The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-09-18

one of the least agreeable you could Sc
lect. Discussion Of it is indicate and
breach of confidence on my part-and
altogether useless on yours"
Yet she was especially gentle and af-
the day. On bidding her goodnight"
she embraced her fervently.
II love you dearly; better this min
ute than ever before, If was SO savage
this morning." she said, with shining
eyes. to MARGINS champion.
Upstairs she read s'Locksley Hall"
through to Hester. who was sleepless
until twelve o'clock. Not until the
clock had struck the half-hour after
midnight was IIetty free to take from
her pocket and look at letter the
afternoon mail had brought. The super
scription was in hand she had seen in
notes to Hester and upon the fly-lcaves
of books, and it was still sealed. She
sat looking at it, as it lay within the
open palm Of lax hand for a good Tor
bad) quarter Of an hour.
Hester's regnrgitate breathing-worse
tonight than usual-was the only sound
in the chamber. Now and then she
raised her hands strugglingly, as II
dreaming, but she slept on.
To open that letter and take the con-
tents into her empty heart would be to
the lonely orphan Heaven on earth. 1t
was long. for the envelope held several
sheets. 1t was eloquent. for she had
heard him talk upon the theme set forth
in every line. She had will-force SUI.
ficient to conceal from the sister, whose
heart would be broken by the truth, her
reasons for refusing to link hers with
the unsmirched name of the man she
loved. She was not strong enough tc
put her finger under the flap of that
envelope and read single line, and
r persist in doing right. Perhaps,
spite of the repulse Of the morning,
ke had again called her ''darling!'
She burst not risk the seeing. She
had strength given her to keep the reso-
luton, but she did no more that night
The answer must wait until morning.
The letter was hidden under her pillow,
| and her hand touched it while she
| slept and while she lay awake. In the
still, purple dawn, she arose quietly,
not to disturb Hester. dressed herself
| and knelt for brief prayer. such as the
busiest member of the household had
time to offer. While she prayed she
held the unopened letter to her heart.
Arising, she kissed it, lingeringly.
'GoD. bless my love" she whispered.
With steady fingers she wrote upon
the reverse Of the envelope: II can
| a. al Asa11 M oay ~ !,
slipped it into larger cover, ad-
dressed it and, before the family was
astir, sent Homer with it to tho nearest
letter-box.
She had acted bravely. and, she be-
lieyed, decisively, but she had Numbered
| withal. An unopened letter, unaccom-
panied by word Of extenuation of the
| fagrant discourtesy, might damp the
ardor of the most adoring lover Yet
March's eyes were lit by ray Of affec-
tionate amusement in receiving back
this, tho first love-letter he had ever
| penned. He kissed the one-line sen.
tenco; before putting the envelope away.
perhaps she is afraid of herselfr'
May had suggested, sagely, apropos to
lIetty's avoidance of his visits.
The bright-natured suitors conclusion
after reading what was meant as a
quietus to his addresses, was not dissim-
liar. If the ease were hopeless she
would have written nothing. Never
theless, he bowed to the laconic "Do
not write again" lie did more than she
had commanded. Without attempting
to see Hetty again, he escorted his sis.
ter in the second week of July to Long
Branch, and stayed there fortnight,
then went with her to Mt. Desert for
ten days more.
] The malign influence of dog-day
drought was upon Fairhill when the
pair returned. The streets were deep
in dust; the sun, red and rayless ball,
had rolled from east to west, and taken
his own time in doing it, and was stain.
ing to a dingy crimson horizon vapors
that looked as dry as the dust, as brother
and sister paused upon the piazza for q
look over the familiar landscape.
! To BE CONTINUED.