Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-03
I Continued from last Saturday.

Continued from last Saturday.
NO man, YOU should say quoth Orrir
bitterly, lashing his horse till it shot ia,
ahead Of me, so that some few minutes
passed before we were near enough together
for him to speak again. Then he said
''She loads me with promises and swear:
that she loves me more than all the world
If half of this is true she ought to be happy
with me in a hovel, while [ have a dainty
cottage for her dwelling, where the vines
Will soon grow and the birds sing. You have
not seen it since it was finished. You shall
see it tonight.
I choked as ! tried tc answer, and won.
dered if he had any idea of what had to
contend with in these rides L seemed forced
to take without any benefit TO myself II
he had. he was merciless, for once launched
into talk he kept on till was almost wild
with hateful sympathy and jealous chagrin.
Suddenly he paused.
The forest we had been threading had for
the last few minutes been growing thinner,
and rs the quick cessation in his speech
caused ne 10 look up, | saw, or thought l
saw. a faint glow shining through the
branches before me, which could not have
come from the reflection made by the set
ting sun, as that had long ago sunk into
darkness.
Orrin who. as he had ceased speaking,
had suddenly refined in his painting horse,
now gave a shout and shot forward, and l,
hard,v knowing what to fear or expect, fol-
lowed him as fast as nv evidently weary
animal would carry me, and thus bounding
along with but a few PAGES between us, we
cleared the woods and came out into the
open fields hevoud. As we did so a cry
went up from Orrin, family echoed by my
own lips. 1t was a fire that We saw, and the
flames. which had now got furious headway,
rose up like pillars to the sky, illuminating
all the country round, and showing me, both
bv their position and the glare of the
stream beneath them, that il was Orrin's
house which was burning, and Orrin's hopes
which were being destroyed before our eyes
The crv he gave as he fully realized this
shall never forget, nor the gesture with
which he drove his spurs into his horse and
flashed down that long valley into the ever
increasing glare that lighted first his flow
ing hair and the wet hankS of the animal he
bestrodc and finally seemed to envelope
him altogether, till he looked like some
avcnging demon rushing through his own
element OF fury and fire.
was far behind him but / made what
time l could. feeling to jhe core, as l passed,
the Wprdness Of the solitude before me,
with Just this element of horror flaming up
IN its midst. Not sound save our pound
ing hoofs interrupted that cracking sound
If burning wood. and when the roof fell in,
as it did before | could reach his side, L
could hear distinctly the echo which fol-
lowed il. Orrin NAV have heard it, too, for
he gave groan and drew in his horse. and
when I reached him | saw him sitting there
before the smoldcriug ashes of his home,
silent ana inert without a word to say or
an ear 10 hear the instructive words of
sympathy could hot now keep back.
Who had done it" Who had started the
blaze which had in one half hour I'M
done the work and hope of months?
That was The question which first
reused me and caused me TO search
the silence aud darkness of the night for
some trace IF human presence, if only so
much rs me mark of human foot. And L
.oIud it, There IN the wet margin OF the
stream, I came upon 4 token which may
mean nothing and which may mean.
Bat [ cannot writeeven here ofthe doubts it
brought me; l will only tell how on our
slow and wearisome passage home through
the somhrc woods. Orrin suddenly let his
bride fall. and, tiinging up his arms above
his head, erred bitterly:
!
that I had never seen her who would make of
me a slave when l would be a man.
The gossiDs at the corners nod knowingly
this morning, and OrTin, whose brow is
moodier than the ColonePs, walks ficrcelv
amongst them without word and without
look. He is on his way to .Juliet's house,
and if their is enchantment left in smiles l
bid her use it, for her fate is trembling in
the balance, and may tip in a direction of
which she little reclls.
Orriu has come back Striding impetu-
ously into the room where L sat at work, he
drew himself mp until his figure showed
itself in all its full and graceful proper
tions.
Am 1 man." he asked, cor, with
fall in his voice brimmed with feeling, 'tam
/ a fool2 She met me with such an unsus-
picious look, Philo, and bore herself with
saCn au innocent air, that l not only could
not say what | meant to say, but have
promised 10 do what have sworn never to
do-accepr the Coionei's unwelcome gift,
and make her mistress of the new stone
house"
''yoU are-a man. I answered. For
what are men but fools where women of
anch Cnchanument are concerned?
lie groaRed, perhaps at the secret sar-
g1slI hidden in my tone, and sat down I'M
nidden At the table where 1 was writing.
lou did not see her" he cried. You
d" .ot kaow with " hat charms she works,
So h"n she wishes TO comfort and allure"
All, did l not. 'And Philo," he went on.
alr"st hTmbly for him, "yOu are mistaken
IT T@U think she had any hand in the ruin
which has come upon NE. She had not.
How l know it l cannot say, but l am ready
TO swear il, and you must forget any foolish
fears I:iav have shown or any foolish words
HHH4 Il n4say -
my loss and disappointment.
Il viii forget, said /.
The fact is do not understand her, he
eagerly explained. There WIS innocence
II her air, but there was mockary, 100, and
she laughed ss I talked Of my grief and rage,
as thoagh she thought was playing part
1t was merry laughter, and there was no
ring cf i.!sehood in it, but Why shoaid she
laUyn at a}l?''
This was question 1 could not answer;