New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-06
A DEADLY DILEMMA.

When Meta Mayne came to think 1t over AFTER.
.arl m her own room by herself, she coulun =
i.iainc what had made her silly enough 70 qudltei
tlsJ evening with Ughtred Carnegie. ohe co tu
only s,y in penitent mood, IT was always ,ne
way IKE that with lovers. Ill once theS NS
an rreled a good round quarrel, and attcrwaru
salenHIy kissed and made il all up again, things
never stana really firm ana setued USysls
between them. It's move III the game hou
mast thrust in tierce before you thrust III quartz.
Tie Roman playwright spoke the truth ai'er az al
a lovers quarrel begins n fresh chapter In the
hist r. of their loVemaking II
4 was 4 sumner evening. calm, anu cSai' anu
halny, and Meta and Ughtred had suoled OUT
us.. not, not without suspicion at iihee Vi nnu
locked IN hand on the hlgh Gnu G1SiA or wh tbey
fell out she hardly knew. But they had Deeh
engaged already some months, wlthout s ri
az, greement which Of course gave Meta q naIdlal
right 10 quarrel with Ughtred by this tlme II
sic thought fit: and as they returned down ue
hanging path through the coinhe where the wilI
orchids grow she used that right at last, out o.
pufe unauthorized feminine perversity. Inc
WAYS Of women are wonderful; no mere man can
fa,hon them. Something that Ughtied said gave
her tbc chance to make half pctulant answer
Ightred very naturally defended himself from the
uao9 Of radeacss ana tr; Nei bad ro[p apae
lotto as pretty lovers quarrel any lady novelist
conld wish TO describe in five chapters.
%cifa had burst into perfectly orthodox tears,
refused 10 be cOmfortcd, in the most approved
fashion declined TO accept Ughtrcds escort home,
and hidden farewell u him eXcitcdly forever ana
ever .,
H. was all about nothing, to be sure, and if
twu older or wiser heads had only stood by I'M
seen to view the little comedy they would sagely
lave remarked TO one another with a shake, that
before twcnty-rour hours were out the pair would
10 rnshinS into one anothcrs arms with mutual
Wayne and Ughtred Carnegie were still at the
age when one takes love Ser0uSly-Uhc
along different paths at the bottom of the cOmbe
in the firm belief that loves young dream was
shattered. and that henceforth they TWO were
nothing more than the mercst acquaintance 70
Ciood-by Mr. Carnegie" Meta faItered out as
in obedience TO her wishes. though much against
lis will. Cgtred turned slowly and remoTSe-
fully down the tootpath to tho right, In the dlrec'
ton Of the railway.
Good-by, Meta, Ughtred answered. half cholI
lng. Even 10 that moment OF parting forever,
or a day. he couldn't find il in his heart 10 call
her, Miss Maync' who had 50 long been Meta
to him.
lie waved his hand and turned along the foot.
path, looking back many times TO see Meta still
sitting inconsolabe where he had left her. on the
stle that led from the cOmbe into the Four-acrc
meadow. Both paths. TO right and left, led back
10 lolnbury over the open field, but they dlNersed
rapidly and crossed the railway track by separate
gates and five hundred yards from each other; a
turn in the path, at which Ughtred fingered long,
bid Nctta al last from his sight He paused and
heSitatcd. IL was growing late, though an hour
Of summer twilight still remained. lie couldn't
bear 10 leave Meta thus alone in the field. She
wouldn't allow him TO see her home, TO be sure,
and that being So he was too much Of o gentle
10 force himself upon her. But he was too
much man too TO let her find her way back
late entirely by herself Unseen himself he must
still watch over her. Against her viii, he must
Sill protect her lie would 30 on 20 the railway,
and there sit by the side of the line under cover
uf the hedge till Meta crossed by the other path.
hen he'd walk quietly along the siX-foot way to
the gate she had passed through, and follow her,
uuporcciycd, at distance along the lane, till he
saw her back to llolmbury. Whether she wished
il or not he could never leave her.
