The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-11-10

MNa ~ toward the par
(a1 lor. He had not
~ to wait long. The
door swung noiselessly, and Olive Les
ter came shrinkingly toward him.
He advanced eagerly to meet her.
But she shrank from him, covering
her face with her hands.
"Olive, my little Olive" he said, try
ing to take her hands from her face.
mo, mol" she cried, wrenching her
self away from him. II am not your
Olive any more, Vance; II
DON'T"
"What, Olive?'
Il don't love you. thought I did,
till he came. I have promised to be
his wife. Don't blame me, Vance
don't look so at me-" -.
Whose wife have you promised to
be?" he dem anded, almost fercely.
She murmured something very low,
but he caught the name.
"You were almost my wife, Olive"
he said, in a passionate whisper, "and
he was my friend. may forgive you,
but will never forgive him.
The next instant Olive was alone
and Vance Whitney was hurrying
down the street.
He remembered that morning, as he
stood in Ernest Evremont's spacious
library, just 10 years from that day,
his hand closing, With an iron grip
upon a paper it held.
only tempted to do it in the hope to
save from beggary and ruin my wife
and child. Be merciful for her sake
Vance," g.
"For her sake you stole from me,
with deliberate beguiling," Vance said
with bitter sarcasm, as thrusting the
paper in his pocket, he left the room.
AS he was descending the steps of
theveranda outside, a shower OF roses
came pelting in a. fragrant avalanche
upon him, and a laugh sweet as the
thrill of a mocking-bird, gurgled out
from somewhere among the blossoms
He flung g. dark look overhead, and
he saw peeping at him through the
leaves two eyes, black with mischie-
vious fun and sparkle, two round
dimpled arms, Overlooking still with
roses.
The child started little at sight of
his face, and dropped her roses, say
ing, in q voice as sweet as the laugh
had been:
II am sorry-I thought it was pa-
pa"
Vance Whitney gazed at the pretty
creature like q man in trance. Sud-
denly he turned, and swiftly retraced
his steps to the library, in which Err
nest EvremOnt still'sat, his head bow
ed to the table in the extremity of his
despair. Vance paused in the door,
way and looked at him.
Ernest" he said, "there is one con-
dition on which I will forgive this
wrong, and that other deeper one you
did me long ago"
''Name it."
"Give me your child"
He almost recoiled from the look of
despairing anger with which Evremont
regarded him.
"My child, my little Olive! Man,
wretch, bastard, what is it you ask?
What has my pretty darling done that
you should wish to harm her!'' ..la
He held out his arms as he spoke,
and the child, who had descended
from the veranda roof, sprang into
them.
~ would not harm a hair of her
head, Ernest" he said in a low voice.
"What, them" 49,.
"You have other children-I have
neither wife nor child. Give me this
child to dwell in my desolate home, to
rear tenderly, carefully, as yon could
rear her. give her to me, TO be my wife
in time. You will not? Then take
the consequences.
He turned away, and Evremont,
grooming, let the child slip from his
powerful arms to the floor. But she
chung to him, saying, in her soft,
sweet voice:
ooh, papa, papa, what shall do
for you?"
"Olive," he said, suddenly, e'would
you 60 and live with that man away
from all Of us, to save maamma and
me, and George and Fred, from q
great, great trouble3s'
She darted from the room and
overlook Vance Whitney at the
avenue gate. She was breathless with
running, SO that she could not sneak.
but seized his hand, and drew him I'M
resistingly back to her father.
4# "You accept my conditional
Vance demanded, as he entered the
library again.