Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-05-16

girls but the respect / feel for you
would be injured il thought you strove
to guide or govern me through others;
and of one thing be sure, Steven, l must
honor and respect and look up to the man
l marry, love or no love.
"Once YOU said it would kill YOU if
you believed could be false to you. If
by that you meant that, having given
my promise TO you TO be your wife at
some future time, l must school myself
to love you, and viii be considered false
if love do not come at my bidding or
yours, I say to you soleInnly, release me
now. l may not love, but cannot and
will not deceive you, even 10y Stimulating
love that does not exist. Suppose that
love were to be kindled in my heart.
Suppose l were to learn TO care for some
one here. You would be the first one to
know il; for / would tell you as soon as
l knew it myself. Then what could l
hope for-or you? Surely you you'd not
want to marry a girl who loved another
man. But is it much better to marry
one who feels that she does not love you?
Think of it, Steven; / am very
lonely, very far from happy, very
wretched over Hates evident trouble,
and al the sorrow l am bringing you
and yours; but have l inisled or deceived
You in any one thing? Once only has a
word been spoken or a scene occurred
that you could perhaps have objected to,
] told YOU the whole thing in my letter
of Sunday last, and why had not told
Kate We have not met since that
4 | ..
but he is a man whose story eXcitcs my
profound pity and sorrow, and he is ono
of the two or three [ feel that l would
like to see more OF. Is this being false
10 you or to my promise? If so, Steven,
YOU cannot say that have not given you
The whole truth.
cit Is very late at night o'clock
and Kate is not yet asleep, and the cap
tain is still down stairs, reading He is
not looking well at all, and Kate is sore
" anxious about him. 1t was his evil
dence that brought years of ostracism
and misery upon Lieut. Haync, and
there are vague indications that in his
own regiment the officers are beginning
to believe that possibly he was not the
guilty man. The cavalry officers, of
course, say nothing to US on the subject,
and | have never heard the full story.
If he has been, as is suggested, the VIC
tim of a scOundrel, and Capt. Rayner
was at fault in his evidence, no punish
mcnt on earth could be too great Tor the
villain who planned his ruin, and no re-
morse could atone for Capt, Rayner's
share. l never saw so sad a face on
mortal man as Mr.. Haynes. Steven
Van Antwerp. | wish l were a man!
would trace that mystery to the bitter
end.
This is a strange letter to send toto
you; but ! am a strange girl. Already /
am more than expecting you to write
and release me Internationally; and you
ought TO do it. do not say want it.
BEAUTIFULLY, at least, yours,
"NELLIE.
"P. S.-Should you write to Kate, YOU
are not to tell her, remember, of my
meeting with Mr.. Hayne, OF course l
am anxious to have your reply to that
letter; but it will be five days yet
An odd letter, indeed, for girl not
yet twenty, and not of a hope inspiring
character: but when it reached Mr.. Van
Antwerp he did not pale in reading it;
his face was ghastly before he began. If
anything, he seemed relieved by some
passages, though rejoiced by none. Then
he took from an inner pocket the letter
that had reached him a few days previ-
Gus, and all alone in his room, late at
night, he read it over again, threw il
upon the table at which be was sitting
then, with passionate abandonment
buried his face in his arms and groaneG
aloud in anguish.
Two days after writing this letter Miss
Travers was 50 unfortunate as to hear {
conversation in the dining room which
was not intended for her ears. She haC
gone to her room Immediately after
breakfast, and glancing from her win
dow saw that the officers were Just go
ing to headquarters for the daily matt
nee. For half or threc-quarters of al
hour. therefore, there could be no proba
bic interruption; and she decided to write
an answer 10 the letter which came from
Mr.. Van Antwerp the previous after
noon. A bright fire was burning in the
old fashioned stove with which frontie
quarters are warmed if not ornamented
and she perched her little, slippered fee
upon the hearth, took her portfolio il
her lap and began. Mrs. Rayner was il
the nursery, absorbed with the baby anc
the nurse when a servant came and an
nounced that "a lady was in the kitchen
aud wanted to speak with the lady o
the house. Mrs. Rayner promptly re
sponded that she was busy and couldn'
be disturbed, and wondered who it coulC
be that came to her kitchen to see her.
"Can l be of service, Kate?" called
Hiss Travers. 81 will run down, if you
Bay So"
Il wish you would" was the reply
and Miss Travers put aside her writing
Didn't she give any name" asked Mrs
Rayner Of the Abigail, who was standin.
with her head just visible at the stair
way, it being one of the unconquerabl
tenets Of frontier domcstics to go no far
ther than is absolutely necessary in con
veying messages Of any kind, and thi
1amsol, though new to the neiShborhood
was native and TO the manner born in al