Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-02-18

"You mean. then. said the other man
slowly, "that ynu would rather that
Myra were dead than that she were still
alives You. who say that YOU loved her,"
why % back to all that. Arnoldg'
said the other soothingly; Il did love
Myra; If she had lived should doubtless
love her still; in any case no second love
ever IL like the first. Bnt as matter OF
fact have believed her TO be dead SO long
that should find 1t extremely inconven.
lent TO discover her alive. | don't love
Myra now--and-I want TO marry Con
stance Hilton"
And SO they parted Bernard Hard.
ing riding swiftly homeward through the
shadows of the lane, and Arnold Grey re-
turning slowly and with dragging foot |
steps into his lonely house.
And / who would have hunted the |
whole world over but for n hope however
faint of finding her. he muttered broken.
ly as he fastened up the shutters of his
window and went slowly upstairs TO his
bed.
BY and by, when it was all dark and
still, when the moon had sunk to rest and
the night was closely folded in thick
mantle of rest and stiffness, something
"a mere shadow-crept from beneath
the deep shelter of the vicarage hedge
and dragged itself wearily to the door of
the house.
Here, upon the threshold, it sank down
and down till il lay in huddled mass
upon the doorstep. 1t was the form of a
i woman.
Hours went by. Presently the first
gray glimmer of morning lightened the
| dense shadows Of the night.
The woman raised her head and shiy
cred. The red shawl that covered her
dark head fell back, disclosing a thin,
haggard face that, in spite of its prema-
turely aged and worn appearance. still
retained traces Of great beauty. Her
large lark eyes, filed with unutterable
woe. fixed themselves upon the faint
gleam of the dawn in the eastern sky.
Poor Myra," she murmured in a low
plaintive voice. Poor Myra; she il
dead; she died long ago-long ago, in the
days when she was happy; then she died
so that he might be rich; now she dies 50
that he may be happy. but he will never
know. She had no soul; it does not mat
ter; she is better dead-better deadr
BY and by life began TO return TO the
silent world n little breeze stirred the
iuttering leaves, the birds awoke and
began To chatter in the branches. and
presently the great golden sun flannel
forth in his glory above the edge of the
distant horizon. but the first human face
in Stanton parish that his long level rays
rested upon that isorning was one that
could never more be reused or warmed
into life again, for it was the face of a
dead woman.
At the doors uf Stanton hall very early
, that morning the parson stood knocking
, and ringing. and Bernard Harding, VIII,
/ was always mp betimes, himself opene,
. the door at his summons. The clergy
\ mans face was pale as ashes and ther
q was the shadow Of great and dreadfn
6 awe in his dark eyes.
q Great heavens. Arnoldt' cried Hard
5 ing. fearing he knew not what, as hi
1 eyes took in the terror stricken face, til
( disordered dress and the evident agitatio
b OF his early visitor, something dreadful
has happened? What is it,"
o He drew him hastily into the house
4 "Myrtt il dead" said the other with
Q long. gasping breath. Ii was indeed th
o refrain to which heaven and earth seelnci
TO be set to harling's ears.
/. Dead he repeated vaguely, not IN
y derstanding.
v Il found her this morning dead upo
my doorstep
Good God! Myra -Myra! Upon yon
!. doorstep
'She lay upon the very threshold. be
a poor dead face against the ground, he
beautiful eyes closed for ever. Ol
,e she is changed. Bemard'-changed n
= most past belief, +" he cried brokenly. hi'
4 ing his face in his hands.
:. Great heavens. she has not died I
r starvation cried the other, stricken
: the heart by sudden agony Of remors'
II mo. no. not that But 1t is perhaf
r even worse | fetched the doctor 1
sr once; her lips were stained and blue;
Il her elenched hand he found some crnsi
j ed berries Of "A deadly nature. Myra h
r. poisoned herself
b What fors In heavens name VIII
m forf Why has she hidden herself a
these years, only To come home at last
n. kill herself
"A 1T is what we shall never know in tn
:. world" answered the clergyman with
| deep sadness. II think she has snffere
much, and | know that to those wf
~ have suffered infinite mercy shall
"a shown. Who are We. Bernard. to dal
y. 10 limit that mercyf'
il So no one, least of all the two me
M who had loved her, the one SO faithful
TO and the other no carelessly. ever gnesse
IN the riddle of Myra's life and deaf
Blind and nnreasoning as she had beel
the "soullesas gypsy girl had yet BET
se capable, through long years of sc
he abnegation and through the dal
on tragedy Of her self sought deaf
.el of the one thing without which 10
il but a valneless thing of dros
d. and vet with which love may da
or to claim IL be divine. She had been cap
1t. BILE of sacrificing herself absolutely n
in entirely for the man she loved.
10 Bernard Harding was deeply shoeke
av for time at least. ut the tragedy OF
early love that had played itself out
to such a terrible manner. Yet, after
or had. like an honorable gentleman, to
ID. all the sad history Of Myra's life and dea
nc TO Constance Hilton. and when she, swei
i'm gracious woman, had eonsoled and col
forted him and in happy wifehoed foul
nd 1t nm easy task to forgive and to pity b
dead rival. then heshock of Myra's dea
sar wore itself faint in Bernards memo