Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-07-04

who loved her so, who would have cast
the very shadow of grief or suffering
from her path could he have willed it,
looked down on her now with the mute
despair OF broken heart, with the
fearless agony of shaken faith.
"You cannot. Are you then guilty."
"Of deceiving you-yes. OF auGht
else l am innocent
His laugh er rang out fierce and
wild on the stiffness.
"Of deceiving me! Oh, no! That
is no sin, no wrong! Your lover has
taught you 10 reason well.
II have no lover" she moancd. cit
is lie
Whom do you go to meet then,
like thing of infamy, as they have
called you?"
She was silent, while the glow OF
the fre-hames tiickered over her white
changed face, and showed him
the pathetic misery of her imploring
eyes.
You will not say. Well, then. |
believe the worst. The woman who
withholds secret from her husband
would count it a small thing to dis
honor his name, his love, his rights.
Your looks, your words, condemn
you. You have had my love; you
have smiled in my eyes; you have
talked OF lifetime spent in the Joy
that has made this past week n very
paradise; and now you have deceived
and betrayed me-"
IF you think that she cried, with
the sudden anger and Indignation OF
her outraged womanhood, "your love
is little worth. If you can listen to
the tongues of SANDER and believe
such vileness as you have imputed,
you are less worthy of my love than l
OF yours.
The fiery indignant words touched
him with remorse.
"What secret is it then, you with
hold from me?" he pleaded. ooh,
think, is not my love wide enough to
forgive, my trust deep enough to
shelter you from all consequences? Is
it some youthful folly, some girlish
imprudence that has woven this mys-
terry and secrecy about you? Only
tell me, Ninette; you do not know what
q. | suffer-
The agony OF his voice the passion
in his eyes, touched her more deeply
than any reproach. She threw her
self at his feet, the great salt tears
binding her gaze as itsought his face,
and sought in vain for the love and
trust of Old
IL don't know" she moancd, "for
| suffer, too
Then tell me; trust me-"
81 cannot"
Once more these fatal words; once
more that terrible despair which de-
fled all entreaty, and admitted of but
one Interpretation. He laid his hand
upon her shoulder with the grasp Of a
desperate man.
80 kill you were crime; but
heaven knows it were a crime justified
by tie madness and the shame that is
my portion henceforward.
The fire OF jealousy scorched his
heart as wi hot iron. The feroci-
ty of an unlisciplined race, stern OF
creed and rigid of honor, stirred and
, woke beneath this bitter provocation.
The light of certainty showed him but
one belief, to that he chung, though it,
: agony maddened him. Before that
cry of inability, before that silence OF
shame, his doubt grew surer, his faith
, fell as tree whose roots the a: has
severed.
> $50 to him you shield" he cried
, wilyly; Ego and laugh together ovel
the poor fool that once loved yeu
S once, ay, once, but long ago! Tbs
woman that / loved is dead!"
+ Then he release her. and with.
, out another look upon hel
l face he went out from the
( house. ere his strength should fail him
r ere his hands ahould be stained with
| the blood of The fair foul creature he
= had brought to his hearth and home
in the fondness OF a passionate joy, in
the trust of n great love.
She lay where he had left her, in
| the glow of the wavering freight.
fearless sobs shook her, great dread
numbed and froze the blood in her
, veins. The intense agony of those
, first few moments would have made
uICOnoClObSucoS u DlcSScQ rclleI, Dul
: it never came. Each sound, each sight
the ticking of the clock, the stir
of leaf, or the rustic OF branch
against the open casement-all came
; to her with clear and painful distinct
ness. The GOODNESS OF the midsummer
air deepened the gray hues oftwilight,
: then at last she rose and dragged her
) weary frame to that accustomed seat
by the fire, and shivered in the warm,
golden glow as if the GOODNESS of win
ter reigned around.
''He must let me tell, ;" she moaned.
"My oath cannot outlast such wrong
and misery rs This. But how TO reach
him now? Oh heavens, if / should be
watched, tracked, dis overedw
She sat there motionless, her brain
racked with the effort at invention OF
schemes and plans, each in its turn
cast aside as futile. The serving girl
came and cleared away the untasted
meal, and spoke wonderingly to her,