San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-18
PLAIN MISS BARSTOW.

her brother.
Il feel like fainting when l go into a
darkened room," she said. MY feelings
completely overpower me when | see
him lying there so white and still. Miss
Danvers, help Inc in this. | know l can
trust you. l am sure l am not doing a
dangerous thing. You are not pretty and
sly like that horrid Miss Garfield, and
you are the very one who can read and
amuse poor Geoffrey. Promise me you
will do So"
Lucille, with a bitter pang at her heart
as she thought that Mrs. Lamotte could
indeed trust her to pay to Emily's inan-
Gee any little attention he needed.
But Mrs. Lamotte vas wrong in think
ing it not a dangerous thing to throw
these two young people 80 much together.
AS Godfrey felt the touch of the cool,
soft hands on his head he learned to adj
mire them. AS he listened to the low,
sweet voice, which appeared W to
weary when reading aloud to him, he
learned to love it. As he saw the hun
bred different efforts Lucille made each
day to interest him and render his con
finement to one room less dull and irk-
some, he learned to worship her. He
forgot her plain face, and contrasted her
character only with that of Emily.
For he no longer loved the girl to
whom he had bound himself. He had
been infatuated with her marvellous
beauty, caught in the coils of her SHIN
mering golden hair and musical laugh,
and he believed his infatuation to be
love. But when thrown constantly with
her whom he had believed as perfect in
character as in face he had discovered
her mind to be shallow, her me passion
to be the leader of society. She was
vain, eXacting and selfish, and had no
real love for the nan she had promised
TO marry. But Godfrey believed his
honor demanded that he should fulfil to
the letter the vow he had pledged, and
the wedding was to take place in Octo-
Der. He had made no effort to break his
letters, though they had grown so gall
ing. He had thrown aside all prudence,
listened not to the voice of reason, and
had asked Emily to marry him after ar
acquaintance of barely six weeks.
The knowledge of Geoffrey's love for
her came upon Lucille like a thunder
clap. Thinking of him only as her sis
ter's betrothed, she had never imagined
that her gentle m~inistrations to him
during his illness had awakened into
being the tenderest emotions of his
breast. He was nearly well, and was
sitting in the twilight n evening when
she entered the room, and not perceiv-
ing in the gloom a chair directly before
her, she stumbled over it and fell to the
floor, striking her head with consider
able force against a small center table.
With one bound Geoffrey was by her
side, and lifting her in his arms he
cried:
My darling! my darling! tell me you
are not hurt. Speak to me, Lucille, my
dearest, tell me you are not hurt" His
voice was hoarse with emotion, and hot
kisses fell upon the girls brow as he
pressed her to his breast, forgetting
Emily, honor, everything, but that he
loved this little gOvernesS of his sisters.
stop" cried Lucille, when she could
speak from amazement and excitement;
and she freed herself from his embrace.
How dare you speak SO to me Geof-
frey Wayne, when at this moment you
are engaged to another"
"YOu know of my engagement, them
But it matters not how you have learned
of it, for it is true. But as Heaven hears
me, l love you only, and wish with all
sincerity that my hand could follow my
heart"
Lucille staggered back against the
wall, and dropped her head in her
hands. One instant she stood thus. and
in that instant the knowledge came to
her that she loved this man who was to
be her sisters husband. Oh, what a
cruel wrong she had done Emily! She
raised her face and looked at Godfrey
through her tears, so haggard, so wild,
that ne was startled at The change in
her countenance, and then fed from the
room like a frightened deer.
They did not meet again until the next
day, and then both We're calm, and
avoided being left alone together.
Emily wrote to Lucille, thinking her
still at Barristown, urging her to return
home to act as bridesmaid at her we'd
ding, but Lucille wrote that she could
not, and Emily was forced to be salts
fed without any explanation of why it
was not possible for her only sister to be
with her on an occasion of SO much i'm
p~Ortance.
October in all its red and golden beau
ty came only too soon for Godfrey, who
would willingly have deferred his we'd
ding had it been possible. But it had
been arranged to take place on the 10th
of the month, and on the Sth he left