Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-05-08


When she had sung the songhe wentbacs
10 a seat near Mrs. Moore, and came no
more near Vida that night.
But to Ruth he showed gentle courtesy
expressive of his sympathetic feeling, and
as it so CHANGED, Mr.. and Mrs. Moore were
engaged with each other, talking Of Basil
and the future.
Without any design they left Vida to her
self, but in it she saw "a systematic avoid
ance of her.
Conscious guilt prompted the thought, an6
In her heart She hated and desplsed them
all.
Shortly after ten o'clock she stole awayto
her room and shut herself in.
Then she took retrospective view OF hel
past, and it was not at all satisfactory. Sh'
saw the mad folly she had been guilty o.,
and repented so far as regards herself.
She was sorry she had woven such ter
rble net about herself, but did not regre'
the misery and pain she had given to otllers.
~ would do il all over again." she sale
fercely "only would do it better ] am
not q Moorc-there is nothing soft, OF gentle,
or forgiving in me. 1t is my mothers blood
the blood Of the old Castilians-that burn
in my veins.
I'VE love too well for ourselves, and hate
too thoroughly for those who thwart us"
By-and-by Ruth came and knocked gently
at her door.
vida dear, are you asleep%'
Vida would not answer, but stood quite
still, with scornful smile upon her face,
until Ruth went away.
81 cannot play the loving cousin tonight"
she muttered. If she had come ill., the
temptation to stab her might have been too
great"
From the folds of her dress she took out
the small highly-tempcred dagger with
which she had taken BardOlph Dimsey's
life. The keen blade was In a leathcrn
sheath, and removing 1t, she held the gilt
tering dangerous toy at arm's-lcngth, and
looked at it with fierce light burning in
the depths OF her dark eyes.
You were n friend to me-" she said.
/ "YOu saved me from fate more bitter than
death. By-and-by when PANIED into cor
ner by my enemies you shall save me
again."
Ere she slept she had recourse to one Of
the bottles Oh her tOiletrtabe containing an
essence that has been the bane Of many wo-
men. The dangerous indulgence had be-
come the habit Of her life.
UnconsciOusRess of things around her she
obtained, but 1t was not blessed sleep that
came 10 her aid
1t was another stage of consciousness,
vivid and h rible.
The dreams of the opium-eater were not
more terrible.
Like him she felt an unnatural lightness,
and yet had the weight OF the Atlantic in
her heart. A bright light surrounded her,
and yet it seemed akin 10 unfathomable
darkness.
No one was visible, but she could hear the
tramp of men as if an. army were passing
BY, and the shrek Of women in peril Of
shame and death.
She was not here or there in any particu-
lar place, but in many familiar scenes at
once and 1t seemed to her as if her spirit
had swollen to infinite size and was s::rging
to and fro like the restless sea.
What words can depict the horror Of such
night? And it is no wonder, then, when
she awoke and found daylight had come
that she hailed it as q friend.
IF that is sleep which | have endured"
she said rs she looked forth from the case
ment, II wish TO sleep no more. Let me be
wakeful and watChful to the end"
A bird on a tree close by began to chirrup
q mornng-song TO its mate. stimulated by
the early sunshine.
She listened, but its sweetness Of sound
found no echo in her heart.
'vrhe little feathered fool" she said "be-
lieves in love. But at the best it Is but q
feeting thing.
Summer will soon pass, and when the
cold Of winter comes, your mate will leave
you. But it is, perhaps, something TO be
loved while. Even one brief hour Of love
has been denied me-"