The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-02-03

30 earnestly and ScGniGi filed for Il mo-
mCnt with the Old, warm light.
They sat together one day upon n
little rustic scat, chatting and resting
after n walk. Fred had taken some
letters from his pocket which he wished
to show to Dora. a picture fcl! from
among them. Dora stopped to recover
it. Cousin Florry," She murmurcd,
and Fred began making SOM: common
place remark upon lis correctness.
Then, glancing ut his companions face,
he was startled ut lis deadly pnllor.
"Dora!' he cried, ''you arc i'll. We
walked too far. You must rest"
mo, I'm not ill.," she said almost
sharply. "How lovely Florence is"
Eyes, indeed. She is wcil-mieh per-
feet. But there is only one Dora in all
the world" taking her little. cold hand
in his. without Dora the world is
meaningless to me-"
Dora's eyes were scanning the dis
tant hills. She made no reply. She
was s~tccling her heart against him
II wants to be true size thought.
''but | will have no such love"
"Dora. You are not happy
She started. mo perfectly SO. What
mortal lisp"
at seems to INC I would b. if only
things could be as they once were be-
tween u.s."
This was the first allusion he had
made TO the fact that he had noticed
any change in their relations.
Dora realized that II crisis was COM
ing. She simply awaited it in silence.
She would neither strive to avert nor to
hasten it.
81 have sometimes feared that you
and | have been mistaken. That is the
word, l think. If SO. [ love you too well
to ask you to keep n promise which has
become hateful to you"
Dora rose from her seat; n sudden
fire famed in her pale cheek. She
held her hand out toward him--thc dear
little hand that wore his ring. Some
thing in her air bcwildercd him. He
stood II moment motionlcss, then seized
the hand in both his own. She shook
him of impaticntiy and drew the ring
from her finger. Now he understood. o
without n word, Dora?" he said.
struggling for sclf-command as a man
might battle for life against the waves
of u sea.
What is there to say?" asked Dora,
hci NoiCT SiCtl tS ~ StlNCT Dcll, WING
her eyes shonc like two stars. And
again he told himself that lie: '.Shc is
gIadw
And so they parted. The tie formed
almost in childhood was broken, and
they went their separate ways.
Day after day Dora's pale, ~resolute
face bent Owe her canvas, and she
stcadied her trembling hand for greater
achievements. She worked too hard,
they said. She was too ambitious; she
put too much of her lifc-blood into tho
strokes of her brush, and a few months
ended the struggle.
He came again to tho dear old house
beside the river; q crowd of friends had
gathered there, but Dora gave them no
welcome. Pale and silent she lay and
stirred not Il finger nor an eyelash for
any of thoir 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 livcd" sobbed
Florence.
Fred spoke not, but tho bitter cry Of
his heart was, IF l could only know that
she loved me!'
And they never dreamed, these two
her nearest and dcarest--that hey had
slain her.