St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-04

bold enough to ask for 1t while advancing
none on his own part, she was
right in thinking that that frigid-
ity needed no explanation. He could
not help feeling somewhat guilty; yet so
warmly did he go against his conscience
and defend his fancied rights in that inter-
view that he returned to the city feeling
like criminal. He was now positive that
he was no person for Miss StanhOpe.
On the other hand, pique completely mas
tered the young lady. She saw it all, she
thought, and her indignation rose as her
range of vision increased. Pascal came
home with her and had been constant
caller at the house since She delighted in
his company-So she told herself. He was
thorough gentleman with no mean Sus-
piclons.
Of the two letters lying on her table that
morning she recognized one as in the hand
writing of Pascal, which had become famil-
lar to her long before she had heard of Mr..
Newton. The other bore an address not
exactly in business hand, yet decidedly
masculine and rather sprawllng. She had
never seen it before; doubtless, though. it
was some bill that some blunderer had sent
| to her instead of to her father; or it might
be circular. She did not stop long to
speculate over it. She tossed it to one side
in her eagerneSs to see what Mr.. Pascal
could be writing about, broke the dainty
seal of this young mans misSive. and, with
half sarcastic smile, read as follows:
My Dear Miss Stanhope: With your
kind permission shall call to take you to
drive this afternoon. As wish to see you
on important business please do not disap-
point me. Reverentially, FRANK PASCAL.
Merton Place, Sept. 20, 1880.
Important business?" What could it
Ao0
which sent the hot blood to her face.
The something that whispered sugges-
ton was not far from right. Before it was
time to go to the seashore another year she
was Mrs. Frank Pascal, and the doctor
easily had his way about the trip to the
mountains for his health.
That trip did not improve the cou gh any,
however. Neither did one trip to Europe.
Before two years were past Frank PascaPs
rather empty life was closed. The world
did not heed this fact half as much as he
| had thought it would. nor yet did the STAN
| hopes feel incline to bury themselves in
ashes. They had never been satisfied with
Evelyn's unaccountable change of mind.
All questions that they put to her about
Newton were wasted. Her father heard
! from him occasionally in a business way;
he was doing very well, though travelling
! from one place to another a great deal.
And that was about all that Evelyn knew,
though she knew that much thoroughly.
When away on their trip succession Of
pleasing dreams had almost made up for
her lack of information. To be sure, there
was a never-failng resolve to be good
wife. But that did not mean much for
Pascal. A good nag or the billiard table
had made up his summum bonum till his
Eli -,
then light novel had been his most de-
sired solace.
After his death Evelyn had returned to
her own home, a changed being. People
remarked upon how much she seemed to
miss her husband. For two months she
had lost ali trace of Mr.. Newton
in his travels. Her own troubles had
engrossed her, for with all her faults she
had a warm and true heart. She was given
| to dwelling much upon her lost OppOrtun-
| tiles to have made Frank Pascal happier.
| She was sorry that she was as she was.
| Yet as time wore on she found that she
could not change her nature and she gave
herself up to it.
| She had loved but one man.
The acutenesS of her Indignation had
grown less, indeed as time had gone on.
The fact began to force itself upon her, as
! she observed year after year that Newton
meyer married, that he might not have been
the only one who had misjudged and who
therefore owed an apology. Still. he had
erred first and it had been his duty, in
what seemed now like that bitter long ago,
to have made the first explanation. No,
she had been deceived in him, and it was
strange that she should allow this memory
to linger SO leng.
1t was while indulging in such reflections
as these that she was rearranging the ar
ticles in her room one day. The old writ
ing desk had come in for ''good, thorough
cleaning
In her abstraction she pulled the drawer
out too far and it fell to the floor with a
crash. Patiently gathering up its contents
she had nothing else in the world now to
occupy her time-she tried to push the I'M
ruly receptacle back into its place. 1t
would not go. Drawing it forth once more
| she put her hand into the opening to learn
what the obstacle was. 1t was an old let
| ter. directed in a masculine, yet not ex-
actly business, hand. and unopened. That
was rather strange at the date-''Sept 20,
1880" Should she ever forget that date?
| Memories came rushing back to her. The
| heaving of her bosom threw the blood to
her head so fast that she could not see.
| AS she read her senses came gradually
back to her. The letter was from Edward
Cotton, a friend of Stanley Newtens,
written at his request Fer weeks, it said,
he had been ill of fever, and now. as he
began to recover his first thought was of
the necessity to ask her forgiveness-for
what. the note did not say. At the end
was one trembling line in pencil, Yours
ever, S. N"
AS she finished and laid the paper down
servant came in with ladys card.
Il am not at home" said Mrs. Pascal,
and then with a sudden recollection that
the latter had been friend of Newton's.
she added: No; say will come down at
once" Presently. to her question of New
toms whereabouts. Mrs. Wharton was say
ing: "He is in town for the first time in
more than year and is going to dine with
my father tonight" ''Will you give him
message from me?" asked Evelyn. Tell
him to come and see me; l want to reply to
a note OF his which should have been
answered long ago."