Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-07-23
CHATTER yLIy.

Catherine listened to the fall of water In
the basin of the fountain. She was con-
Sclous of faint hOpe-a hope unworthy of
her-that Kitty might get weary of the gold
ilSheS and might interrupt them. No such
thlng happened; no stranger appeared on
The path which wound through the garden
She was alone with him. The influences of
me sun and fragrant summer evening were
Influences which breathcd of love.
"liaHe you thought OF me since yesterday"
he asked, gently.
She owned that she had thought of him.
rs thero no hope that your heart will ever
incline toward me?'
Il daren't consult my heart. II Ihad only
To consider my own feelings" She stop
ped.
What else have you to consider"
'MJ past lite-how | have suffered, and
what have To repent Of"
HAS your married life not been happy
onc?'' he asked
Not happy one-in the end" she an
swcrrd.
Through no fault of yours. am surr?'
Through no fmllt of mine, certainly"
And yet you said just now that you had
something Ia repent Dip
Il was not thinking OF my husband, Capt.
Bennydeck, when Said that. If have III
jured any perso. the person is myself"
She was thinking of that fatal concession
so the advice of her mother and to the inter
cStS OF her child which placed her In false
position toward the honest man who loved
her and tru"tai i-Ar ~ he bod h.an IaSs In
nocent In the ways OF the world, and not so
derotedly fond of her, he might, little by lit
Tie, have persuaded Catherine h run the risk
OF shocking him by confession OF the truth.
AZ il ~n', his confidence in her raised him
hiEh above the reach OF suspicious which
m, Sht have occurred to other men. He saw
her turn pale; the saw distress In her face,
which he Interpreted as 4 silent reproach to
him for the questions that he had asked Il
hope you will forgive me-" he said. simply.
She was astoniShcd. What have to for
givc?"
My wantuf dclicacy."
"Oh, Capt Brmydrck. you speak of one
of Your great merits as il it was fault!
Over and oven again have noticed Your deli
cacy, and admired it
lie was too deeply in earnest to abandon
his doubts of himself
II have ignorantly led you to think of your
SORROWS" he said; sorrows that cannot
console. | don't deserve 10 be forgiven.
May make the one excuse in my power?
May speak OF myself?'
She told him by 4 gesture that he had made
needless request
The life have led he resumed. nc.
counts, perhaps, In some degree, for what is
deficient in me. At school was not a pop
ular boy: | only made one friend. and he
has long since been numbered with the dead.
or my life at college and afterward in Lon
don, dare not speak 10 you; hook back at
1t with horror My school friend decided NV
choice OF a profession; he went into the
navy. After awhile, not knowing what else
to do, | followed his example. | liked the
lfc-l may say the sea saved me- For wears
was never on shore for more than n few
weeks at time. | saw nothing of society.
| was hardly ever in the company of ladies.
The next change In my life associated me
with an aUtic expedition. God forbid |
should tell YOU of what men 20 through who
are lost in the regions of eternal ice! Let
ME only sty was Observation-Disclosures
preserred-io profit by that dreadful expert
,nce- Ii made new man of me; it altered
me q hope for the BETTER into what am
now. On, feel TINT l ought to have kept
my secret yesteriay-I mean my daring TO
love you. should have waited till YOU knew
more OF me; till my conduct pleased YOU.
perhaps, and spoke for me. You won't
laugh, am sure, if confess Cat my agel
that | am inexperienced. Never till l met
You have | known what true love is-and
this Is nj 40 years old. How some peopIe
would taught And yet it seems melancholy
10 me-"
No; not melancholy"
Her voice trtmbled. Agitation, which Il
was not pain but luxury 10 feel was
gently taking possession of her. Where an.
other man might have seen that her tender
ness was getting the better of her discretion,
and might have presumed ON the discovery,
this man, innoeently blind to his own inter.
ests, never even attempted to take advantage
OF her. No more certain way could have