Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-04-26

pensr
"No, oh, never" The color came back into
his face; his triumphant heart sent the hot
blood through every vein and artery.
Sand you will remember warned your
eyes" he whispered, land will remind
you of it when you have made me the hap
piest man in the world But we won't wait
till Jane comes back; we will be married to-
morrow"
"Oh, no." Her smile was very beautiful
ard sweet, but as cold as the river of death
''The day after, then. Say the day after
tomorrow, before anything has time to hap
pen"
He saw her lips were forming for mo-"
but he kissed it away; and another and
another, till she broke away from him with
q laugh.
"Well, yes, then; but you will be sorry for
it to the end Of your life." He made her put
on her hat after tea and they went across the
fields to the village cemetery.
He had stirred her by his enthusiasm to an
unwonted pitch, but now she had become
colder than ever, and very silent. 1t seemed
as if she were sorry for what she had prom
ised, and Philip was afraid each moment
that she would open her lips and take it all
back. He talked very eagerly to her all the
way to take up her mind, telling her all the
plans he had made and how gloriously they
seemed to be succeeding. She did not make
much response to what he said, but he was
only too glad that she did not repeat the
words she had met him with in the after
noon. At last they stood by massive pillar
of granite; not broken to signify an ineom-
plete life work, but perfect in symmetry and
finished in outline. Bertha could make out
In the deepening twilight the name of
"Ezekiel Breton" cut deep into the everlast-
ing stone
~ wish my father had seen things little
differently, and could have laid the founda-
tions Of all the mills in justice and charity.
He could not see that we are all men together,
and the wants that he had the workmen suf-
fered too. He did what he thought was
right, as do SO many thousand men to-day,
whose every breath means harder burden
for the poor"
"What is the use of considering the poor;
They have no gratitude And then they are
made differently from us; they have their
place; let them be content with it. Your
father was right"
How cold and hard her voice was, and he
had seen her SO enthusiastic over the wrongs
of the poor.
"But they ought to have chance to enjoy
little more Of what they earn, there are so
many of them" But she mode no answer,
and Philips heart sank with the conviction
that he must carry out his e eat work as he
had begun it, alone. He HI. l counted on her
sympathy; he had felt sure of it, and he was
SO lonely among the grand ideas he had
summoned into his soul, but perhaps it was
not best for him: o man never knows.
It was quite dark when he bade Bertha
good night at her gate He had kept her
hand for O moment after she would have
gone, in the thrilling indulgence of the sense
Of possession. His heart was very full, his
hope was almost blossoming into reality; al
last when it had seemed blighted once into
despair. Only two mere days, and oil the
storms that might rage could never separate
them, but must only make her dear white
arms cling the closer to him. Why had She
not said tomorrow? it was almost too
much too hope that God would hold back al
his thunderbolts and all the myriad messen
gers Of evil for two days. The wonderful
fate that had brought her back as from deatl
to him, that had saved her so strangely from
another meeting with the man whose voic
would melt her will, and madden her brain
second time, made him the more afraid now
The tide might turn, perhaps tomorrow
perhaps tonight, and carry his darling on
to sea, away from harm once more and for
ever.
But how cold and firm her hand was. Ah
how glad he would have been for one littl
tremor in It,
"Berthas" he said almost piteously, "hav
: you nothing else for me to-nightr
~ think it is all you should ask IL don
take back my promise" Then she seemed t
be musing for an instant. ~ am sorry yo
like me so much. What is there about me''-
: 'How are the mighty fallen" 1t was MI
, Ellingsworth's voice, as that gentleman saur
! tered toward the two young people.
"There is something In this newspaper
: have marked for you. One Of our old friend
/ has found his level at last-must you 20 thi
, minutei Well, good night ,...
1t was long time before Philip could &c
} to sleep that night in his great quiet houst
There were so many tender thoughts an
} memories now coming out in clear relief i
his brain, now grouped with others, an
J again lost in vague sense Of delight. II
remembered Bertha's attitudes and he
movements; he imagined how muc
more kindly she might have meant tina
\ she had said, and he blessed her tbs
: she had yielded to his prayers when he 4
. nearly Rad lost her forever. But what coul
she have been afraid Of, how could jar
Z Ellingsworth harm hort What was there /
s her history worse than he knewi Poe
a littlc girl, could there be anything MOI
terrible than what he had forgiveni Ho
J far she was from knowing how wonderful