Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-09-11

hand and smiled upon her with all the
love and tenderness he felt for her BEAM
ing from his face.
At this moment Cora, by new resction
Of her nervous system, commenced weep
ing and sobbing, and this completed her
husbands despair.
Out of respect to this poor deluded
man we shall pass over q scene the in
tererest of which otherwise Is not suffi-
cient to warrant the unpleasant effect it
would produce on all honest people. We
shall equally pass over without record the
conversation which took place the next
day between Cora Elliston and Eugene
Cleveland.
Eugene had experienced, as We have
observed, q sentiment of repulsion at see
ing the name Of Flora Leland appear in
the midst Of this foul intrigue. 1t
amounted almost to horror, and he could
not control the manifestation Of it.
There were several reasons for this. In
the first place, he had some acquaintance
with the young lady. and liked her very
much. He knew her to be girl Of 10, ely
character and sweet disposition; high
minded and refined. But he did not love
her-hsd never thought of loving her.
Had he been at liberty to choose for him
sell--if, indeed, he must marry ag lin-
his choice undoubtedly would have fallen
upon Meta Fielding. But tied as he was
to Cora Elliston, he wanted no wife, and
the idea Of taking one seemed q mockery,
as we'll Rs aterrible injustice to the woman
selected for the position.
But there was another reason-an in
deinable, subtle reason, that he him.
self could not understand. All he knew
hak s,,k he - ia Il,
Lelands-brothero or sister-a feeling came
over him that was akin to death-a SEN
sation fearful to experience and that por-
conscience rose up against him and bat
tied for his soul.
How could he conquer this supreme
revolt of his conscience to the point of
submitting to the expedient which would
make his intrigue safe onep
By what detestable sophistries he
dared persuade himself that he owed ev-
eryth ng to his accomplice--even this
we shall not attempt to explain. To ex-
plain would be to extenuate, and tn we
wish not to do. We shall only say that
he resigned himself to this marriage.
On the path which he had entered Q
man arrests himself as little as he can q
fash Of lightning.
AS to Cora, one must have formed no
conception of this depraved though
naughty spirit, if astonished at her per-
sistence in cold blood, and after retiec-
tion, in the perfdious plot which the i'm
minence of her danger had suggested to
her.
She saw that the suspicious Of her hus-
band might be reawakened another day
in more dangerous manner, il this mar
riage proved only farce.
She passionately loved Eugene; and
she loved scarcely less the dramatic mys-
terry of their Aaision.
She had also felt II frantic terror at the
thought of losing the great fortune which
sac regara cd as her own; for the disin-
terestedness of her early youth had long
since vanishe l, and the idea of sinking
miserably in the social world, where she
had long reigned by her luxury as we'll as
her beauty, was insupportable to her.
Love, mystery, fortune she wished to
preserve them all at any price; and the
more she reflected the more the remar-
riage Of Cleveland appeared to her the
surest safeguard.
1t is true, it would give her sort Of
rival. But she had too high an opinion
of herself to fear anything; and she
preferred Flora Leland to any other, be-
cause she knew her, and regarded her Of
ON inferior in everything.
And did she give no thought TO hel
poor innocent victim in Roxbury? Alas
not one.