The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-11-15
VOL. XII. RISING SUM- CECIL COUNTY, MD. FRIDAY NOV

this chaos, ne was In danger of going
insane; so he shut his teeth hard to-
gether and gradually collected his
thoughts.
1t was bitter awakening for him; yes,
more bitter than death.
She in whom his whole being was
wrapped up, and against whom he would
never have believed the slightest whisper
OF reproach-this girl had accused him of
the most terrible crimes in the calendar,
and in manner that told all too plainly
that she had allowed her mind to dwell
upon and believe them, instead of coming
to him with the story in the beginning.
"And that is woman's love-" he said to
himself, bitterly; 'the love that poets
rave about; the love that will endure all
things? Out upon it for something un-
real something that does not exist. AS
for me, give me the love of a good man,
as strong and steadfast as rock, and as
lasting as the hills. He must be daring
indeed, who would venture to impeach
the honor or integrity of the woman
whom he loves. Compare her love and
mine. At the bare mention of suspicious.
which I could have strangled with the
greatest ease, had she but come to me
frankly with them, this girl finds her soul
filled with horror; love dies from her
heart leaving it graveyard, and to my
face she tells me that she has found me
out; that | am a wretch who has i'm
prisoned his wife in mad-house, and no
longer worthy of her love.
GLOW is it with me? I am not In fit
state to analyze my heart, but this much
1 know, and perhaps it will be to my sor
row also. In spite of this treatment from
her hands, the treatment OF dog, than
which 1 surely deserved better by reason
of the service have done her, if nothing
else-in spite of the humiliation she has
brought upon me, torturing my soul-in
spite Of everything that has occurred, oh,
my God, pity me, for I love her yeti
love her yet"
Something seemed to force this con-
fession from his lips, power which he
could neither control nor analyze, and as
the words 81 love her yet burst from
him he covered his face with his hands,
while his whole frame shook with the i'll
tensity of his emotion.
The love of this man was something
for the common herd to emulate. In his
heart the great powers, pride and love,
battled with force sufficient to wreck a
common nature, but with him the battle
was long and almost without any definite
result, although pride to a certain degree
had trampled on and throttled love.
After time he became calm, so calm,
H., hot tn hn N nd
worn himself out, and that this new state
of affairs was but the natural reaction of
the tempest that had well nigh over
whelmed him but short time before.
1t was while he was in this mood that
he suddenly started, and then became
as immovable as the tree against which
he had been leaning, his eyes fastened
upon the figure of a man.
This was Capt. Grant.
He was coming from the direction of
the spot where Roger had left Carol
his face that made a cold chill run
through the others frame to look upon.
What did it mean?
Had he been more successful with his
wooing this time?
Roger gritted his teeth with anger, and
yet remained motionless. Much cause as
he had to hate Capt. Grant, if he was TO
be Carols accepted lover, he would not
lay hand on him for the world.
So he stood there like rock.
Had the soldier but turned his head
he could not have failed to see him stand
ing there, with that look of pain upon his
face, but he was evidently too much en-
crossed in his thoughts, and gave no heed
to surrounding objects.
When Capt. Grant was in front of him,
and not over twenty feet away, Roger
gave sudden start, as though an arrow
had pierced his heart, a strange look
flashed over his face, and his eyes were
fixed upon the soldier with a new inter-
est.
He had noticed a striking popularity
in the walk of the other, a strange little
limp which might not attract the alton
ton of one in a hundred. and which or
most occasions the Captain managed to
conceal.
At the present time, however, his
thoughts being far from the subject in
hand, he unconsciously allowed himself
to fall into the old habit, and this be-
trayed him.
Roger had only come face to face with
tie Captain on one or two occasions, and
then he had been heated by anger and
indignation, so that he failed to ro 'ognize
anything familiar in the cool glcam of
the soldiers eyes, or the malicious look
that shot from them.
Had he been in his right mind, he
would have had his suspicious excited at
the start, which would have resulted in
unmasking the scheming villain, but
Providence, which had allowed things to
go on from bad to worse, had now decided
to draw in the net, let who would be
caupht in the mcShcS