The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-09-10

| w. I It's is
AGNES, DO YOU NOT KNOW A1E?''
! soul-the secret Of disappointed love,
which I would not have him know for
all the world. I exerted myself, and
assumed an air Of tolerable calnness.
Eyes replied, holding out my hand.
II know you
He took my hand and gave it a. warm
pressure, which sent a sharp pain
through my heart. He bent his eyes
| on me for an instant inquiringly, then
said:
care you not glad to see me, Agnes?"
eyes, very glad" I answered.
81 am not sure of that ne replied,
letting my hand drop. "You have given
me no welcome, and your greeting is
cold. We used to be such good friends,
and our separation has been so long
that it seems you ought to show a little
10y at our meeting. Did you not recog-
nize me to-day when you came into the
| room where wasp
/ eyes"
'And yet you gave me no welcome?'
sNo,'' admitted, II did not. Neither
| did you evince any sign Of pleasure in
| meeting me-"
II did not know you, Agnes, and I
| would not know you now had not aunt
told me who you were. Do you think J.
| have so far forgotten our childhood
| friendship as to treat you like q stran-
ger?''
! more than two years ago, MI. Han
! ley,'' I said, .'we met and were intro
| duced by Mr.. Charles Cornell, and yet
! you did not choose to recognize me-"
81 did not know you even then, Agg-
| nes. Remember how changed you were
since I had seen you last"
But Mr.. Cornell spoke my name
Eyes; he introduced you as Miss
| Owens, but how was I to know, or even
guess, that you were Agnes Owens? I
say, remember how you were changed.
| When ] left you to go away to school
your face was all SCARED and drawn,
and when met you again the scars
were all gone and your features were
| perfect. There are hundreds of Miss
| Owens; and, aside from the change in
| your appearance, it is not matter Of
| wonder that ! did not recognize you
there where I had no thought of meet
ing you"
What he said seemed plausible, and I
Gid not doubt the truth of it. I believed
now that he had not Intentionally
| ignored me, and that afforded me a lit
! tie relief; but it was very little in the
face of the knowledge that he was lost
to me- and that no reconciliation could
| ever result. Friendship would not an
| swer between Ills any more. 1t must be
love or complete separation, and with
| lis it could not be love.
agnes" he continued, II accidental
! " learned from the Cornells several
| months after our meeting that it was
| you to whom Charles Cornell intro
duced me. Then I went Immediately
in search of you, but on making in
curry of Mr. Bernard learned thatyou
had disappeared, and no one could give
anv information as to your where
abouts.''
He paused as if undecided whether to
| say more or not, but finally he went
on:
IT did not seek for you, Agnes, be-
cause after talking with Bernard and
Mrs. Bond felt that would rather
not see you again. You know what
| mean
ayes, Mr.. Hanley, know what you
| mean,'' replied, looking bravely up
into his face and speaking with start
ling firmness. 'sYou believed the lies
they told You, and thought ane the base
thing they represented me to be-"
He blushed and dropped his eyes in
confusion. J..
..How could l know, Agnes?" he
asked, sadly. ''Their stories were in
genious and could not persuade my.
| self that they were all false, as hard as
! I tried to do so. You cannot imagine,
Agnes, what I suffered because of those
reports They hurt me through and
through. Agnes,sI have no right to say
it now, i nt I will SAY it once; loved
You them and when realized that you
were lost to ME, my grief was almost
unbearable. | prayed that our paths
might never cross again, and tried to
forget you; e 3. Il IL s,'
81 My soul lowered aloft now, and felt
80 far supe TO Will sHanley that ]
looked down On him with pity.
s. Mr.. Hanley,'' Z said, Eel Fl, too, pray
THAT our paths may. never. cross again.
4 know you now as I never knew you
before, and from hericeforth we cannot
be even friends. The awakeninEto a