Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1891-07-31

ends everything between MS"
"Why, what can You mean?" lie cx-
claimed in amazement "Surcly, Flo
ra-"
81 feel humilatcd enough by what
.ou have subjected me to, without
going into matter that you thorough
ly understand. Enough 10 say that
have found you out. aud that never,
never again can have any confidence
in You. You may return my letters ut
your earliest convenience. Good night,
and-and good-by."
She extended her hand, or rather
placed il in his, and scarcely knowing
what he did, he pressed it in farewell,
and an instant later she had passed
into the door, and he was going down
The wide, broad steps with a strange
light in his eyes, and pallor creep
ing into his handsome face.
Rejected! Flora--ms Flora, who
hi proven her love to him so often,
whom lie love with all the ardor of
his strong nature, had deliberately re-
fused him, and said never, never
again should she tiAnt him. lie could
not understand licGould hardly be-
licyc the occurrence reality.
Tie next day he wrote 10 her, pas
sionatcly begging her8to reconsider her
decision, or at least grant him al cx-
psanation.
Flora was too sensitive aud proud
q acknowledge llcr jealousy Of i-orene.
hnd though secretly 1t almost broke
aer heart to part with Frank, and
caused her many tears, her reply was
formal and only cnplasizod her action
III thc evening before.
! With il.c answer she returned Frank
IS presents and lis Letters. anl lie. ii
There were not many letters, only
those exchanged when Fora was Wis
iting relatives in a neighboring town,
but for this reason they were all the
more precious to the disconso.ate
pair.
And so the ways of the two thus
suddenly separated, and for two long
weeks there was GOODNESS between
them that made their casual meetings
painful i'll the extreme.
1t would be idle TO deny that Flora
in time regretted her hasty action in
breaking with Frank, for even with
those burning words Of love 10 Lorcne
rising before her, she loved him truly,
more now than ever before, it seemed.
But she could not bring herself TO
show him any evidence that she re-
Tented, and that she longcd to have
him at her side as of old.
II so happened that next time it was
Flora's turn to cntcr;ail the Butterfly
+aS.s ~ as the Organization was play
fully called, and on the occasion of
the meeting at her home there was the
usual gay crowd in attendance, with
the exception af Eronk. lie made it
convenient to be called suddcnly out
of town OH that eycning. and sent his
regrets.
Flora tried her best to be happy,
but at heart she was miserable.
In the course of The evening, Lo-
rene's escort was taken suddenly i'll,
and had to be sent home in carriage.
This painful event decided Lorene to
spend the night with Flora.
What will two girls not say in con-
fidence when sleeping alone together?
There is spell about the darkness
and the bed that induces the most
wonderful condolences of affection,
and that night ere the two girls had
closed their eyes in sleep, Lorene
made little confession that thrilled
Flora with rapture.
'.That letter that you saw Flo," she
said in a hesitating whisper. "that let
ter that the girls picked up aud read
al my house that night, you know, /
fear you didn't like it, and | want to
tell you that it wasn't written to me at
all. You remember when we were
studying Byron's life in our English
literature at school? Well, there were
some of his letters and things that
weren't in our textbook, and Frank
copied them out of some book at the
library for me, and that letter you
saw was one of them. And those
verses were some of Byron's, too. and
and they didn't mean anything. /
meant to tell you before, but-well.
l didn't. l didn't want 10
make any trouble between you and
Frank, Flo.n
Flora understood why Lorene hadn't
told before, and thought it noble of
her TO tell at all. And then and there
all jealousy between them ended.
Oh how glad Flora was! She saw
how unjust and unkind she had been
TO Frank. Oh. If she could only win
him back.
What do you think that deaf schem-