Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-06-17
i NEVER TEMPTED HERR

~. American Rural Home.
They stood looking at each other.
Her trembling hands were firmly
e..st,sd in his slim brown ones.
MS dark eyes burned with sup.
.,,ass.d passion and bravely-borne
4 4 .ntal anguish.
Her lsliie ones widened at the horror
II tbeir position. and darkened with
~ unspeaka5ia despair that had set
I'D on her soul like a black pail
she ( wise-the wife of a coarse, bru-
..,.man, il is true-and he, her friend
4 fsr years.
WITHOUT one word, one act, the
4 ,aau,eelre had this day come TO them
tl,sf they were dearer to each other
than the laws OF man ~ould allow,
He spoke
q ..You think am a good man2'
a II do-the best, grandest, nobIesti"
aand Won know there never will be
q .suy happiness for US together2'
.Nor apart,
4 q After to-day we must never meet
again,
.bIni
Those tears
They unnamed him.
{ With a siia impulse. he put ont his
arms and drew her TO his side, almost
fiercely. lie crushed her slight form
10 his heart.
ayaleria, Icannot bear it / must
CO...
sise YOU up forevsr?' she moaned,
/ fa,itiaa her arms about his neck, and
dropping hei chestnut head on his
breast.
Heidi not speak, only held her more
B CLOSELY. lie did not say, Fate is
srnel,'' or. ave will be happy in our
wayiin or, "1io With me-" No, he did
not tempt her BY wor.l ;aet to break
the bonds that held her to an I'M
worfhy husband.
4 He raised her face. He kissed the
waves OF her hair, her brow her checks,
her lips. Il was as il she were dead.
E4ns. he WAS kissing her for thef and
E.iast time before the coffin lid closed
over her cold face.
She shook as il with a sudden ague.
She knew SO well what those kisses
meant which she received passiveIy.
she kDew so well what the future
Knleant for her.
Z As she chung to him she felt as il life
itself were leaving herl
II would have been a merciful thing.
4 sGood bye" be said, abruptly.
sFor al timel" she answered.
4 Theu he went away.
As The door closed after him she
sank on the floor. lyintprostrate, with
aer face turned down on her outstretch-
ed arms.
"Hase mercy upon me, Have mer-
Icy upon me- she moaned.
/ Was she praying TO her lover or to
E-her Maker
God knows.
The little burgh of Crossley was
Estartled and thrown into a hubbub of
Especulation. when it was rumored
E1hst Manly CreSsweil, its most pop.
=nlar bachelor and most prosperous
{merchant, was going TO South Amer
{iGa.
"But what for, Cress?"
] Il had bsen his boyhood home, and
everyone vas familiar with him.
"liecause want togo" Unanswered
kall inquiries.
Ard no one IN all the town knew why
s.
<woman-and she dared not tell.
cit is because he loves me-" shetold
=berself. as she Law upon her bed, feeling
;il unto death. She had not seen him
kIsinee that awful day.
That Sas his last good bye.
4 The next news was that Valeria
<Crabbe WAS attacked with a low nerv-
ops iever that seemed to take all her
8fitaiisy, for when she rose from her
Illness, she was no longer the pretty,
Plump and rosy matron ofyore. at the
fheal OF all social pleasures, ana an
ancel among the poor
Grie made her selfish. She could
mot bear 10 nlingle with those who
Spoke Manly's name carelessiy. 1t
seemed like d sacsIiege to her. She
couldnot bear to 80 to those places
where she had met him most frequent
ly. Cor it seemed as il she would shrek
Bier secret alond to scandalized
world.
She lived IN the memory of her past
friendship for him. So often she need
I'd sympathy and aid. and then the
knowledge would come to her like a
keen stilleto thrust, that he had gone
out oil her life forever
Her only form OF prayer now was:
20 God Let me see him, Let mel
bee him.
But she knew her prayer would new
IT be answered.
She knew Manly Cressweli loved hon
OR more than he loved herr
He would never come back to her
iie mist love another than her. He
nanst have his own home, his own
'Kife, his ewn circle OF friends, which
ehe would never enter
20 God God How can bear this
borrow all my lile2n She would moan
She seemed to be going mad, Her
testless, sleepless nights were robbing
Der of all bloom aud youth
Che did not care! What was the adj
Duration OF men TO her? What were
Fashion DEGREES or sollies?
Hope was dead, Joy slain, youth
lost,
Dntyg What was duty to her?
j Amhition2 What was ambition?
Religlong God help her, but her soul
kas so stepped in its awful despair,
pc hal almost forgotten the story of
christ
Sometimes she seemed to be near
per beloved His spirit seemed to COM
hume With hers, and she could feel thee
touch OF his hands and lips, See the,
Iight OF his dearey and hear the ten
Per aceents of his Voicei
But IN her dreams, he seemed ever :
70 avoid her always there was a bar
fler between tlleml
And he?
God alone knew what he suffered
Here 10 South America he was max
PIG fortune by his shrewdness and
good management. but the grave, ST.
ent man WA not like the genial, sun
y-hatured man that crossley had
known.
I - aas Hot popuiat Will tiie idoits,
[or he did not smile and Jest, and
hower attentions on them as they
popped for. He treated them with
rase politeness, but it was soon
known that he was not a marrying
man.
At the ena of two years he received
his letter:
They tell me shall never get well.
want you. But If you feel you can
not bear the parting-if You feel that
isbest not TO see me-do not GOMEZ"
lie did not go.
How can see her die2"
Human hearts are curious things.