People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-11-11

l
took my arm and conducted me home.
grew calmer as we walked along, and
by exerting all my will-power and call
ing all my pride to my aid managed to
affect cheerfulness that was far
from feeling but which seemed to re-
assure my companion and allay his
fears.
81 am sorry to have troubled you,"
remarked, as Mr.. Cornell was about to
leave me.
ut was no trouble, Miss Owens. |
assure you, )" he replied. ut is pleas
ure to serve you. But you must be
more careful of YOURSELF" he added,
land not overtax your strength. am
glad | happened to meet You in time to
conduct you home"
| did not reply. | was thinking how
little occasion there would have been
for his assistance had | not met him and
his companion. Evidently he did not
suspect the cause of my indisposition,
and rejOiced that he did not. felt
that to have him know my secret would
be greater humiliation than | could
bear.
When Charles Cornell left, retired
Immediately to my room. The artificial
barrier | had erected to hedge in nv
grief was fast crumbling to pieces, and
| knew that in another moment it would
go down with crash, and the surging
waves would sweep up and pour over
me. ! knew | could not restrain nv
tears much longer, and when the tor
rent burst wished to be alone.
lentered my room, and, turning the
lock, threw myself down on the bed and
let my grief have full sway. And, oh,
what hot, bitter tears | shed! How
poignant and cruel were the pains that
tore my heart, decorating it to the GEN.
ter, and draining it of hope, Joy, and
life. | had received the cruelest blow
of my life, and | suffered such pangs as
| had never experienced before. The
beatings had received at my fathers
hands were light in comparison; and
even the dreadful suffering | passed
through when my stepmother held my
face in the flames was nothing to the
agony that tortured me now. .
Reader, loved Win Hanley with all
the power and tie ardor of my soul.
had loved him above all of mankind
from the day | first knew him, but now
loved him thousandfold more than |
ever had before or during his absence.
had seen him again and my love had
rushed forth to meet him. The sight
OF his face, the look into his eyes, the
sound Of his voice had enthralled nv
being, and bound my heart in the
strongest bonds of slavery. loved viii
Hanley madly.
felt | should never recover from sucb
grief as had fallen to me. felt that %
love as | did and not be loved in return
would be sufficient sorrow to blast nv
life, and yet how much harder to bear
was the knowledge that VIII Hanley
did not even so much as cherish me as
friend. How much heavier my disap-
pointment because | knew he turned
from me coldly, giving me no sign OF
recognition. Perhaps my disappoint.
ment might have been less heavy had
his conduct not been so foreign to his
nature as had known him. In him
had expected only gentle sympathy and
kindness, and had never dreamed that
he could turn from me so unfeelingly as
I he had.
As lay in my room that afternoon
weeping my very heart out, recalled
all the little incidents of my life with
which Win Hanley was connected.
remembered how he used to praise nv
hair and my features, and how, hun
bred times, he soothed my sorrows and
stilled my aching heart with words OF
sympathy. | recalled, too, the time
when he came INTO my room and looked
INTO my Scared and blistered face. and
remembered well how his eyes spoke
a deeper pity than words could express
recalled every gentle word, every ten
der look, every generous act | hat
known from him; and contrasted il
all with the present, and in my anguish
of soul cried out:
"How can it be? All. how can If
how can it be? How can he hav,
changed so much? How can he hav,
forgotten all of those old DAYS, anC
dropped me out of his heart so com
pletely?"
My sad thoughts were interrupted b,
a knocking at the door. 1t was Mrs
Bond who sought admission, was sure
and | did not want her presence then
SO | made no answer. She could no
soothe nor advise me, and was TO,
sore to be probed with prying ques
tons. wanted her to 90 away an,
leave me alone. wished for no one thel
but Mrs. Cornell. To her would hay,
opened quickly and eagerly, and, pillow
ing my head on her bosom, woul,
have poured out all my grief, and foun,
comfort and solace in her words an
caresses. ! WANTED a mothers love an
sympathy. and in all the wide worl