The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-03-30

III do not ask your answer now he said,
Rravely. "God forbid Perhaps should
not have spoken SO soon You know COM
paratively nothing Of me save that have
been in business and met with heavy losses
But let me say this Tomorrow go back
to the world Six months hence will ask
enough. Shall it be sol"
There was silence In the room for O mo-
ment Ethring fancied he could hear the
quickened beating Of tho young girls heart
O. she stood mOtionleSs before him in the
half darkness
st shall be a. you wish, she said And
softly withdrawing her hands from his clasp
she glided away.
Lii was not one to wear her heart upon
her sleeve She took up her burden OF duty
a. Of yore, but ~ the days went by after
Ethring had gone, Lii was vaguely con-
sci0us that something was missing out of
her life Yet at the same time 1t was a.
though life itself was taking on new bright
ness and beauty As she sat at the old piano
in the twilight, sometimes her lips would
shape into the tender smile which is the re-
flex of happy thoughtA And then from the
white keys came improvisations OF wonder
full sweetness and beauty.
Before leaving her Ethring had spoken
briefly Of Rose. the original of the photo
graph she had seen His deceased father
had been anxious that Ethring should
marry her to unite the two estates and
drawn from him half promise that he would
stink of it" But the more he thought
of 1t, the more distasteful the idea. To Rose
herself it did not seem to matter much
either way. A rich marriage was the desire
of her heart-lOve quite q secondary con-
sideration
Il am entirely alone in the world now,
with no one to please but myself l have
written Miss Anstrath to consider herself
free to marry the man Of her choice" he
said. That was all
April and May with bud and promise
gave way to their sister months of blossoms
and fulfillment One more month aud-her
letter would come?
1t was Mrs Merrick, the rector's wife,
who handed her the New York paper con-
tanning q rather extended notice Of the
marriage of Robert T. Ethring. the young
millionaire broker, whose successful recOup
from his tremendous losses last winter will
be remembered. to Mira Rose Anstrath, tho
charming society belle.
$50 strange he shouldn't have sent you
cards, dear" she said, innOcently. And Lii,
who had summoned all her pride and cour-
age, very quietly replied that it was per
haps an oversight And having completed
her neighborly call, went home
When Lii got to her room and had locked
herself in SHE did not cry or faint She
came from different stock. LII only threw
of her hat and fell on her knees by the
bedside, burying her white face in heI
hands The agonizing cry which went uE
to Heaven was only ineligible to Him
whose ear is always open.
A little paler-a little more quiet, Lii
went about the ry-day, common place
paths of life which must be taken up
whether the heart carry its direct ache per-
petually with it or not For the blow she
had received served first to show the
strength and depth of love now remain
ing only to be crushed out
One pang was still to be added Six
months from the time of Ethring's depart
ure came aletter-containing the delayed
cards. as Lillian knew by the size, shape
and feeling of this missive. This she at
once reinclosed to the printed address on
the corner of the envelope, adding merely
these words:
sIreturn your letter and contents with
out opening. ANY 1uIIuef COmmunlCaGOn
of whatever nature from you, Mr. Erhring,
will meet with q like return
LILLIAN SrANFoRTH
Now, on the evening when Ethring had
declared his love. Jack, who had entered
the room unobserved, heard . goodly share
of what was going on, before he had pres
ence Of mind enough to beat noiseless re-
treat.
He was an honorable. manly boy, and
kept his knowledge to himself That Eth
ring had written Lii at the expiration Of
the appointed time filed his heart with
exultation But when he knew she had re-
turned the letter unopened, Jack felt that
something was wrong.
What. he had no conception until late in
the following winter. Bobby Merrick hap
pened in conversation to speak of Mr..
Ethring's marriage And being nasty sort
of boy, alluded in a haunting sort Of way to
the fact that folks said Lii Stanforth was
bre kim her heart over it"
am happy to say that Jack administered
a';.rashing then and there to young Merrick
" .ich he remembered for many day. And