Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-03-19

offend again. l will Go your Did
ding"
at needs not, if you are unwilling"
she answered proudly. IL sue ne
mans favor if he wishes TO retain
it."
And with no other words she left
him.
He went out into the quiet street,
and the morning air struck chill and
cold on his flushed and fevered face.
1.-The first time woman has ever
refused me anything" he said to him
self. land. strange to say, the novelty
of the sensation is not unpleasant. l
wish was not going away SO soon;
this girl interests me. With such a
scoundrel of a father, l wonder where
she has derived her notions of honesty
and purity. What is this Frenchman
to her, wonder? There can be but
one tie possible between one of her
youth and beauty and a man of his
years; she said he was young"
Thus he unused. going homeward
through the quiet city. He was a man
of wide power, OF great wealth, OF
boundless self-indulgence. In all his
life he had but to ask and to have, yet
he had calm wisdom that kept even
his worst passions in restraint and
made them ministers to his pleasure,
not masters of his life.
"When civilization has laid e thou
sand conquests at my feet why should
l waste a second thought on the beauti-
full barbarian?" he asked himself I'M
patiently. But he could not answer
the question, nor could he withhold
the thought.
Meanwhile, Ninctte went up to her
room, her face still burning with its
scorch of shame and indignation. her
heart beating with the quick agonizcd
thoughts of mingled pain and anger.
s'How dare hep" she said TO herself
again and again. 1.-The lips that he
once kissed no other shall ever touch
while have life and will to prevent
it,"
And she threw herself down and
wept the hot scorching tears
of utter despair and pas
sionate longing. wondering whether
any mortal power could ever cut
asunder the mcsses of the net that
bound her now.
'.He will never knew. She sobbcd,
''never that loved him. Oh my
love, if you could but have trusted nc
once, it would have been well with us
now!'
She lay face down on the floor, deaf
own misery,--the terror OF her own
despair. TO think that he, her hus-
band, was so near to her, breathing
the same air, yet far removed from all
speech or sight OF her yearning voice
or her longing cyes---this indeed was
Il misery that she scarce had strength
to endure.
She tried to think calmly, dispas-
sionatcly, but she could not. OF ono
thing only was she conscious, that her
own sin. her own weakness had
brought this III upon him--that he
lived on now Il prisoner at the mercy
of his foes, subject to all the priva-
tions, enduring all suffcrings-aIono,
broken-hearted. dcspairing-and she
had given him this fate to bear. The
gray chill shadows wrapped her pros
| trate form, the first sun-rays stole
through the dim and desolatc cham
Der. She rose and shivcred and Gazcd
around, her eyes dull and blind with II
mist of pain, and the slow sickcn-
| ing stabs of memory piercing
her heart nfrcsh. All she had pre-
viously endured seemed as nothing to
what she suffered now. Now. when
she had gazed upon his face once
more, and read there the tale Of her
| own sufferings, and the scorn OF hen
imputed sins, what could he believe oi
| her but the worst? Had he not scc,
| her with all the evidences of wealth
and fashion. throned and surrounded
with luxury while he had dragged his
weary limbs past her, II prison
err in tho power OF those among
whom she dwclt in splcndor and il
safety?
| "NO power on earth could make hin
believe in me row." so she told hersel
again and again, and with each telling
wondered how long her life woult
drag itself on, seeing that life mean
nothing for her now but n keen sens
of suffering that memory never dead
ened, and regret could never xii!
Slowly and YEARLY she rose and wen
to the little window, and stood Their
gazing with throbbing. aching eyes Il
the splendor of the sunrise rs ii swcp
the gray hucs of tho dawn from tn
face of the smiling sky and flooded al
the earth with light and glory. "Onl
to look at that would have made IN
happy once" she thought, "but no,
|
The thought ended in sob. On
great grief and one great passion ha
absorbed all power of JOY in any gil
of nature, in any phase of life.
seemed that one thing alone could SC
her free--death!