Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-06-20
.ly concealed Gill the danger

.'Have l not promisedP'
'Hc would give me up remorse.
| lessly, remember that. Nv blood will
be on your head; aud, Ninette, you
! loved me once
"Do no: fear me-" the young, sad
voice half walled, half sighed. "And
now farewell"
He crept into the boat-house silent
ly. while, sick at heart and crushed
+, with dark foreboding of coming evil,
the girl few back through the quiet
starlight to her husband home.
She was barely in time even then.
| The villagers who escorted him thith-
er were noisily chorusing their songs
and welcome at the gate. but never
noticed the fitting figure that glided
into the dark old porch, and stood
white and trembling on the threshold
of her home once more. "God help
me-" she sobbed in her terror and her
anguish. 'What can | do? If / am
discovered we are both lost. On my
head his blood would lie-so he said.
| Oh heavens! and the tie between Us is
one that he will never forego-that |
can never forget. Oh Pierre, if you
knew the secret that hold, you would
spurn me from your home, your heart,
forever"
The sound of a coming football
! reached her ears; the patter of the
leaves rustling to the ground. the cry
of night owl seeking its prey, and
sounded doubly loud, doubly terrify-
ing, to her strained and shaken senses.
She turned TO the glass and laid aside
her handkerchief and cap, and raised
up her arms to loosten the ripping
masses of her glorious hair. Her
palor frightened herself.
'He will surely notice it," she said,
as her shaking hands busted themselves
in brushing out the golden clouds that
yelled her whole slight form. Sud
denly thought flashed across her.
She let her hair fall from her hands,
and hurried to the chest in the corner
Of the room, which contained her
clotf es and the few possession that
had been that day transported from
her old home.
Hastily tossing away garment after
garment, she came AT last to a small
box, which she opened with trembling
hands; she took tiny vial containing
some colorless liquid from this recep-
tac.e, and poured some OF its contents
into drinking cup that stood on the
old press. Then, from "A jug OF
water near at hand she filled
the cup three parts full, and placed it
on her table. ITO deceive him al
H. - ~ l..
and wicked l ami
As the thought was in her heart, her
husband entered the room. The sight
of that lovely little aoparition, with
the ripping hair ard bare white arms
dazzled him, and held him spell
bound.
"Ninctte," he murmured passion
ately, "oh, say, do dream? 1t it in
deed you? Are you my own, my very
own at lastP'
The blood rushed over her face,
changing its pallor and fear to the
glowing loveiness of old. "Surely,
yes, she said, so tly, and stole TO his
side with the shy, timid grace of a
child, and wounl her arms around
his neck, and laid her head upon his
breast, while his kis ,cs fell in showers
upon her loosened hair and upturAed
face. And all the time in her heart
she way saying: "Oh, if he knew-if
he knew
He knew nothing, cared for nothing,
saw or heard nothing, now save that
she was there in his arms, while the
heavy thIo5s of his heart beat audibly
on the stiffness, and her beauty
CLEANED in the dusky light of the.
quaint old chamber with a seductive
force that held him like "A spell. She
drew herself away at last.
Pierre" she said laughing and
blushing. Il am so thirsty? Could
you bring me little wine? There is
water here and Il cup
In an instant he hurried away, re-
turning almost Immediately with what
she desi. ed. She took the bottle from
his hand, and poured some of its con-
ten into the cup on the table; the n
put it 10 her lips, and seemed 20 drink
n long draught.
Now, / will pour some out for
YOU she said, and raised the bottle
again, and handed the replenished cup
to him, and smiled on him while he
drank it with smile that intoxicated
him more than the most potent
draGght could have done. He put
down the cup-it was empty. A few
minutes after, the words on his lips,
the smile in his eyes, all changed to
utter sturor. He stretched his arms
out feebly. grouping as blind man
: might. The girl seized him, and
guided him gen ly. He threw himself
! down, and with heavy sigh sank into
u sleep so deep, profound, and breath
less, that it looked almost like uncon-
! seriousness.
Ninette bent over him in terror
How quickly it took effect" she
;; said. "For three hours now l am
safe. His mother does not return; the
servants sleep away from the house;
there is no one to hear or see. Oh,
heaven give me courage for the task
1 before mel We're | indeed guilty.