The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-22

claspiHS tAe w lilo MOUSE IN my arms,
and blackening my soul with the per-
jury that adorel her-that never had
loved but her!
Thank heavena it was only for a Sec
ond, when the unnatural, the frightful
want CT modesty stood naked in nv
sight. Much as had despised the girl
before, I actually loathed her now. But
to tell her sc? There was the rub. T
appeal to any young lawyer who has
had an heiress make love to him at mid
night if it isn't little awkward to re-
fuse her?
s'Miss Belton," said at last, looking
into the fire, II make every allowance
for your trials-for your unusual excite
ment that has driven you to say things to
me you may wish unsaid tomorrow
''To-morrow I shall glory in them
even more than now!''
''Io-morrow you may regret" I con-
tinued, needless of the interruption,
shat you said them to me-"
"You are the sole man on earth to
whom I would ever dream of speaking
SOL" she broke in hastily; s'to no one else
could be SO immodest as to-to''-
Here she melted into a perfect cataract
Of tears. don't like tears. They wash
all the manhood out Of me; they dissolve
me as if were beet root sugar. I began
at once to regret the accident that had
made the young woman care for me;
and, to try and be little more gentle,
l put myself through strict cross-ex-
animation as to whether had ever given
her any cause to believe [ cared for her.
any encouragement, any reason. But q
hastily impaneled jury of conscience.
habit and memory acquitted me mem.
con.
Then, panoplied in the triple conscious
ness OF right, | turned once more upon
the young woman before me-
"Miss Belton," I said, with an arctic
frigidity in my tone, ssyou will permit
me to say that am astonished and''-
"Astonished! Your
The invariable recurrence of that pro-
noun and the dreadful emphasis upon it
We're beginning to wear my patience out.
l continued rather hastily;
"Astonished, surely; and I may say
panied at the-a-the confession of what
| cannot but consider a passing-a-
caprice"
The White Mouse flashed round at me.
She seemed to expand and dilate in the
Pickering light, and her lips were COM
pressed till they seemed very white in the
reflection.
MAY remind you such suspicion is
injurious to my modesty?' she said, cold
ly; "but know in my heart 1 will prove
to you by my whole future that my love
is part Of my being-wil end only with
my life!''
Did ever a modest man meet such per-
sistence? Icould not strike that girl and
crush her where she stood. Oh how
longed for a man in her place! for had
he been the Benicia Boy should have
pounded him then and there Morally
certain that the white haired young crea-
ture was dying of love for me, half per-
suaded that she was going to marry me
then and there by force, what could
say? l stared blanl1ly at her, while a
smile Of wonderful sweetness stole round
her lips, as she murmured, half to herself:
''Let the world say what it will; love
like mine puriies all. We will be very,
very happy"
Tender of heart, began to pity the
young woman. Laboring under terri
bic hallucination about the future as she
was, there was still something almost
sublime in the faith she held in the power
Of her love. Its spell began to work on
me. Rapidly I ran over my chances for
the future if I fell into her views. al
most began to waver, though half uncon-
ciously, as I said:
''You would be sacrificing everything.
Mr.. Goldwin's fortune is immense,
and;-
"Goldwin's fortune! Ihad rather love
another with the coat upon his back un-
paid for than that creature in an emper-
or's robes"
By Venus! she seemed in earnest.
There was thatin her eye could not dis
believe. But how in the world did she
know that my coat was not paid for?
That it was q fact did not make it sub
ject to dwell on; and then it was so deuc-
edly unsentimental! Still the girls sim
CERTIFY and evident truth so touched me
that it was very 1neekly returned to the
charge, and then only set up objections
for her to knock down.
But in throwing over Goodwin"
said, more gently, you do not reflect
how you risk your own fortune"-
MY own fortune! Oh, you have never
loved as l do, or you would see that
could not weigh one grain of sand My
fortune! Can you think me selfish, base
enough, to set that trash for one mo-
ment against one single look, one single
word, of love?'
Now that was no doubt very noble,
very heroic, but then it was also decid-
edly indiscreet. 1t might have done on
the stage, but hardly here. had not o
dollar, as she well knew; and yet this
inscrutable young female could not
only make love to me off hand but could
talk of her fortune whistled down the
wind as if it We're not ten cents in
stamps.
But there is no danger of that" she
added, carelessly, ''for my aunt could
not be angry with me week. She
would forget her disappointment-we
should both be equally dear to her."
Here was balm in Gilead; for the an
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