New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-03-07

unWorthiness that she loved him
whom she had so dishonored. She
wondered whether men ever pardoned
such things. She wished he had used
his prerogative and slain her, and
then she longed for his presence. Even
his hatred was better than his alb.
sence.
''Then he would come and she
would timidly try to ask his forgive
ness; but he SO persistently ignored
her fault that she dared not open
her trembling lips, and each time he
went out she hoped that be
would not send her gifts, that he
would on his return oyerwhelm her
with abuse, or even beat her; but no,
he sent her every thing that the ten
derest love could devise, he heaped IA.
vors pom her until their weight crushed
her, he loaded the tables with food to
tempt her appetite when that awful
accuser shone in herface and strangled
her to sufocation. Days and weeks
went by-days OF agony and nights Of
sleepless woe and hopeless love-for
now she loved this man with a, des.
pairing love such as the dying feel.
She wasted away. Her beautiful
rounded arms Werelike Waxen candles.
her hands like the claw OF some dead
bird-a bird of hunger and cold-and
her exquisite bust was but bones with
none of its former soft, white beauty.
How could it be otherwise with tina
gllttering coin soaring her very heart
and brain and sapping her very exist
ence?
Sometimes she would long for sim
pie things-a flower, a book-only to
throw them YEARLY aside. Sometimes
she would go to visit young women
friends, and they would 90 out in a
caique or to the sweet waters, and
she would be the gayest Of all, and
her laugh rang out constantly,
and then she would rage
against her fate and again
throw herself upon the cushions Of q
divan and hide her shamed face, even
from the light Of day. Again, she
would stand by the windows and
watch the swift current OF the dark
water as it swept by her palace like
home, and long to throw herself into
its icy current-to bury herself in a
deep, black pit full OF venomous and
horrible reptiles-but she found that
always now there was a slave at her
side, and she was chained to her life of
torture. and the sight OF that basilisk
eye. She tried to steal it once and
fling it a million miles away into a
place SO noisome where even vultures
would not go, and her hand grew pal
sled and remained outstre tched, and
her eyes fixed upon it, and so her last
hope faded and when he came in she
fell nerveless in herchair. She was dy-
ing oflove and longing and remorse and
she found that her husband redoubied
his care and attention. Where she
had one slave before she now had ten,
and for every one robe before she now
had twenty. He sent to Trieste and
even Paris for dainty food to tempt
her failing appetite, doctors were call
ed from far and near, but who could
mend q broken heart, cure that corod-
Ing remorse or lift the weight of the
silver melidieh from her tortured soul?
''Once when she could bear no more
when he had seemed unusually tender
and had given her such extravaganza
presents, she gathered her strength
and fell at his feet and implored his
pardon, told him all her anguish, all
her tardy love and worship for him,
and with torrents of tears streaming
from her beautiful eyes tried to make
him understand that she had sinned
in ignorance, that she had been as q
little child led astray, but that now
she was a woman, her heart and soul
had awakened to a new birth and she
pleaded as woman had never pleaded
before, until she fell exhausted, clasp
ing his knees. Heput his arms around
her; he lifted her to his side and
caressed her, telling her he had long
ago forgiven, and she poor fool, hop
ed and grew upernaturally beautiful
in her JOY until the time came to
sleep. and he calmly placed the dread
ful barrier to hope, to love, and to
life, even again in its place between
them.
"When she saw it she felt that her
knell had sounded, and she gave one
piercing shrek and fell senseless.
days and weeks crept oy; still the
same round Of events. OutwardY,
he was more than tender; more than
loving; but against his stern decree
her poor heart bruised itself to frag-
ments, and she was dying of a torture
the like of which was never devised.
He did not realize the end was SO
near, perhaps, for surely he could
never have been content to let that
repentant child's last breath escape
from her pallid lips without blasting
her dying eyes and loading her eseap-
ing soul with its baleful, unforgivlng
weight. He was away; and she lay
alone upon the silken divan, her pale
face resting on the crimson cushions,
and her rich hair lying in heavy mass
es around her, while her lovely eyes
looked through their tears from the
Bosphorous, and lar away to the
mountains in the distance. All alone
she was, and there were none to carry
her last prayer for forgiveness to him
she loved. and with his mama unon