The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-05-06


into the still, crisp winter night he looked
up once at the diamond bestudded heavens
Religious forms hsd never been usual or Ia
miliar to him. Yet thers was an unspoken
Thanksgiving in this mans heart at that
moment. God willing he had found his
wife.
The next few weeks went by in q sort of
dream for him He saw Mabel Trask almost
every day. And gradually great hope b.
gan TO dawn in his heart-a hope he scarce
dared acknowledge to his Utmost soul lest it
prove fallaciors and vanish at a touch-the
hope that the love she could not but read in
his every word and look might be returned.
Hiram Couldock felt that he hRd never lived
until this last month.
One day be had Just left Mrs. Trask's
when, at her door. be met an old acquaiat-
ance who had recently returned to tue little
town after an absence Of some time. The
conversation turned upon various inhabi-
tants Of the place. and finally the man said:
Nice people, those Trasks, out OF whose
house you were coming. Charming the
daughter is. A pity she is going to throw
herself away on that eliminate fellow, Hen
neway."
"What do you meant" inquired Hiram,
with an abnormal quiet in his voice.
"Oh, they hsye been engaged for years"
said the other carelesslY. A little farther
along the street. CHANGING to glance at his
companions face, he loosely exclaimed:
Hello, Couldock. my friend This Eastern
air isn't agreeing with you, do you know
You must get back to the plains, man
You're as white IS some interesting damsel."
Couldock never even heard him. It wssas
though ten thousand bells were ringing in
his ears. In the first moment the hot blood
surged to his head in a sudden fury. Had
she led him on only to betrsy him2 Had
she made game of him? Almost the next
instant he could have killed himself for hav.
ing been guilty of the thought. She-Msbel
the trusst-the purest; no, there was some
mistake. She could not be engaged to that
puppy Hennewsy And then the pain came,
sharp as knife. and the doubt. What IL she
were?-what If she were? And all, he had
no right to think she cared for hinl-great.
aWakard, uDcouth, numbering fellow that be
VISOR even had cared. Perhaps it was only
her kindness-perbaps his own love had
blinded him. Well, he would go to her like
q man and tell her of his love now and ask
her, if this that he had heard vera true And
then as the possibility of its being true in
deed flashed over him again, the poor fellow
set his teeth against his lips so that the blood
came.
at might he resolved these things in his
mind. And gradually the conviction grew
npon him that he must face the loss OF her.
Many trivial words and occurrences, unno.
ticed before, came 10 his mem0ry EoT, and
seemed to prove that that map, who had
dealt him the deaoiiest blow he could re.
oeive, knew well OF what he spoke. Why
should he not? He bad lived here alwsvs.
He knew Mabel and that-that other-well-
And so the one womsn-the ideal vision
bad been shown to Hiram Couldock's dsz.
zled eyes, and placed for one short space of
sine within his reach, only to he snstched
away.
He sat down and wrote. to her. he had
decided that it would be unmauly to 90 tn
49, h. Aa.N
were true he could not but see the pain it
would cause him to learn its confirmation
from her lips. And his pain would pain
her. No, he would GO away quietly. de
would give no the bitter happinss of seeing
her again. He would refrain even fro On tell
ing her that he loved her. lest thai knowl
edge, likewise, should cause her pain. Aud
Hiram Couldock did not know that in the
letter he wrote mis- love spoke out between
every line as clearly TO Mabsl Trask's soni
IS though il had been poured into her ears
from his lips
1t was toward the close of the clear win
teIs's afternoon when Hiram Couldock
reached the station aud began walking up
snd down in restless impotence. The train
was not coming. But neither was it due as
yet. He was fully twenty mlnutes in ad
vance Of it. Such thing had not often
happened to him He had too just an 40
probation OF the value of time even 10 waste
now ne was pursued with gosding feeling
thst he must get awsy-quiekly-out of
sight of this quaint. quiet little Main town
which held all that was on esrth most dear
TO him-befoIe his resolution gave way and
he tried to see Mabel Trask's face again.
The station master and the two solitary
travellers, both elderly females. sitting in
the Visiting room, looked every nov aud
then with wondering eyes at this tall, brosd
sbouldered young man who seemed SO ex-
traordinarily impatient for the traia to come
up.
suddenly they saw him start "a though he
had been shot and then quickly step for
ward. 4 young lady had appeared at the
other,end of the platform. She walked on
ward bIavely, bat the color came and went
nervously in her cheek. And yet she had
not so far TO walk either; f. r the next mo-
ment the tall, dark-bearded young man WAS
at her side.
Miss Traskr' ne exclaimed Mabel raised
her eyes for one second kesnIy, sesrchiDgly
10 his That one glance was enough. There
was no mistaking the Joy, the pain, the love
the poor fellow tried TO repress, but could
not. Her womanly munitions had not played
her false then.
''Mr CouIdock," she began. struggling
hard to speak bravely and calmly. ~ ca ne
here espt cially TO ses you. You wrote one
you were going away. l heard by chancs at
almost the same time that false impression
had unwittingly been given you az to my
relations with Mr.. Henneway. You were
given to understand that / was engaged to
him. IL am not"
She broke of, for, standing with his back
10 the waiting.room aud its inmates, so that
his broad shoulders screened her from their
curious gaze, he had seized her hand in a
clasp so tight that she could almost have
cried out.
You are not engaged to him? Not? Oh,
Mabell''
She raised her eyes again to his. 1t was q
long glance. A glance in which every thing
was explained, everything understood. The
tears stood thick on Msbels lashes, for with
all her high minded courage il had cost her
more than even her lover would ever know to
take this step. to call him back, to clear up
this misunderstanding, and all on the mere
instructive knowledge in her woman's heart
that he loved her. And yet was it true that
her lover would never know what she had
fought against and suffered in those momsn-
tous minutes?
Mabel" be said. slowly. you hsvs been
to me since the first time nv eyes rested on
you, the embodiment of all that is most pure
and high and sweet in woman. At this in
slant After this act nf vOurs which 0nlv a