New-York tribune., 1886-11-14

consideration although promptly refused It. !
meant to keep the whole affair secret, ana % h9s
even to tell my father OF its occurrence III this
be guile then have employed it.
Ierhals she would have spoken further; l can
not say. My own contrltion nroke aii ooSh,S, , ,,
here, and hurried to her side, IN passion Vi Joy
and scf-reproach
"Can you ever forgive me, I cried II have
been the madlest OF fools You are truth and
honor itself and yet seized the first little chance
TO wrong, to disirIst you But II is the fault
of my love-that only Oh, Ada Il you had let
me- really believe in your love all might have
been different! But you have kept me forever
at distance You sec, / leap over that distance
now-I can't help 1t. / must never look on your
face again IL you do not love me enough to be my
wife y
Her eyes were shining in tcals as she said u
Late that same afternoon told both Casmir and
Mrs Dorian that Ada Gramercey had promised to
marry me- Both faces ghtcncd as they heard
the tidings. My guardian kissed me; Tasimir
warmly grasred and pressed my hnnd. IL was
several hours afterward and while we were alone
together that Mrs. Dorian said:
"1here is no reason that this should be long
engagement, OthO."
Naturally" | answered "shc wishes to pro
tract It on her fathers account"
But he may ngcr like this for yc;als" .,,,.-
Not yeas thi1s a lie %i either he ad% ad bcy
that"
"Did ysu speak OF Iardon me =.
ANYTHING so terrestrial as In question dar2cnt|
INV dear madame" | cried, with a laugh and
a blush I'VE have spoken of nothing but our m'i-
tual love" ,
Of mock srimncss' ",tnst as imagined. The
rest will come soon enough it always does Ana
when it docs want you to feel that you can n,ls @
once had On the day before your marriage, mon
fls | want TO make over to You comioitaolc
sum-" She then named the sum- and nd; us Size
That is too large" protested. ut will dig
a decided hole in your own fortune"
"Anl leave solid wall to surround the hole,
marry you of more than once; suppose and IL
done it shall bc done handsomely"
The poor invalid Colonel gave me his eongratu,
own course an easy one; it seemed to me that |
had no role cxcert that of prof'lsc smiling ana ana
cordial handshal1ing. Her father was pEllny
pleased at our engagement from the first he had
liked me and knowing as he did of my hership
to Mrs Dorian's wealth it would be idle to imagine
that satisfaction Of worldly sort ana nor concern
his present fC.nes I'm the DAYS Of his health
ana prosperity he might have welcomed son lniaw
with slight regard Of mcrcc1,ary endowments; Dut
now. with the shadow Of the end creeping slowly
across his few residual days. there was little won
der that his cnfccbled mind, conscious OF its own
alfslaitcrrd state should rejoice in the thought
of leaving the child whom he loved felfStancu
among her old soft surroundings.
| said something Of this sort not long afterward
to Ada hc self sand then added since the occasion
lad an aptncss which ii might hereafter lack the
precise words of Mis- Dorans generous PROPOSE
How devoted that woman has bc,n to your
She answered. "She must have had the most en-
der regard for your mother. in the fist place"
"Shc had" | replied, believing that spoke the
truth.
The next three or four weeks were loaded with
happncss for me. Cur lives are like those OF GER
tain trees they have their periods OF bleak nude
dcarth when the wind and soct strike them: their
nc-clad hows of summer: their terms OF aunm. ,d1.
s. ring OF dcwy blossoms and slVery song. II
was the sprngtme of the soul with me-. no
future Terod, however bcnign fate might prove
bn inst kp | II
many many walr va ga and W talks fccl like miacr,'
said "whcsc precious gold is slipping through his
fngcrs In all the years of love that hoLc TOD
kccis for we shall never be quite as we arc
now. Our sunshine will never be just of the same
quality. Ii may turn melowcr and even IN
wav warmer but now it has fine Any excellence
that we shall somehow miss hereafter. Let us
make merry in it while we may" , -,
s She looked at me with a reful lttlc smiie,
"koy can | make merry she asked, IN the
Il dIj not mean it to be chilling" declared
sorry for my bit Of stntlmcntalNng
Iut 10 enjoy perfectly Is not To deal IN such
reflection" A.,
doom of all perfect JOS that it casts THIS shadow;
Don't YOU remember reading of the two lovers
who camc to the edge of the great cif at Sor.
rcnto1 One of them proToScd that they should should
both leap over it, hand In hand. since the futulc
could hold nothing more charming than the pres
cnt was. and the chances OF regretted change
were almost certain 49,
but they did not take the leap" said Ada
"Oh. no, They preferred to accept the other
Her smile dccpened to one of mschievous mean
ing IL glad did not let you 90 with para
and me to the Iyro' she said You might have
proved dangerous companion III hloun'"'n'''
"0b, if I had suggested the leap it would
have been the mcrcst poetic posing. You'd have
seen through it IN half minute couId hcNer
consent to lose you in that way" 80
But if we had both lcal ell togetherF
"My plight would have been a pretty one An
ct,,i,rl ~ tn
Once a real gloom crossed the brightness Of
these blisful weeks and darker gloom than she
guessed We hal been speaking Of old acquant-
ances in Paris of their weaknesses, fobcS, folles
and general CHARACTERISTICS.
"Mademosellc X made wholly heattless
match" sDid. "Shc married the Count name
1t was very distinguished name" ,,
All | remember you penevc III al 'ii"''
Il believe in an unSulled name. ~
"tnsulIied p Tie word priclled me Ills
was more than merely that
Il know: 1t was historic" 49, =,
| laughed little drcarily. lie traced back
among medieval rutliaIs.
But good many OF his ancestors hau pcch
Tell me-, | said, looking at her intently and
feeling the growth Of restless annoyance II
| had a name like his would you prefer lt-or are
you Indifferent on such a subject
She answered my look and s saw ,sls shade Gss Of
ton, Otho p She returned.
Her voice had family harsh ring. s,
"YOu need not answer IT, SAID lou
have already done so.
She grew nettci at This Really, you take
O great deal for granted =
Certain Sims conclusive. kcpt
silent for some time while she watched me. Then
/ slowly continued: You know that L am right
If | were a duke earl a prince you would
love me more than you do now. -,
She threw back her head and regarded me with
angry astonishment. How can you speak like
thls, Otho u she exclaimed. 1t Is trivial
/ took both her hands in mine, an instant later
and gazed steadily into her face. Yes, Ada
| saio" lit Ilyia-boyish-absurd al,
nit that it was - Then, as suddenly, dropped
her hands But . something made me
sueall as [ did / scarcely know what.
"Your own want of reason she replied, her
No [ affirmed with touch of excitement. |.
ait was not that It was something else.
STAY if [ were still Otho Claud just as you know
| abruptly paused A sense of whittier my own