The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-18
LCoPYRIGHT, 1892, BY TnLorsoN & soN.I

one thought which ali but, with its bitter
ness, took away the sweetness of the one,
for her sake"
And amongst all these, what will be her
his child's-psrt!
What of the great measure Of happiness
which was to have been stored up for her
day by dayl
What Of the measure Of love as great
which her giving made life as sweet almost
as heaven itself could be, despite all
Above all. how would it be with her
when she knew the truth-ali the whole
dark truth with the rest!
She had loved him-her father-living in
his nobility and deformity. Would she
| love him when be lay dead. and worse than
dead-struok out Of her life by mis- self-con-
fessed cowardice any longer even TO play
counterfeit nobility, or falsely claim. steal
sympathy for his self-imposed atiilctlons-
would she love him then. when all the
world turned from him, spurn him; or
would she turn away too-would she
shrinkl
All, heaven; the thought was all but
| madness to the Wretched mani
For like many another the weight of his
| misery mad crushed all reasoning such as
might have comforted him. The wrong he
did the sweet nature If the little blind child
In deeming her capable of such baseness
| and treRchery, never occurred to him.
III a ChlLu6E LuOLleub ub uluSb uaNc kuOHu
that she would not shrink indeed; nay, that
her love would be increased a athousaudfold
in its very singleness and need, exactly as
this other love for her bridegroom had in
creased even in her knowledge as strangely
complete as terrible, of his guilt.
Well then might the father pray for
strength to fight indeed to the end-power
to perform his terrible task-to make this
last item of self-sacrifice-to lay down the
life which had never before seemed SO dear
to him.
How little he guessed that swiftly and
skilltully as he had laid his plains, and was
prepared TO carry them out, the other spirit
which had already more than mastered him
was working more surely than ever TO an
end to which this fatal act of his would
more than lead the way.
Mr.. ROYAL to see meln asked the little
blind girl, starting up from the reverie from
which she had fallen upon her return home
after her interview with her lover-already
set TO her task Of doing what she could to
tighten his burden of guilt, waiting with
impatience the time when she could go to
her father. and, telling him all. gain the adj
vice and aid she knew would not fail her
even ct such a pinch. Are you sure he
does not mean my fatherH
Even as she spoke, despite herself, the
shadow that evil never fails to cast before,
touched her, and she shuddered slightly,
drawing round her loose hanging sleeves of
the pretty white evening gown she had put
on, to take her place downstairs once more
that night, as much that it was sort of
memory of the wedding gown which she
had donned in vain, as because her first
steps toward winning her lover back TO
her side, was to do away with all such sus-
picion which was naturally beginning to be
excited by his absence.
Very sweet and fair she looked, standing
In the full light of the great chandelier
which lit up the splendidly furnished room
for to carry out her character of no lone
forsaken bride she had enthroned herself in
the drawing room-almost as sweet and
fair as on the wedding morning itself.
So it seemed to Royal, who, to obviate
refusal, had followed close upon the heels of
the servant who announced him quite re-
covered from his late fit of terror, and more
than ever set to the accomplishment Of his
plans for his safety.
And if there had been one thing wanting
60 urge him yet the more to his task it was
this unconscious charm Of the little blind
girls!
But that not quite as may be imagined.
The feeling with which she inspired him
was not the growth of the N 0ment. 1t had
been born within him that night when alone
in all the world, and helpless, as it had
seemed she had been, in his power for at
least the moment that he chose, and had
grown and grown with every meeting be-
tween them since, though only now TO burst,
so TO speak into flower.
Each Of these meetings ncw-wheu he had
seen her in her bridal array, fairy-like,
almost angelic in her beRuty-when he had
first seen her 10 the beauty of her all but
perfectly restored happiness, and known her
as the true woman in whose little hand was
his fate, the hand that he had kissed, Judas
10 uhav, srNN hn oil md Of he
nignt-storm she had faced a storm of even
greater fury In her heart with more than a
wonan's bravery and skill-was but a link
the more to chain him to his purpose, to
have created it even without its present
pressing need.
Yes, strange almost as it may seem, with
bis hands, as IL were, wet with the blood OF
the one woman IN all the world whose love
for him was stronger even than death-thG
shadow of his darkest sin-there blossomec
within him love for this child who was anC
would be as far from loving him as tbs
poles are asunder-love as pure aud swee
as the snow drop poisoning on a malefact
or's grave.
How can the fact, strange as it may seem
be doubted, when looking at her blind eyes
If a wish OF his could have given back hel
sight, even though it more than wrecked
his plan, it would have been given back
| Strange, indeed, was the fact that wha
Madge in all grandeur of body and sou
could not effect, this little sister OF hers,
pale daisy indeed beside her. had all un'
consciously and to no purpose at all brough
| about.
Only with her as his wife would he be SAT
yet as her husband he was utterly doomed
Was it in punishment of the contrast that
| aware to the utmost OF the miracle wrough
within him, the thrice wretched man coult
not draw back from the way he had chosen
| though its end must lead TO the hate of he
for whose love he would have sold even hi
guilty soul, had it still been his to sell2
To the full he realized the reversed natur,
| of the task he was set to-that the new
crime he meditated to hide that other on
would more than be his punishment for tn
need
But a moment or 30 before, fresh from tn
more than ruthless destruction of a low
worthless TO him-from the taking of life
worse than useless-he had laughed &C tn,
likely repetition of tie double crime which
should make safe sure--a fend indeed a
| last IN his fight for his life.
Now facing his task. he knew that TO &C
| complish II, as he needs must, he knew that
too, would cost him more than his life.
In the subduing of his enemy-this weak
utterly defenseless child-the pain would b
his-a pain which not even the almost IN
surpassable evil within him could subdue
but rather make sharp and keen, stingin
red-hot as deaths arrow itself.
II -. 4