Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-06-04

4
''Hush'' she said, grandly, as she
rose from her seat and walked a little
way from him. You forget Yourself.
Lord Vincent That was ten years
ago.
And can women forget so easilyP"
he replied with sigh, rs it possible
that all my words, my looks. my ac-
tons, have passed from your memory,
Marion?n
mot q word, not an action" she
said, sadly. could forget more ca
silly, ! might forget more freely
What do you mean?"
THAT | remember but too we'll each
pledge you gave me of good faith, with
the curse that followed your inf
deity"
Marion, do me iastice Do not call
my voluntary REIMBURSEMENT of your
affection by so harsh term. | re-
nounced it for your sake, not my own.
80 you said. know
"Do you doubt it? What good
could our Inflated love have brought to
you--a married woman?"
You knew that | was married from
the first. :"
True, but | had not calculated on
the effects of our intimacy. When |
perceived it did what | considered TO
be my duty"
when my husband returned from
the United States, you meant"
"Do you think that, my eyes once
opened, | would not have separated
from you under any circumstances?
II do not; but | know that the cir
cumstance that opened them was your
own interest.
"You do me an injury" he said,
somewhat angrily.
Il tell the truth, she answered
boldly, "aEd the truth is this. You
met me first when | was quite alone
fact which should have rendered You
more, rather than less, careful in the
establishment of our friendship. was
not a girl. You were not boy. You
told me numberless times how dear |
was becoming to you, and / entreated
you to leave me before it was too late
But you swore that the possession of
my friendship would be more TO YOU
than another woman's love -
And so it was; it has BEEN" he in
terrupted, eagerly.
"Please to hear me TO the end. You
knew what my life was: that had
married a man | found it impossible to
love, or even sympathize with; that his
nature was mean and low and groyel-
ing, mine full of feeling and high aspi-
ration, and yours very similar TO mine
without the power of Affection
Don't say that! You know | loved
you"
Vincent! you deceive yourself. You
never loved me! The thing which YOU
call love is mere phantom-the redec-
ton of the soul that loves you on Your
own selfish mind
You are bitter. madam"
Il must be candid. How many times
during that term of intimacy did You
tell me that you should never marry.
but rest contented with my friendship
to your life end? was foolish ENOUGH
to believe you. | trusted your word as
though it had been inspired l laid my
whole soul bare to you. You were my
idol
you loved me, Marion! l am sure
of il.
Loved you! Love is no word for the
feeling with which YOU inspired me. |
thought you were saint, hero.
sacrificing Your own inclinations for
my sake. and ready TO devote a life
time 10 my interests; and it was not
love with which I repaid you; it was
alteration. Aud then, when you had
bound rue completely to yourself.
when you had made all the world a
desert to me without your presence,
you married. and you left me"
"What would You have had me to
do?" he responded, eagerly. "You
know how painful my position had be-
come, and how the return of your hus-
band interrupted the course of our
friendship. There were but two alter
natives for me to choose from-either
to persuade you to leave your home
with me and sink you in irreparable
disgrace, or--to leave you, chose the
latter, and nearly killed myself by so
doing. And now you blame me for
sacrifice that was made for you alone
She curled her lip slightly as she re-
piled
"Was it? You did not seem much
like dying to me when | met you after
ward in the company of your fair
wife, -
"You would have condemned me to
a monastic life for evermorc, | suppose.
Women are so cursedy unreasonable, "
he grumbled.
Il would have condemned you to
nothing. Lord Vincent, nor would |
blame you for anything now. You
were free to follow the dictates of your
own heart and | only remind you of
these things in order to excuse the fact
that calm retrospectiou of your con-
duct TO me has brought only contempt
and pity in its train. Your behavior
was too much like the behavior of
numbers of your sex in the present
day, who, so long as no suspicion is
aroused nor scandal excited, will tlirt
and philander with a married woman
until her happiness has slipped from
her own keeping, and then, at the first
note of danger, leave her to shift for
herself, like a wounded bird unable to
fly TO covert, and trailing its broken
wing along the ground in the eyes Of
the whole world. -
but when scandal is excited, is not
a total separation the best way to put
stop to ftp" he asked.
NO" she answered, firmly, ''for
few women are able TO sustain the
shock without betraying themselves,
and many, from pique and the bitter
sense that all is lost to them, rush into
worse error, with view of crushing
out the feelings with which they are
maddened."
"Did you?' lie said softly.
Il did not, Lord Vincent, but no
thanks are due to yourself for my inn
munity from very common lot But
| was fortunate in the possession of a
friends true friend, who had loved
me from child, and who helped me
| by his counsel and his sympathy
through the btterest portion OF my
| life y
"a man friend?' said Lord Vincent,
jealousy.
Eyes! man friend" she replied;
Il could not have contidcd such a
secret to woman. A woman would
| have betrayed me on the first opportu-
nifty to all her dearest friends. We are
so weak and so untrustworthy, we wo-
men, She added, with sigh.
"And the Fidus Achates, the gentle
man who had the honor of eonsoling
YOU for my desertion,' said Lord Vim
+ cent, sarcastically, lis he siil existent
in this naughty world, or has he
earned his crown of glory like poor
+ Groves?'