The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-09-24

r himself to this belief seemed unchari
| table. No; to think she was inslneer'
3 was to believe the sun never rose.
! Why did he pledge her to speak o
2 love no more! Pshaw! Love vows
are fragile; they are easily broken.
He left the house, repaired to his
|, room, and in the wreck OF his llfe's
happiness wept poignant tears OF woe
The Occident had no more charms
for him; he determined to return to
his home, but the thought OF Cora,
ever present in his mind, drew a vel
of sadness over his whole life. Some
months atterward he finished his law
studies and entered upon his chosen
profession.
Many and many a time, as he sat
wondering OF the fortunes of his lost
love, he could hardly restrain the
desire to fly from home and seek her
out, even should he have to traverse
half the earth. Then he would con
lure up the mystic words, and their
hidden import would dlssipate his
hasty, wild-formed projects.
At the end ofthOse years his life was
Just as void of happiness as the day
when Cora told him it could never be.
He resolved at last to once again
visit the West and learn, if possible,
| her whereabouts.
The end of his problem, if such it
could be called, was drawing to an
end.
Would he after all win the woman
of his heart? Was there not q silver
lining to the dark, thick clouds that
had lowered over him and darkened
an epoch of his life? Was the fresh
hue OF health which was beginning to
reassert itself a harbinger of happy
news, or some unforeseen wretched-
ness that would forever cling to him
like an avenging nemesis?
These were his thoughts as he sped
across the country to the scenes Of his
first attachment.
When he arrived at San Francisco
he called at the house where he had
last seen her; she had never been heard
from, and as far as thegoodlady could
enLighten him, she might bedead. Mrs.
Wentworth and her daughter told the
same despairing story-she had al
most dropped from their memory.
The one great object OF life now was
to find her and learn from her own
lips the meaning OF those odd words.
"In three years"
If he failed-alas! he dared not con-
template the consequences. Find her
he would, if it took years of constant
search. Such is the love of some men,
who in their constancy sacrifice years
of happiness for the sake OF one NOR
tai. Not a stone was left unturned in
his untiring search for her, but to no
avail. No one could be found to give
him one ray of hope as regards her
whereabouts. But he found her at
last-found her a new woman, even
lovelier than he hadever seen her.
What strange, impelling influence
led him to visit San Quentin he will
never know. Was it q mere whim or
fancy, or was it the hand of fate
striving to make amends tor past dis
courtesies?
Be this as it may, one bright Spring
morning, not knowing where to 60 or
what to do, he threw himself into q
railway coach, and soon lapsed into
a brown study. The first revolution
of the wheels sent q thrill of delight
through his whole system, and seemed
to tighten the burden OF his distress.
He was aroused fromhis reverie by the
sharp shrek of the whistle. San Quen-
tin was called out by the brakeman,
and, with the thought Of no particu-
lar destination in his mind, heiumped
from the train, little iiittttiie dreaming OF what
new sights were in store for him.
San Quentin is a small town, situat-
ed on the bay of San Francisco. 1t
tookhim but ashort time to ascertain
that there was nothing there to inter
est his attention. But stay-the State
Prison is located in this small village.
Another train did not arrive for two
hours; why not pass the time there?
1t was the extravagant desire of a.
morbid temperament. He had no idea
that the sights there would interest
him any more than thecommon-place
realities of the village itself,
He repaired to the prison. The
warden was very kind and urbane--
he could go through the prison if he
SO desired. An usher who escorted
him through tho different departments
explained every point in the work
ings OF the place, but he listened in
differently; be felt that not one of the
hardened criminals he passed by
could be more chop-fallen than he.
In going out he had to pass by a
waiting-room. He casually looked
through q hole in the panel Of the
door that opened into that room. In
that room a sight met his gaze, the
effect Of which almost froze his blood.
Was it Cora's face he saw, or was it
the phatom of his love.
TO assure himself he peered again;
the truth was very patent. Her arms
were entwined around a tall, manly
form, but he could not see the face, as