The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-24
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY "a, 1885,

! one was utterly SLriCken uOWu, uuI INC
anguish of her heart was too great to tell.
| But even amid her overwhelming misery
| and shame, it seemed impossible to her to
accept the escape offered to her. To marry
Audley She wrung her hands together
and repeated the very words she had said
to him.
~ cannot I cannotP'
But even as she uttered this with her
| white and clammy lips, the door Of the
! room opened, and Frances entered, and Ruth
! started to her feet.
Il thought heard you come in" began
| Frances, $50 | came to tell you Seaforth has
been here. and was niue disappointed not to
see you: we had a long chat, and he really
seems aWfully fond of you, Ruth.
A moan broke from Ruth in reply.
Are you not well2 What is the matterf'
| asked Frances, sharply.
Then. Ruth staggered to the door and
locked it, and haviug done this, turned her
a hite despai ing face to her sister.
GOOD heavens, Ruth, whatever is the
matterF cried Frances.
at is all over" answered Ruth, in the
same hoarse tones with which she had
spoken to Audley; Frances! my poor, poor
sisterIn
And she fell upon her neck and kissed
| her.
what do you meanp
Aud Frances grew pale.
81 went to meet Maj. Audley to-day"
continued Ruth, forcing herself TO speak
"he wrote TO ask me to G )-Frances, he aN
me-last Tuesday night-he followed me
| he saw me clme up from the bay, and he
vent down and-and he found the spade
had left behind and nay name was cut on it
-Kenard had cut it!n
"Welp
| "And he guessed 1 had hidden some
thing" went on Ruth, with gasping breath;
.gl.., 81 ha bod
the spade-and-he knows everything
Frances, there is nothing left for us except
| to diel'
That is folly" said Frances, but her
very lips had turned white. HE may not
| tell"
He offered not to tell, +" answered Ruth
sitting down on the bed and swinging her
elf to and fro in her great despair, 'if |
would give up Kenard and marry him; but
| | cannotn
"You must!" said Frances. in a low,
| fierce tone, and she grasped her sisters
| quiveriug arm; "what is giving up a young
man TO thisl Ruth, are you mad"
Il would Their die"
But YOU Will not die; YOU will bring dis
| grace and shame on us both for le sake Of
| Seaforth, who will throw you over if tlis
were known, for he would do this were
we're known, for he would do this, Rut
| can swear"
IL could give up Kenard." said Ruth,
in a low broken voice, Though he is more
10 me than life-l should not, IL know, have
| promised to marry him, but | loved uim so
we'll l could not bear to think that we
| should part-but marry the other is more
| chan l caH do"
"What follyln cried Frances, impatiently.
| DO you think | like to marry Col. Ken
yol. a man Old enough to be my fatheri Do
sou think love him better than you love
| Audley. Not bit, | can tell you. But
| because | know it is well that | should
| marry, ecause we are miserablY poor, and
and because he can give us what we want.
am ready to sacrifice myself. And ye
| Tou hesitate in a matter That is absolutet
life and death to u.s. for | shall kill myself if
| this is known
Ruth made no answer; she clasped be
hands over her face; there was black despair
| il her ul.
so show some thought for me, Ruth, 5"
plead ID Frances, pas'ionately, fiji gng her.
self do Nn. aud claspug her sisters knees
"yJu, who know all-all my bitter, bitter
grief aqd shame! Think for a momsnt
what l have gone through, ID you, wa
IAN save me-ycH VINO 'rete ID TO love me
refuse to stretch out your handW'
~ would do lything-but this. "
''But this is the one thing you can do. A
selfish man wants to marry you-and they
| are all selfish-and he says if You will
marry him, ne will keep this secret, and TO-
ais own sake no doubt he would keen H.,
and yet YOU hesitate! How can yons How
| can your
But think Frances, what this man mus
| be- said Ruth, after a moments pause
bargain Who would trade on our misery
| take advantage of helpless grip
| He is only selfish; he is jealous of Ke J.
4 ard Seaforth, aud so he forces you to give
| i'm up-hundreds Of meI would do the
| same.n
| ~ pray God not"
"B1t they would, indeed Oh, Ruth, To-:
| my sake bind this man to US. Make his
interests ours. aud you can only do this by
marrying him"
| "And Col Kenyonr'
at will bs all riglt with Col Kenyon
When d Audley require an answerp
''He said tonight"
"Then he must have one tonight, Ruth
You do not want to make me kill myself,
| do youg
''Oh, no, MOI"
And r th shuddered.
"Bu5 I swear l will il this is eve"
! breaUned to mortal ears | would die be
| fore | would be a uted a I'd sneered at by
] everyone in Headfort; and another thing,
| Ruth, we might both be arrested. Do
| you think Seaforth would marry you
| then!n
II Will give him up; will bring NJ
shame to himl" cried Ruth, In bitter
| agony.
"Well, dear, then why not marry Audleyl
! On! promise me to d. this, RIth-you, my
| little sister"
Frances put her arms round Ruth's slight
| form as she said this, and TO d. kissed her.
For my sake" she said again, aid agsi
kissed her. and Ruth, like one VIII is about
TO die, after a while raised her head and
looke1 at ner sister with eyes from which
all hope was gone.
For YOUR sake | will do it,n she said.
hoarsely; but pray God that | may die
But Frances, having wrulg MS p omi Sc
from her, insisted at once on its fulhllment.
She brought paper to Rut a I'd she mad
her write few lines to Maj. Audley, to to
him sne would be his wife, or rather that
she accepted his conditions.
81 agree to do what you wish me to do.
wrote Ruth, with shaking fingers, "if what
passed between US to-day Ia kept forever
secret. | will write to K. S., aud tell him
/ cannot be his wife, and ask him to go away
for a WHILE and until he is gone 1 ASK you to
say nothing of our agreement. d. not ask
also to see no for day or two, for all this
has been a great shock to me.
ruth FORTH"
And as soon as these broken he irtei
words were written, Frances at once sent
them down to the fort. And when t1ey
arrived there, the hard, cynical man to