The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-02-03
MANNING CLARENDON COUNTY s. c.. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUA


so earnestly and seemed i;iled for a mo-
mcnt with the Old. warm light.
They sat together one day upon a
little r;iss;;c scat. chatting and resting
after walk. F-cd had taken some
letters f-cm his pocket which he wished
to show 10 Dora. y nic;nre fell from
aMcn- ::!e:n. Dora St&op;:d 70 recover
it ..C";s;n Forty" She murmured,
and Fred began making some common
place remark upon It's correctness.
Then. CHANGING at his companions face,
he was startled al its deadly pallor.
''Dora." he cred. 'you are i'll. We
walked too far. You must rest.
No. I'm not i'll she said almost
sharply. How lovely florence is"
Yes. indeed. She is wcll-nigh per-
feet. But there is only one Dora in all
the world taking her little, cod hand
in his. Without Dora the world is
meaningless to me.
Dora's ewes were scanning the dis
tant hills. She made no reply. She
was steeling her heart against him
He wants to be true. size thought,
..but will have no such love.
Dora. YOU :ire not happy.
She started Not perfectly so. What
mortal is?'
1T seems to Inc would be if only
things could be as they once were be-
tween lis.
This was the first allusion he had
made to the fact that he had noticed
any change in their relations.
Dora realized that Il crisis was COM
ING. She simply awaited it in silence.
She would neither strive to avert nor to
hasten it.
Il have sometimes feared that YOU
and have been mistaken. That is the
word, think. If so. love You too well
to ask you 10 keep promise which has
become hateful to you.
Dora rose from her seat; sudden
fire famed in her pale cheek. She
held her hand out toward him-the dear
little hand that wore his ring. Some
thing in her air bcwildered him. He
stood a moment motionleSs. then seized
the hand in both his own. She shook
him off impatiently and drew the ring
from, her finger. Now he understood:
"Witbout - word, Dora?" he said,
struggling for sclf-coz%sssnrSsStInd asa man
might battle for life against the waves
of a sea.
What is there to say?' asked Dora,
her voice clear Us s; silver bell, while
her eyes shonc like two stars. And
auain he told himself that lie: ''She is
gladr'
And so they parted. The tie formed
almost in childhood was broken, and
they went their separate ways.
Day after day Doras pale, resolute
face bent over her canvas, and she
steadied her trembling hand for greater
achievements She worked too hard,
they said. She was too ambitious; she
put too much of her life-blood into the
strokes of her brush, and few months
ended the struggle.
He came again to the dear old house
beside the river; 4 crowd of friends had
gathered there, but Dora gave them no
welcome. Pale and silent she lay and
stirred not q finger nor an eyelash for
any of their tears. He stood there with
Florence, and that still form between
them; its smiling lips were no more 81
lent now than they had been in life. A
dumb patience was marked on the
sweet face, but they never guessed its
meaning.
IF she might only have livedH' sobbed
Florence.
Fred spoke not. but the bitter cry Of
his heart was. If could only kaoW that
she loved me-
And they never dreamed, these two
her nearest and dcarcst-that they had
slain her.