The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1892-08-24

thee, in the eyes of mon and women
in the eyes of him whom thou didst call
thy husband--iu the eyes of yonder
child And, that thou mayest live,
take of this draft,
Without further expostulation or de
lay Hester Prynne drained the cup. and
at the motion of the man of skill seated
herself on the bed where the child was
sleeping, while he drew the only chair
which the room afforded and took his
own seat beside her She could not but
temble at these preparations, for she
felt that-having now done all that hu-
mainly or principle, or. if so II were.
refined cruelty. impelled him to do, for
the relief Of physical suffcring-he was
next to treat with her Ms tho man whom
she had most deeply and irreparably in
jured.
CHESTER" eaid ho 81 ask not whcro-
fore nor how thou hast fallen into the
pit or say, rather, thou hast ascendod to
the pedestal Of infamy, ON which found
thee. The reason 10 not far to seek. 1t
was my folly and thy weakness. l, n
man Of thought. tho boolworm Of great
libraries, q man already in decay, having
given my best years to feed the hungry
dream Of knowledge, what had ] to do
with youth and beauty like thine OWN
Misshapen from my birth hour, how
could delude myself with the idea that
intellectual gifts might veil physical
deformity In young girls fantasyf
Men call me wise. If sages were ever
wise in their own behoof ! might have
foreseen all this. l might have known
that rs came out OF the vast and dis
NAL forest and entered this settlement OF
! Christian mon the very first object to
meet my eyes would be myself, Hester
Prynne, standing up, statue of igno-
miuy. before the people. Nay, from the
moment when we came down the oil
church steps together. q married pair,
might have beheld the balefire of that
scarlet letter blazing ut the end of our
PATH"
Thou knowest," said Hester-for, do
pressed Us she was, she could not endure
this last qr :et stab at the token of her
shame-"thou knowest that was frank
any"
True" replied he. 1T was my folly!
have said it. But, up to that epoch Of
my life, had lived in vain. The world
had been so cheerlessl My heart was a
habitation. large enough for many
guests, but lonely and chill, and with
out household fire. longed to kind
onel II seemed not so wild q dream
old as ! was. and somber as | was, and
misshapen as | was-that the simple
bliss, which is scattered far and wide
for all mankind to gather up, might yet
be mine. And SO, Hester, drew thee
into my heart, into its innermost chai"-
Der, and sought to warm thee by the
warmth which thy presence made
thereT
II have greatly wronged thee" muir
INJURED Hester.
1--WE have wronged each other" an
swered he mime was the first wrong,
when betrayed thy budding youth into
a false and unnatural relation with my
decay. Therefore, as man who has
not thought and philosophical in vain,
seek no vengeance, plot no evil against
thee. Between thee and me the scale
hangs fairly balanced. But Hester the
man lives who has wrOnged Us BOTH
Who is her
ASK me notl" replied Hester Prynne,
looking firmly into his face That thou
shalt never knowl"
"Never, sayest thou? rejoined he,
with smile of dark and self relying in
telligence. Never know him! Believelne,
Hester. there are few things-whethel
in the outward world or to certain
depth. in the nvisiblesphere of thought
few things hidden from the man who
devotes himself earnestly and unre-
servedly to the solution of mystery.
Thou mayest cover up thy secret from
the prying multitude. Thou mayest
conceal it. too, from the ministers and
magistrates, even az thou didst this
day, when they sought to wrench the
name out of thy heart and give thee u
partner on thy pedestal. But, rs for
me, come to the inquest with other
senses than they possess. shall seek
this man. as have sought truth in
books; as have sought gold In alchemy.
There Is sympathy that will make me
conscious of him. shall see him trem-
bic. shall feel myself shudder. sud
denly and unawares. Sooner or later
he must needs be minel"
The eyes of the wrinkled scholar
glowed so intensely upon her that Hes
ter Prynne clasped her hands over her
heart, dreading that he should read the
secret there at once.
"Thou wilt not reveal his name? Not
the less he Is mine," resumed he, with a
look of confidence, rs if destiny were at
one with him. HE bears no letter OF
infamy wrought into his garment rs
thou dost; but shall read it on his
heart. Yet fear not for him! Think
not that shall interfere with heavens
own method of retribution, or to my
own loss, betray him to the gripe Of
human law. Neither do thou imagine
that | shall contrive aught against his
life: no. nor against his fame if, as
Judge, no be man of fair repute. Let
him live! Let him hide himself In out
ward honor, If he mayl Not the less he
shall be miner
"Thy acts are like mercy" said Hester,
bewildered and appalled,. but thy words
interpret thee ~ n terror"
"One thing. thou that vast my wife,
would enjoin upon thee" continued the
scholar. "Thou hast kept the secret of
thy paramour. Keep, likewise. mine!
There are none in this land that know
me. Breathe not to any human soul that
thou ditst ever call me husbandl Here,
ON this wild outskirt of the earth. shall