St. Paul daily globe., 1891-09-13

after years of hard work, he might
scrape together another competence,
he must not ask her to wait upon
such an uncertainty. AT his feet lay
sure and speedy cure for all the ills
OF life. Why not take it? So he
unused, his mind becoming darker and
temptation stronger. There seemed no
way out but this, he said to himself. He
was too tired and heartsick to begin
eqerything again from the bottom. Au-
tomatically he took off his hat and drop
ped 1t on the bank beside him. He be-
gan III the same absorbed way to unbut-
ton the light Oyercoat he was wearing.
Then he slipped it from his shoulders,
and threw iton the ground. He was out of
sight of the house. Silence brooded
over the scene. Overhead a dull, gray
SKY; below, the dull, gray water; within
his soul, darkness; at his feet. oblivion.
So he stood, bareheaded, his hands
clasped in front of him, his gaze turned
inward, seeing, hearing nothing, almost
ready for the final act of the tragedy.
A voice and light touch OH his
shoulder recalled him suddenly to him
self.
"Joe,'' said the voice, gently, "what
are you doing here?"
He turned, trembling, shivering un-
der the soft weight of girls little
hand.
Grace" he stammered, answering,
III his confusion. her question with an
other. "What brought you out here?''
She looked at him tenderly and slipped
her hand under his arm.
Put on your hat ami coat. Joe, and
come away. You will catch cold stand
Ing so long by the water"
by this time he had partly recovered
his cOmposure. and the sense of what
he had brought upon that loving
creature smote him bitterly.
''Oh, Grace.D he cried. MY darling
girl HOw could face you after the
ruin have plunged you Into?"
upon this apoStrophe Grace opened
her lovely eyes wide with the most in
nocent air of perpleXity, and cried:
Joe, what in the world do you mean?
Have complained OF anything? Did |
tell you that had lost anything? Did
you not invest my money in that beau
tltul mine, and has not the delightful
stock been going up aud up like soar
Ing balloon ever slnceH'
joe groaned. He could not help it.
This was really worse than tine worst
he had anticipated. The poor girl did
not even know the calamity that he had
thrust upon her. Here she was. repos-
ing absolute confidence in the security
not do justice to the appalling irony of
the situation. He was. in a measure,
prepared for tears and lamentations.
but this total misapprehenslOn.
this dreadful ignorance of what
had happened, almost stunned
him. And yet, it suddenly occurred to
him, how was it possible that Grace
should really be ignorant Of that which
was being talked about from one end of
Virginia City to the other? The as
sumption was too incredible. Never
thelesS-and he looked at her again to
make sare-it was evident that she was
untroubied; that even if she knew the
worst, it had not disturbed her serenity.
But how could that be?
While these thoughts were passing
through his mind Grace was watching
his face, and it occurred to him, at last,
that a certain air of subdued mischief
was lurking in her eyes. He caught at
the suspicion eagerly.
Grace" he SAID, ''yOu are making
fun of me. You know all that has hap
pened. 1t is impossible that you should
not have learned 1t; and yet you are
free from care. Tell me, dearest, what
does this mean?''
Then Grace threw back her head and
laughed. and though Joe had not the
remOtest idea of what caused this
laughter, somehow it had the effect
upon him of sunshine; and without ar
gument in evidence, life really seemed
worth living once more.
The fact is, joe" she said. when her
laugh was ended-and she came close
to him. and stood in front of him, and
took hold of the top button of his cuta-
way coat, as she spoke-'the fact is,
Joe, that it is you who have things to
learn, not l. Why, | am not troubled,
dear and why you must be no longer
troubled is, that l sold out all my Sierra
Nevada at $50, and that L have the
money in the bank, and very much at
your service. my dear"
What Joe said to this is not neces sary
to add; only it may be added that he
did not drown himself III the reservoir,
and that two weeks thereafter quiet,
but merry, wedding was celebrated at
Virginia City, the name OF the bride be-
ing Grace Eusor.