Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-04-12
CLAUDE TYACK'S ORDEAL.

avenue, felt really and truly jealous
about Elsie.
Those were the dear old days before
the war, and Prof. Marple then taught
Greek to Freshmen and SophomOres in
Cambridge lecture halls. Elsie was still
the belle of Cambridge, and was Elsie's
! favored admirer But that afternoon,
when met Elsie little later, alone, by
the Law School, near the AgasSiz Muse
um, was half angry with her for talk
ing TO Tyack. She blushed as l came
up, and put the wrong Interpretation
on her bushes. Elsie" l said, for l
called her even then by her Christian
name, THAT fellow Claude's been here
walking with your
She looked me full in the face with
her big brown eyes, and answered softly,
He had, Walter, and I'm very sorry for
him"
s.Sorry for himl' l cried, somewhat
hot in the face. "Why sorry? What's
he been doing or saying that you should
be sorry for?"
10 l spoke roughly, 1 suppose. l was
Young, and | was angry. Elsie turned
her big brown eyes upon me once more
and said only, I'm very sorry for him.
! Poor. poor fellow! I'm very sorry"
Elsie" l answered, you've no right
! to speak so about any other fellow.
Tyack's been making love to you. I'm
sure of that. Why did you let him?
You're mine now and | claim the whole
of your"
TO nv great surprise, Elsie. suddenly
burst into tears, and walked away with
out answering me anything. l was hot
and uncomfortable, but let her 90. l
didn't even try in any way to stop her
or ask her why she should cry so strange
| IL. | only knew, like foolish boy as
was, that my heart was full of wrath and
resentment against Tyack.
That evening l met him again in the
dining hall-the old hall on the college
square that preceded the big memorial
building we of the Harvard brigade set
up long afterwards in honor of the boys
who fell in the great struggle.
| looked at him angrily and spoke an
grily. After all we went out together
| into the cool air. Tyack was flushed
and still argrier than |. "You want to
! triumph over me-" he said in a fierce
way. as we reached the door. THAT is
mean and ungenerouS. You might do
better In your place | would have
more magnanimity."
! | didn't know what on earth he meant.
but my hot French blood boiled up at
once-the POnsardS came over with the
! first Huguenot refugees in the Evangile
and | answered hastily, NO man calls
me mean for nothing. Blow follows
word with men of my sort, Tyack. In
suit me again, and you know what you'll
get for it."
"You are a fool and a coward" he
cried through his clenched teeth. mo
gentleman would so treat conquered
rival Isn't it enough that you have
beaten me and crushed me? Need you
dance upon me and kick my corpse af-
terWardS?'
Il don't know what answered back
l failed to understand him still, but
saw he was furious, and l only felt the
angrier for that; but struck him in the
face, and | told him if he wished it to
be open war, war it should be with no
quarter.
could hardly believe my eyes when
he drew himself up to his full height
and without uttering word stalked
haughtily off, his face purple with sup
pressed wrath, and his lips quivering,
but self-controlled and Outwardly calm
in his gait and movement. | thought
| he must be going to challenge me-in
those days duelling was not yet utterly
dead even in the North-and l waited
for the challenge with some eagernesS;
but no challenge ever came. l never
saw Claude Tyack again till l met him
in the Second Connecticut regiment, just
before the battle Of Chattawauga.
Late that night | went round to the
MARBLES. trembling with excitement, and
after our easy American fashion asked
at the door to see Miss Elsie Elsie
came down to me alone in the dining
room; her eyes were still a little swollen
with crying, but she looked even lovelier
and gentler than ever. l asked her what
had passed between her and Tyach, and
she told me in simple words a story that,
angry as | WAS, sent thrill Of regret
and remorse through my inmost being.
Tyack had come up to her that after
noon in the Elm avenue, she said, and
after gently leading up to it by half
hints whose meaning she never perceiv-
Ol Of dc hod l,o,. +
last by asking her outright to be his wife
and make him happy forever and ever.
Elsie was so breathlesS at this uneXpect-
ed declaration that she had not even
presence of mind to tell him at once of
our virtual engagement. and Tyack see
ing her hesitate and temporize, went on
begging in the profoundest terms of love
and affection, till her woman's heart was
touched with pity. "Hc said he could
never know another happy moment" she
whispered, "unlesS l would have him,
Walter; and as he said it knew by his
eyes that he really meant it,
And what did you answer" l ask
ed in an agony of doubt, my heart mis-
giving me for my anger that evening.
II said to him, oh, Mr. Tyack,
know you mean it, and if it weren't that
l love Walter Ponsard with all my soul,
think out of very pity 1 should have
to marry YOU"
"You said that" ! cried, the devil
within NE getting the better Of me for
moment.
"Yes, Walter, l said that And Mr..
! Tyack gave sort of low, suppressed,
sobbing cry, like man whose heart is
thrust through, l think, and pressed his
two hands upon his breast and stagger-
Ell away as if had shot him"
"Elsie," l cried taking her white hand
in fit of remorse, Il understand it all
now. / hope to heaven we haven't, be-
tween us, sent that man Tyack to blow
his brains out, or jump into the river"
When | got back to my rooms little