Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-19
does he not come home and look after his

does he not come home and look after his
| own?
have learned her secret at last, and in
| strange enough way. l was waiting for her
, father in his own little room, and as he did
not come as soon as l anticipated, let my
secret dependency have its way for mo-
ment, and sat leaning forward, with my
head buried in my hands. NV face was to
J the fire and my back to the door, and for
some reason I did not hear it open, and was
only conscious of the presence of another
person in the room by the sound of little
gasp behind me, which was choked back as
soon as it was uttered. Feeling that this
could come from no one but Juliet, 1 for
some reason hard to fathom sat still, and
the next moment became conscious of q
touch soft as a rose-leaf settle on my hair,
and springing up, caught the hand which
had given it, and holding it firmly in mine,
gave her one look which made her chin
fall slowly on her breast and her ewes seek
the ground in the widest distress and con-
fusion.
"Juliet-"I began.
But she broke in with passion too i'm
petuous to be restrained:
"Do not, do not think knew or realized
what 1 was doing. 1t was because your
head looked so much like his as YOU sat
leaning forward in the freight that II
allowed myself one little touch just for the
hearts ease it must bring. II am so
lonesome, Philo, and-and-"
l dropped her hand. 1 understood the
whole secret now. Ny hair is blonde like
Orrin's and her feelings stood confessed,
never more to be mistaken by me.
''You love Orrin!'' gasped: "you who
are pledged to Colonel SchuylerI''
ri love Orrin," she whispered, 'tand I
am pledged to Colonel Schuyler. But you
will never betray me, she said.
'rI betray you?" 1 cried, and if some of
the bitterness of my own disappointed
hopes crept into my tones, she did not seem
to note t,for she came quite close to my side
and looked up into my face in way that
almost made me forges her perfdy and her
folly. "Juliet, 1 went on, for felt never
more strongly than at this moment that 1
should act a brother. part toward her,
SCI could never find it in nv heart to
betraY you, but are you sure that you are
doing wisely to betray the Colonel for a
man no better than Orrin. II know YOU
do not want to hear me say this, for if you
care for him you must think him good and
the Colonel. and he is no more to be COM
pared with the man you are betrothed to
than"
''Hushr' she cried, almost command
ingly, and the airy, dainty, dimpled creature
whom I knew seemed to grow in stature and
become woman, in her indignation; "you
do not know Orrin and you do not know the
Colonel You shall not draw comparisons
between them. 1 will have you think of
Orrin only, as do, day and night, ever and
always"
"But," 1 exclaimed, aghast, sif YOU love
him SO and despise the Colonel, why do you
not break your troth with the latter?"
Because" she murmured, with white
cheeks and a wandering gaze. "I have sworn
to marry the Colonel, and dare not break
my oath- Sworn to be his wife when the
house he is building is complete; and the
oath was on the graves of the dead; on the
graves of the dead!' she repeated.
"But, l said, without any intimation of
having heard that oath, "you are breaking
that oath in private with every thought you
give to Orrin. Either complete your per-
jury by disowning the Colonel altogether,
or else give up Orrin. You cannot cling to
both without dishonor; does not your father
tell you so?"
"My father-oh, he does not know; no one
knows but you. M father likes the Colonel;
would never think of telling him"
Outlet, declared solemnly, "you are
on dangerous ground. Think what you are
doing before 1t is too late. The Colonel is
not man to be trifed with
''I know il" she murmured, 81 know it."
and would not say another word or let me.
And so the burden of this new apprehen-
sion is laid upon me; for happiness cannot
come out of this complication.
Where is Orrin, and what is he doing
that he stays so much from home? If It
were not for the intent and preoccupied
look which he wears when I do see
him, 1 should think that he was
absenting himself for the purpose of
wearing out his unhappy passion. But the
short glimpsesI 1 have had of him as he has
ridden busily through the town have left