Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-10-23

aThe poor child is breaking her hearth she
cried, Indignantly. to her brother. aAnd
seriously. Cecil-although l don't want to
saw anything dsagreeable to you'll never
saw a sign of anything wrong with her be-
fore YOU and she had that disagreement,
about Christmas"
a tell you she wrefusel me point blank,
returned Lucy, who seldom kept a secret
from his sister
sOh, nonsense! Why should she refuse
yous"
aBut she did, point blank, thewre was no
mistake about it
"You should have asked her again.
$50 should have done if they're had been
the vewry smallest chance of her saying
yes tell you, Edith, she not only wrefused
be, but she wregularly wrounded on me for
not having asked her beiore--to usa her own
expwression-it was too latel"
Il tell you, Cecil, she is breaking her heart
If they go on with it, and marry her to
Hartog, she will die, and die soonp
"Hartog won't give her up"
"Wretchm cried Mrs Arkwiight, as rea-
sonably as is the manner of women
AS a matter of fact, he is nothing of the
sort Lucy objected. "Hartog is one of the
best fellows out wonder she is not madly
in love with him. l think you are making
a gwreat mistake, and that she is only wor
wired by all the preparations. 1t is to be
a vewry grand wedding, is it not~
Mrs Arkwright tinglei all over with
rage; she would have liked Lucy to show
little more distress-which was not his
Storm" at all-but she never even guessed
xxl, ichl ,a
every drawing word.
'Oh, very grandl' she said, tartly, Il sup
pose you mean to go. Hartog tokl mo this
morning that Mignon Observation-Disclosures
little girl, you knows coming to be one of
the bwridesmaids.
How does Olive know her''
''She does not; it is Hartcg's wish. She
is to stay with Mrs. Gwray."
Shortly after this he went back to Gays
town, leaving Mrs Arkwrigbt almost beside
herself with anger.
Il don't believe he carcs-I don't believe
he is capable of Caringr she red to big
Tom Arkwright
Then why worry yourself about fta' he
asked "a very good thing if he doesn't,
considering that Olive is to become Mrs.
Hartog on Thursday"
"And breaking her heart for Cecill' Mrs.
Arkwright burst out.
"Oh, nonsense! She had the chance of
him, if she had wanted him.
At which Mrs. Arkwright went out of the
room i'll storm of rage feeling it was as
useless to try to get sense out of Tom as it
was to get sense into Cecil
1t was then Monday On Tuesday Lucy
called at Copplethwaite, but was told that
the ladies had gone to Gaystown early in the
day, and might not be back till late i'll the
evening
He knew what that meant -dressmakerS
No use to seek about Gaystown after them.
So he left his wedding gift. And O. dear
heaven, what a moCkery it was for him TO
give a wedding gift to Olive Weyland, who
in few hours would he Olive Hartog, and
W no was breaking her heart, be knew not
whyl And then he went back to his quar-
tiers alone. going pre3ently to mess with a
smile on his handsome face, and the latest
joke about Mignon on his smooth, drawing
tongue.
"'Mignon.' said, as soon as l could get
nv hwreath, after rs lively specimen of
the-er-Car- wrote as you could wreason-
ably EXPECT fwrom a delicate little amatu ah
Ike her, 'how-er-much have you-er-
gwrownf
"Oh, dear Lal. said Mignon, not quite
an inch-not nearly enough to be mar
wrie II"
Was it any wonder that neither Hartog
nor any one else made even the widest
guess at the world of anguish this man was
suffering! No; no more than any one
guessed that Olive could she have had her
way, would have had bridegroom who
would be neither Hartog nor Lucy, but one
Ashford Harkness, who 50 short a time ago
announced his engagement to the beautiful
widow who had loved him, as he had loved
her, when they were boy and girl together.
Two more DAYS passed by and, on the day
previous to that of the wedding, Lucy took
a sudden resolve to go over to Copplethwaite
and put the question which Edith Ark
wright had raised in his mind straight and
fair 10 Olive.
Yes Miss Weyland is at home" the ser
want informed him; and then lie was shown
into the pretty morning room, where Olive
was sitting alone.
She rose rather confusadly and came 10
meet him
a came" he began abruptly, moved
almost beyond contro! OF himself by the
great change in her because Filth tells me
she is sure you are not happy in ycur ar-
pwroaching marwria Se
Olive allowed her hands to lie passively il
his. but she did not speak nor look at him
"And + 18th persists" he continued il
very Gentle tones, 'that it Is partly, or
wrather altogether. my fault Is that
twrue, Olive, my DEAR
at Is too late now" she said mournfally-
at is too late for anything"
"But if YOU love me" he cried esg,rly,
nistakirg her meaning
For n moment she was tempted, more
sorely tempted than she hal ever been in all
her life, 10 hiIe the truth 10 the last; thin
pluck, true English pluck won the day, and
she spoke.
Capt Lucy" she said. "beIieve me when
tell you that have never cared for You IN
that way. I-I-made a nistake-a great
| mistake, and | have sacrificed all my life 10
hid, 1t from the world And then briefly,
yet sparin. herself not at all she told him
the nth: My people do not know. and he
laast Of all. meant WITH @ sad smile, TO
| hide it, even if it cost my life; but have no
| right to ruin the rest of yours, 10y leaving
YOU 10 beIleFs as tlitH upiS. 1t Nphiu " d
SIN little, if anything, short of murder"
Lucy stood silent, dumb with surprise;
| theu at once IL realized what the telling
| of such story mus. have cost her, he rec
ognzsd the tru,, s,eadfait heart and The
brave spirit wh!ch dwell within her-a
pluck greater far than bii own.
Your secwrrt shall he SAFE lie said.
| simply, "nnd ] shall honor You TO my life'S
and as the nobest woman who ever lived"
''Oh, Lair cried MiGron few hours
| after the joy bells for Olives welding had
| ceased to ring Such pity you didn't go
it was loveiy!' holvinS sigh of supreme
| satisfaction as she gazed at the beautiful
| brooch Of pearls and diamond, which had
| been the brIdegrooms gift; at the beautiful
| bouquet of snowdrops given by the best
man, and at the goodly box OF bonbous and
| nougatines gathered off the breakfast ia bic
| by the father of the bride for the little lady
vino had won all hearts at Coppleth-
| waite, as she had won all hearts in the
| Scarlet Lancers six years before. II did
| nothing all tho way home but be sorry you
| had missed it."