The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-06-28

iinucd: " SO, In this moment Of my life when nee
help, VIII you be my friend?" She seemed rather I
confer than to ask favor.
m'.your frlcnd,r he murmurcd
ItIsa simple thing that ask you TO do; only (
read this letter from my dead father on the day
| my marriage 10 Gen. Arcon.
| "Counicss, I cannot read your letter, canno
accept the honor Of your friendship, nor ask you /
rely on my befricndng YOU"
She rose, white with rage and shame.
| "llccause am not n dnnseusp ~ she cried.
You Know about that" His eyes were I'M
she Was frightened S what ~ s w" had sa
but her pride came back.
"That ddnscUse, madame In comtcssc, I hav
never spoken to, never have seem" he said, with
return OF his customary Indifference to her, to tn
world, 10 himself. "Prince Teko was her avowe,
lover. ono evening nj mess, when he had beer
| drinking, he gave an Infamous description Of hi
namora,a, with whom he had quarcled. did no
the Prince my opinion OF him. That was ALL"
She drew long breath. "Can You pardon me
was nnr, Al yonr refusing to defend me. And s'
His lps formed the word " Ses.n
And you forgive me9"
For wbatYn
81 was afraid had wounded you," she said, al
most shyly.
ne made no answer, only took the letter, ana said
81 am TO read this?"
VII You please.n
II ran rs follows:
my DEARLY BELOVED ELSA: VIII you, indeed
Iake THIS siepf Think that he Ia an old man
AMI you are still almost child. True, he once III,
| me great service, and spared me n deep sorrow
arms9 Now that he IL sick and alone he needs care
you say, and You will pay my moral debt and feiiei
Your young life 10 sick old man. Don't do II, Elsa
wealthy once more I'VE viii make him one of our
selves, and teach him to forget his pride, bnt moi
,sro %s N your There is still time
~ was an oyerslrung, eccentric girl" said Elisa
as he tnsheds" but have never regretted my STEP
gave my fathers benefactor happy old age. The
NINA orunyo and Rafa a
Wicked man said wicked things Or me to my face
without naming names But how often viii he
I ask IL that friend who Is moi a lover shall say
, %what % You require o. me, couaiesss' he cx
"What do required" Abe cried, In a s,iicd voice
",s W 80 !, m m Am not worth even word..
You arc tearing my heart out Pardon me Tor Ieav.
ing you, Countess-l am III. You shall learn
whether can be your friend or undertake this mis-
Ills words rang IN her ears, but he was gone.
LIEUT. srERSRELD TO THE COUNTESS ARcoN.
MADAME IA CtMrRssR: l do not know what /
am TO say to You In this letter. only know that
must tell you all that struggles IN me- You will take
s ss' would S as E % SSoS 81 ss
you sad moment. to win smile from you, 10 lInger
Tor an hour by Your side: am young, my heart ia
From tho moment that you read these lines shall
have vanished from the world for you. DO not be
ra dd Ne mSa accsp s honor 81 being
with life. to count upon Tomorrow. hut one thing
i does not forlldiho courage and the power TO tell
you that love You with the first, hottest, aud oh,
Indeed, the last love Of my heart. love yon with
every hhre OF my being, with every thought of my
sS MIN 4 every pulse n my body that n few
been due love you unut,crahly. God bless you.
staress night hung above the Lancut estates,
oppressive, damp darkness, through which woman
Knocked at the lonely farmhouse where Lieut..
Siernneid lived. The door was opened by the man
himself, with light In his hand. She entered; her
Old servant, John Drim, stood on the steps outside
The Countess Elsa Arcon pushed back the hood OF
ner waterproof ana said, AZ she stood within the
thresholds:
"Lisat. s!ernield, you are wicked man.
lie placed his light on the wlndOwslll with treni-
and then stood with folded hands before her, as IL
breaihless anger.
"Yon terrified me to death by your letter. Heaven
be praised, you are here"
" You were alarmed abuut me ?"
Yes, she answered, honestly, though the glance
she gave him was Understandable In lts reproach aud
s hsna now 10 aen y Sser was alarmed abont
for that. No one ever cared for my grief.
He caught her hand and held her from going.
Elsa, do not leave me!' he cried. al told you
that was wretched, and yOu-"
~ only wished to tell you to be brave. she struck
10. lyon have wife that yon do not love, or you
and you whimper like child. Is that manly"
Love any one hut you? can bear II no longer
In this last hour, when must return TO the grave In
which have been lying for u year. Elsa, dared
not take or return love, becanse-l nm dead man!'
~, she TOOK sudden step backward and stared at
eyes" he continued, with his eyes fixed lesnalr.
lngly on her face; have you never felt7 Listen. |
ON earth. DO you think I am mad? Listen NV
parents were poor; was always lonely and amhf.
lS,,s ana p, wond not dlssipae my youth as other
with Prince TekO. A deul naturally followed but
our colonel interfered and 1t was stopped at least
fight openly, we arranged secret duel. We drew
lots IN the presence OF two witnesses, D0bski and
lins9. The one on whom the lot fell was to die by
MS own hand before the end of q year. II fell on
me, and tomorrow is my last day. Why should /
not have died before? could take care Of my
always working for my fortune SO have lived my
crept toward me. dared bind myself TO no one.
must stamp out all longing for life aud love- Then
you came into my life, and i loved you. l saw
heaven and dared not stretch ont my hand toward
and had to dash II from my tiiirstiDg ps must
te-and You stand before me the image Of the
beauty glory, and bcssedness OF life, hOpeessly lost
His eyes closed and he fell full length before her,
catching fold Of her dress In his fall. She sank be-
I beside herself, to say It was not true; she cried
mat she loved hun, and how was 1t possible for hun
% a u T1 men, 'h9e Eye Soa a, be happy?
'ad, al last; !" now should not have the courage -
HIS eyes did not close again, but rested on her
lace with an expression Of nnspeakahle love- She
,aw the end was near and neither spoke nor moved
Her lips received his last breath.
me whole corps was at first horrl1ed at the
Legitimate" suicide OF a brave c0mraie, who nm
lonr before his death had written a letter 10 the
Colonel setting forth the reason, they all declared
ne could not have done otherwise. |
Inc Countess Elsa ArcOn withdrew with her poor |
iunt 70 some quiet Italian baths. The great world
nonght the Countess was acting nObly In tending |
Ter poor imbecile relative They did not know Il |
vas the relative who was nursing dying woman. |
for when the spring came Elsa went out OF life az
,hyaictans
she was buried In the sweet italian convent which
AUNT Mona fingered out her last days, without |
yord and without smile.--The Af0Onaut, trans
Lake. |