The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-06

lAi@4s OAas N 2tsQ laeI Dy y CAso5 u itsA
wrist. "a secopd, / beg. Irecall the
avowal l do ndt wish to violate usage
or propriesy--I Twill ask your fathers
consen to WOO you. He is here, and
win speak to hinS frankly
Mrs. Armytag@ perceived the error into
which Oliver had been led as to Col.
Armytage's relationship to her. She said
entreatingly: ,sNo, no-dont speak to
hinlr
'Why nots My love is honorable"
Mine is not.
This was her hasty thought, uttered
before she had considered how much OF
confession it conveyed.
~Then you do love mel" said Oliver,
catching only at one phase Of her mean
ing.
He would have cIasped her, but she
drew back, saying: Hush, He is com
ing. In heavens name, Oliver, do not
say anything to him. viii tell you why
some time. ! have written a message
to you. 1t is behind the mirror in my
room. Look fer it after am gone
He seized her hand, and was about TO
kiss it, when Col. Army tage and the rest
came out of the house. He stepped back
into shadow, from which. unseen, he
heard them bid adieu to his sister and
saw them ride away.
Drive fast, said Col. Armytage TO
the negro who held the reins. He added
to the women. "This neighborhood is
not over safe for Us.
.sIt is full of peril, said Mrs. Armytage
The Journey Of ten miles to Springfield
was made in the early evening, and it
conveyed Col. Armvtage and the two
ladies direct to the house where he had
for a week been Professionally quartered.
The town was a hubbub of military oc-
cupation. Gen. Lyon meant to advance
upon the Confederates next day, and the
preparations were confused, for IN those
early days Of the war the operations had
little of the precision and orderliness
subsequently achieved. Col. Armytage's
absence, though brief, had left his duties
to accumulate, and be had no time to
devote to his regained wife.
Frivolous Mrs. Dinmock, interested by
the hurly-burly, had no thought of the
farm house that she had so recently
quilted; but Mrs. Arnytage wandered
away into the garden. She sat on q
bench, leaned against the tree that made
a back for ii, and turned her face toward
thebrightmoon, which had risen just high
enough to shine over the wall that lined
the garden on that side. Externally she
was the placid, cool, young beauty. In
her mind, SO well hidden by her char
aeteristic self control, was being formed,
and not without struggle, firm reso-
luton to think no more of Oliver Willett.
A noise at the wall startled her. and
Oliver leaped over. He stood before
her, took off his hat, and bowed low.
His entrance to the garden had been
rapid and resolute; but now he was
hesitant, as though little eonfoanded
by his situation Mrs. Armytage rose,
and looked at him with wonder in her
lustrous eyes, as she said:
What brings you here?v
t'You," he answered.
You are reckless.
"a lover knows no fear"
''But he should not let his own fear
lessness be the destruction of the woman
he loves.''
What do you mean?'
'Did you get the message that left
for your
Eyes; and came with it to its author"
They had spoken so rapidly that their
dialogue thus far had been as incensider-
ate as it was exciting to them; vet she
maintained by far the most composure,
and when he would have grasped her
hands she stepped back with show of
displeasure.
"My letter told you,' she said, ''that
you must never see me again-that there
was a sufficient reason why we must not
meet"
SIT told me, too, /" he said, rncooled
by her repellent manner, "what your
lips had refused to tell. had begun to
believe that yon were heartless, and the
sudden knowledge of the truth-that
you loved me-was like stinulant to an
invalid--potent to make the blood tin
gle, the heart bound and the brain whirl
What could do but come to you2p
Forget it if l wrote anything to en-
courage your madness. was thought
less-I scrawled hurriedly to escape OBJ
servation. Remember only that / said
we must not even think of each other"
81 know the letter word for word"
He took from a pocket a crumpled
sheet of paper that looked like page
torn from diary; but he scarcely glanced
at it as he recited what was penciIed on it.
st says: The past two weeks were to
me like brief existence in another life
than my own. had never loved any
man. My situation forbade me to enter
tain such a sentiment, except for one who
was powerless to excite it. You made
me love YOU" He held the writing before
her, and added triumphantly, they are
your words"
'Blot them out and read the rest.
She stood with folded arms as passive
as statue. He read, aided by his recol-
lection and the bright light of the moon:
81 am free to confess it because also
tell you that l must abjuge the passion
that makes me irresolute, while write
out my own sentence. I cannot bear tc
explain to you the reason why we must
be strangers, hnt it is absolute, irresiti
bic, finaln
'Why do you come here after thaty
she said, still celn.