Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-23

been apparently the most ill-used man on the
Mrs. Huntingdon turned to Nell-she gave
ner quick, SOFT maternal look.
"Nell, dear" she said, Bertha wished TO see
| And Nell went, feeling the release from the
too soon. She did not go to her maid, she went
70 her room, hurrying with beating heart. In
few few min minutes she was kneeling BY her pillow
, n0h!. she said: I kneW that you were not
in you even when suffered so and tried and
| tr1ed: on! how thankful, how thankful-how
| Down stairs the mystery was explaining
| ITSELF
| 1--WE are very much to blame" Mrs. Hunting
and then 1 am afraid we did the most unjust
| ming we could have done, but IL seemed ma
t ts, to avoid the subject-and-and you. And
| then when we knew your cOusin-I am obliged
| 10 say he must have known. We used the
| names so that he must have understood, and
Of course that left no room for doubt. And you
were always together when we met you-and
| frof Chatterton spoke so severely-and we
thought we saw him demonstrating with you"
| "He was demonstrating with me- said Ham,
ilton, biting his lip. He thought was wrong
in the course I took with my cousin. see I
| was always smaller and weaker And his
| mother believed" he stopped.
| His mother believed no one else could save
him. put in Donald, land you made q burnt
offering of yourself. Go on"
Hamilton lifted his stays eyes to Mrs. Hunt
"His mother was very fond of him." he said
In low tone. "She was q little creature and
suffered great deal. She had been kind to me.
Mrs: Huntington quite flushed with pleas
| ure. she began to adore him.
.W Hn, now no cruel we were to you," she said.
"Only-only,", said Hamilton, "that you will
think better Of me-" But his eyes impiored
| them as she held out her hand.
When Nell came down to dinner the first
c snag a,s aam h SAY saw was that her air Of
| the dress ne had seen in the moonlight. Her
itoyeliness was SO softened that it was new
dared to neglect his dinner and look at her as
ne dld on this occasion he would nave been
Was Danaa as criminal AS it
good TO him and exhibited in their kindness
the most beautiful tact Was it Donald who
took his mother up stairs after the meal was
over and they had sat talking for an hour, or
was IT Mrs Huntingdon who took Donald to
snow sho s him his apartments? It mattered not in
| the least TO Hamilton when the door closed and
he found himself alone with Nell.
ne mad always been an impetuous person,
| 1t was Nell who spoke first. There was one
| thrilling moment of silence and then she looked
up at him with the most lovely appeal in her
=! know 1 ought to ask your pardon" she
SAID. You cannot know how wretched l
| He rose from his own seat and came and took
the one her mother had left close to her own.
don't be sorry" he said, "his voice low with
| enough-you don't know-it you are sorry
must a1 be- Let me have nothing but happiness"
you-what cruel, untrue things-when YOU
were in such troube-when all the world
should have been kind to you. Ican't bear itv'
70 that tie next
| held 1t pressed close within his own seems
| almost unnecessary.
Q6 ipUl0
wen, ne said at last, abe sorry-a little,
since 1t makes you look at me like that
| eyelids fell and she became a rose i'm bloom.
NO" he implored. don't do that. You owe
was perhaps trif1e unworthy. Yet there are
You-you will" He held the hand closer and
| too much, he said rashly, 81 know shall but
| can't help it. You have abhorred me SO long
that you can't think OF me as las l wish you
| could But you said those things-the things
you said that night-were untrue. You know
you you said you hated me. Will you tell me now
He bent over her-unconsciously drawing her
little to him with the hand he held-and yet
he could hardly hear her low voice as she an
| '.YesI WILL" she said; 81 did-not."
| "Ah!' he cried, "if you only knew how
happy you make me. II you could only say
little more. 1 know it's too much to ask
There was little. breathless pause and then
IS,
sweetest, softest dearest look in their depths
that ever woman's eyes wore.
-, IL Know l. owe you something" she said
TREMENDOUSLY. mo woman has the right to
make man suffer when he does not deserve
1t, and then not try to pay him afterwards. I
do owe you something, and 1 want to nav
| you. And if you'll what say makes YOU SO
happy, perhaps l can little. IL viii tell
, WHAT" he whispered, because her voice fell.
II said,' lower still. said-"tnat hated
you-because did not"
| He swept her into his arms and held her trenn
| Ding against his breast
Ssca%ss w y9S S Sd not" he cried. "a word
"Because l nerer did--because l thought
| ought to-because knew could not-because
!! was unhappy,-becauseI did not know what
have paid you nows"
He thought SO. How he told her that he
| tnousht so-wlth what torrent of words-with
what passionately happy tenderness does not
concern US. All that had passed was nothing
Tor them at least new world was made
my dear mother" said Donald later in the
| evening, you must excuse my saying that I
cannot refrain from contemplating you two
most charming women with admiration and
delight. When think of the high moral tone
you TOOK In this matter, of the lofty scorn you
dealt fOftn 10 the wrong young man. of the
persistent and laudable manner in which Won
embodied the right one in your embrace, so to
speak; when think of that guleess looking.
slippery little cad's quiet enjoyment of his posi-
| ton, for he has sly sense OF humor bv no
| means despicabe-and when l remeIn her
| above all that you accepted the flowers which
find the matigned victim chOse-and of course
| paid for-and drove haughtiiy past said victim
as he humbly tOiled along the dusty road
while you splashed him with the mud from
| his own chariot wheels. will confess that I
I restrain my pleasure in the humor of the situa-
alton with difficulty"
my dear, answered Mrs. Huntingdon "vou
make me absolutely unhappy. / cannot think
OF it. 1t was unpardOnable."
ut Is rather too bad. said Donald "that the
fact Is II you had not been such Charming
wOmen-n you had been a trifle less fastidiOns
and refined and would have condescended to
gossip little and listen to gOssipers you would
have found out your mistake. 1t was because
you felt 1t better taste to exclude this repre.
hensibie young man and all discussion of him
from your presence that you were enabled to
remain in u state of blissful ignorance But
would you mind answering me a question VIM
being the wicked one?''
well, in the first place." said Mrs Hunting
don, thought that Mrs. Dalton looked at him
when she was pointing out the hero of the
stories, and then"
lyon tlIoughtr' said Donald. "But why did
you think? Was it matter OF looks? Upon
| the whole think he has the advantage of the
original Jack Hamilton"
"Oh, DOnald!" exclaimed Nell with a charm.
ingly Involuntary indignation.
"Oh, think he hasa little," said Donald
| considerably. Come, what was 1t, mother?
Confess. Was 1t because he looked less inter-
| esting-Or more SO? Wait, let Nell speak for
herself first. Which was it, Nell?'