lie looked about for seat One lay most
handy by the side OF the line the Government
Inc tpl, al
Il dozen Wondering old posts and set up new ones
III their place-tali, clean and shiny One Of the
cd posts still lay at full length or the ground by
tie gate. just the men had left il at the end of
their days work. At the point where the foot
parh cut the line was Level crossing, and there
lghtied sat down on the fallen post by the side,
lalfconcealed from view by tall clunp of willow
herb. waiting patiently for Nertas coming. How
hc listened for that light football. His heart was
fun, indeed of gall ana bitterness. lie loved her
dearly, and she had treated him so ill., Who
woIiG ever have believed that Meta his Meta
would have tbrOSu him over Ike that for such
IidiculouS friticP Who, indeed? And least OF
all Meta herself sitting alone on the stile with
her pretty face bowed deep in her hands, and her
poor heart wondering how CghtTed. her Ughtred,
c0nld so easily desert her. In suoh strange ways
is the feminine variety Of the human heart con-
siraccd. To BE sure, she had of course dismissed
him In the most peremptory fashion, declaring
with all the vows prOpriety permits to the British
maiden that she needed no escort of any sort
home. and that she would ten thousand times
rather go alone than have him accompany her.
But of course, also, she didn't mean it. What
unconditional surrender Cghtrcd would 60 TO
the corner, as in duty bound, and then come bacl,
Ia her. with profuse expressions of peniteCce for
the wrong he had never done, TO make il all up
again in tie orthodox fashion. She never intend
cd the real tragedy that was to follow.
She vas only, playing with her yictim-only try
ing woman-hke. her power over Ughtred.
80 she sat there still, and cried and cried on,
minute after minute, il an ecstasy of misery, till
the sunset began 10 glow deeper red in the west
err sky, and the bell TO ring the curlew in Holm.
bury Tower Then il dawned upon her slowly,
with shock Of surprise, that after allincredible
impossible .-Ughtred had positively taken Der at
her word and wasn't coming back at all tonight
Al that. the usual womanly terror seized upou
ler soul. Her heart turned faint. This was too
terrible. Great heavens what had she done Had
she tried Ughtrcd too far, and had ne really gone
Mas he never going 70 return to her at all ? Had
ne said gooG-by i'll earnest to her for ever and
ever?
Terrified at the thought, and weak with crying,
she rose and struggled down the narrow footpath
toward the further crossing. 1t getting late
now and Meta by this time really frightened.
She wished with all her heart she hadn't sent away
Ughtred-if il were only for the tramps; d man is
such comfort. And then there that dread
full dog at Milton Court TO pass And Ughtred
was gone and all the world was dcSOlate.
Thinking these things in a tumult Of fear to
herself. She staggered along the path feeling tired
at heart, and positively i'll with remOrse and ter
Tor. The color had faded now out of her pretty
red cheeks Her eyes were dim and swollen with
crying. She was almost half glad Cghtred couldn't
long spell OF broodine Even her bright print
dress and her straw hat with the peoples in it
couldn't redeem. she felt sure her pallor and her
w~tchedness But Ughtred gone and the
world wilderness. And he would never
come back, and the dog at Milton Court was SO
vicious.
As she walked rather CROPPED her way tfor
she couldn't see for crying down the path by the
hedge at every step She grew fainter and fainter.
Ughtred gone; and the world was blank;
aud there were tramps and dogs; anu 1T was get
ting dark; and she loved him SO much; and
mamma would be so angry.
Turning over which thoughts with a whirng
BRAIN for she vas but girl after ALL she reached
the little swing gate that led 10 the railway, and
pushed it aside with vague numbed hands, and
stood gazing vacanty at the long curved line III
mont of her.
Suddenly noise rose sharp in the field behind
her It was only colt 10 be sure disturbed by
her approach dashing wildly across his paddock,
az is the way with young horsclcsh. But to
Netta Il came as an indenite terror. magnifed