi Well, j
won't say that she has been happy with
me. "Haye you, Gwen?"
Never mind that now Claude" an
swered his wife quietly, laying her
hand upon his. ''If you talk so you
will suffer more"
"Poor Gwenl" he said, in ahalf reck-
less. half-sorrowful tone that made her
shiver and look back to the days of their
opening life, when he had been kind in
his way, and before she knew of his
treachery. 81 did care for her once,
you know Avrell. And then 1 told her
like fool, and she hated me. If it
hadn't been for you," he said with
sudden fierceness, "she might have
liked me. won't have you here-she
and you'll Go-go?"
"Claude, Claudel HusEr'
"Well, well, l won't then;" and he
sank back, his eyes wandering aimless-
ly about. "Give me your hand, Gwen,
there's good girl. So you can't cure
mech, Avrell,
81 cannot"
Claude lay silent for a time, Gwen
dolen kneeling at his side, Philip Avrell
standing erect and attentive.
"Why did you Gomez" said Claude
Craufurd at last, in the same reckless
yet regretful tone. 81 did you an aw
full wrong, old fellow-hasn't she told
you?-swore that you were dead ,and that
,,l kaf 81 Sba