Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-10-11


with her four children, and you look as
young and girlish as they. We have so
much to tell you tomorrow. You are
lust in time for another wedding, too
how singular But I'll go and arrange
your room for you must be tired out.
Sidney shall entertain you while | am
gone"
another wedding" Mrs. Leighton
said slowly. "And you came for that
purpose, [ suppose Shall you be
roomsman again?'
''Not this time was my answer,
''That old time" she went on, mus
1gly, her ewes in the dropping fashion
of other days, their long lashes shading
old time / think there have never
been such perfect days since-do You
remember them ?"
''Too WE'LL"
How the blood surged around my
heart. Why could | not be calm?
"Not too well; we can never remem-
Der happiness too wildly"
''But when one buries a past one does
not care to recall it. To me it is dead
forever"
~ do not WONDER" she answered
slowly.
Then, after long pause she resumed
in a faint, uncertain voice, as If it cost
her much effort:
~ came here to tell you Of a mistake,
or, if YOU will, crime, and sitting by this
fire, so like to many past nights, | think
it will be more easily told now than to-
morrow. It had the sanction of one
who rests in his grave quietly, peace
fully. My duties to him were all per-
formed in the fear of God, and with his
dying breath he said it would be right
if-and whatever the end may be [
shall feel better content"
Her voice almost failed her then; it's
choking sound woke my pity, but, as [
essayed to speak, she interrupted me
with:
''Not now; when have finished you
shall say what you like. If it is best for
us to part, remember [ shall not con-
denim you; but | cannot suffer you to
pride once; since then my heart has
been sore and humble enough"
| knew now what she was going to
say. She had come to offer me her
love-perhaps it had been mine when
she chose a Weather sutton. [ ought
to have spared her the revelation, but
the latter rushed back to my mind
the agony, the despair [ had suffered;
the pure, truthful love she had cast
away for gold. Now | would meet her
requirements as to position and income
full of bitterness and price. | deter
mined to let her 60 on, and take my
triumph. 1t was cruel-it was unmanly.
think some demon possessed me.
THAT loved you twelve years ago."
she went on, pausing between the SEN
fences, ''even you cannot doubt. l
think I never told deliberate false
hood in my life, and one reason why [
trusted you SO implicitly was because [
felt SO confident of my own truth and
constancy. [ lived ages in those brief
weeks. / have never known such Joy
since, and thatlas morning, when only
three years stood between me and per-
feet happiness, in fancy l bridged it
over, and said [ was just as much your
wife as if the priest Of God had united
us.
II ought to have told you that No
vember about my aunt's brother, who
had loved me for years-the man aft
erwards married. / thought it of so lit
of his fondness for me so often that it
did not alarm me. 1t began to be whis-
pered that he was my accepted lover.
More than once | thought of writing to
you, lest you should hear the rumor;
but [ felt SO certain you would seek me
during your vacation, and | could talk
the matter over with much better
grace.
zone day I received a letter from
you. [ did not know your handwriting,
and I might have thought it forgery
but for incidents it mentioned"
GA letter?'
The tidings stunned me.
l forgot that I was to be married on
the morrow; with one step [ was beside
her, crying out, with strange anguish:
''Irene-Irene, there has been some
I, too, had a letter-one that crushed
me with it's tidlngs. Did you write it :?
But | need not ask. God help us
bothn'
eyes, there was treachery. Don't
doubt me now when | say the bitterest
trial of my life was giving you up
learning to believe you unworthy. This
missive began with reference to your
promise of seeing me during that sum
mer; then it went over the past and
blamed me, where [ could least bear
blame, for encouraging boyish fancy
on your part, and you offered this as an
excuse for what seemed like fickleness
on your part. | think [ might have for
given this, loved you so entirely; but
the rest-you had met a young lady,
daughter of a solicitor, wealthy and
talented; she was willing to marry you
immediately, and her father would be
of the utmost assistance to YOU in your
career. In fact, you had determined on
your course and hoped / should see the
childlshness of the little episode that