Telegram-herald., 1889-11-02

I @s.s his cOizsIs4E com pzIll9l. and soQA1
slt up with him nighg after nlSht. Qaietly
reading while ne wrote. he used % say
that iE inspired him - have me IN the
Foom wirh him. SO there l used e. slt,
when other giris of my age were III bed
and asleep hours before. v hen l Sss
Is / received uay first blow. Ny father
married again lis second wife was
widow wiki a small property, Out on
fearful temper. / think be married her.
hoping she would retrieve our fallen
fortunes, instead Of which she dragged
us down deeper and more hope
lessly into the mire than We had
ever been before. Poor old Dad be
saw hts mistake too late. and ! think
he fFetted for our old happy DAYS Be
fore long his health began TO fail. and a
cold settling on MS lungs killed him, and
/ was left desolate-so very desolatei
Nv only brother was ranching IN Amer
lea, BAT had bare pittance 10 live
upon, and AZ once left my step-mother
andsought for a situation. | was lucky.
as thought, and became companion 70
an Invalid lady, whose husband was Ia
India We began 20 be sincerely at
tached % one another. and for year
was very happy. Then, one black day,
the husband returned. He was brute.
and treated her badly, but she loved him
deyotedly, and never owned be could do
wrong How can | tell you what next
happenedl tie turned his odious atten-
tiOns towards the humble companion,
and tried 20 make love 10 her almost be-
fore his sick wifes eyes. How | hated
him. and one fine morning / told him
so. He was mean and revengeful, and
made out 20 his wife many wicked lies
about me. She believed him, and would
not listen To anything had 20 say. so l
was dismissed with ignominy. What
was | 70 do then? Fortunately Dick,
my brother, IN the mean time, had
returned from America | went to
him. and ne gave me shelter until
| had found another engagement. This
time was with lady | had known in
the days of my comparative prosperity;
she was kind, but | had many hardships
10 put up with. | remained with her
until | was four-and-twenty. when | be-
came engaged 10 be married TO a man
who was frequent visitor at the house.
He was we'll off, young, and not bad
looking. and thought at the time that
loved him very much. a month before
our wedding day, threw up my 'situa-
ton" and went home Ito my brother's)
10 make preparations and get ready my
small trousseau. Everything was ar
ranged, even TO the minutest detail of
our wedding tour; when, just a week
before the auspicious event was to take
place, my adorer disappeared, leaving
me a polite little note saying that he
feared he should never make me happy,
and that he was on his way to Australia
and, heard Afterwards. in the company
of another lady. After this cheerful ex-
perience, | abjured matrimOny, and felt a
genuine hatred towards the male species.
Well. l struggled on, sometimes with
good luck, more often with bad, and
here / am. having reached the mature
age of nine-and-twenty, with nothing
very brilliant to look back upon and
nothing very joyous to look forward to.
There, have finished my tale of woe.
| Have you been edited"
AS she finished speaking. Anna rose
from the bench. and they began to walk
| quickly towards the cathedral.
Thank you very much for telling
me" said her companion, and added
eagerly, his fair face flushing and his
voice trembling, ''YOu say NAV be your
friend, but | seem TO be SO powerless TO
help you in any way"
Have you not learnt by this time"
said she sadly. that a woman is not al
lowed to have any friends belonging TO
the opposite sex? Imean no real friends
who could ever be of any service to her.
The world does not recognize any such
thing as purely platonic friendship. If
| one OF us happens to take an interest,
however slight, in a man. or is remarked
upon as seeming to enjoy his society, or
/ he ours, the world instantly exclaims,
with its usual disregard Of the charity
| that thinkcth no evil How shockingly
/ Mrs. A. or Miss b. is carrying on with
/ that Mr.. d. This same idiotic world
/ cannot imagine that man and woman,
/ haFir z instincts in common, and fine
sympathy one with the other, may be
most sincere friends without a spark Of
I sentiment. On. no. If they find pleasure
| in one another's society they must be
/ either one or the other, or both, madlv
! in love. II is n mercy TO think that in
/ the next world we are promised that
I there shall be no marriage or giving
/ In marriage. so perhaps we may be
allowed TO enjoy sensible friendships.
I Have | shocked YOU. NJ VanbrutOn?
/ Perhaps ms ideas are not strictly 0rtho-
dox. but blame my bringing up for
I that.
II think 7 agree with you in some re-
| spects. he answered thOughtfully. But
/ think that there Is a certain amount Of
/ danger in these friendships. One Is apt
/ 20 imagine OF try to imagine it still only
1 mere friendship when that little spark Of
/ sentiment has kindled a feeling that is
akin to. If M. precisely. love itself; we
I may hide it u1 and disguise it under its
friendly c.ns to ourselves. but a
/ chance worl or sudden emotion viii
I strip it bare 3 revcal TO us, unfortunate
I y too late. s., haF it really is.
/ No. no, that il quite contrary 20 my
/ doctrine" said Anna half laughingly.
"My two examples Of this friendship
I have no inilammable sentiment She
would sympathize with him most heart
T lily IN his love affairs OF any other affairs,
he would listen with equal interest 10 her
condolences. and so one would have
T quite trust in the other. until the kind
remarks Of this amiable world spoil what
would otherwise have been q firm friend
ship until the end Of the chapter