The sun., 1893-05-25
CHAPTER III.
TWO LETTERS.
,o.4or, Ar Marshall ="

1.-TWO letters, MI. MarSnln. !,
RAYMOND Marshall took the rendered
missives from the hands of the anu
ouated postmaster of Hopedale, thrust
one. an ordinary business missiye, INTO
his pocket carelessly, but the other
his eye frightened and his pulse came
quicker. oa
.sFrom Edna" he murmured, recog-
nizing the handwriting on the enVei-
one. something about the reception
tonight. / hope that tiresome MI.
Rrinsley is not to be her escort. II
is too precious, too sacred to read
here" ~. ~
He reached home and went to, his
room with gay song on his lips. Inc
memory of the girl he loved was always
with him, the possession of shy, dam
tv enistle from her enhanced its sweet
ness.
ssRather bulky" he commented, as
he carefully cut open the envelope, as
IL every scrap of paper her hands haa
touched was precious. MIR. MarsnaA
why! what is this? Oh, Edna! JOKE
a cruel hoax, surely
The words died in gasp. With star
ing eyes Marshall surveyed the letter
before him, Then staggering to MS
seat, he sat gIarfng at II with e0lor'
less face and chilled heart.
A formal dismissal, cold, precise
disayowal of all the past, the cruel
words seemed icy fingers reaching for
his heart, to blight all the faith and
love of his nature with single touch.
Edna had written it-her slanting,
italian style showed in the chirography.
There could be no doubt of that, but
the language!-oh! what did it mean?
Briefly it addressed him as might one
a stranger. Circumstances, the latter
said. had in an hour changed her des-
tiny. All was over between them. 1t
was better so since fate ordained 1t.
Remember her as friend, their brief
ssifrtation" as a wayward caprice Tor
passing the summer months away!
False! Deceitfull I will never be
lieve>it,H painted the petrified Marshall. !.
"Whyl yesterday-the ring l gave her,
the pledges we made-oh! this is some
farce, some hidden dream! What is
thisY'
Mechanically turning the wretched
missiye over and over in his nerveless
hands, Raymond Marshall observed for
the first time that it was comprised
Of two sheets Of paper.
And striving to separate them, he
ascertained that stray patches of mu-
cilage held the lower page to the other.
In a few minutes he discerned that 1t
could not have been the intention OF
the sender to inclose the second sheet.
That was accidental. 1t had stuck to
the top sheet and had been folded In
with 1t by hasty, careless hand.
It bore writng-not Edna's writing.
A dagger seemed driven to Ray Mar
shall's heart as he tore it free, and
the bold, masculine chirography danced
before his vision.
II he had been startled before, every
1ulse stirred with fierce fire now. The
letter had evidently been received by
Edna the day previous, and was signed
with the name Of the only rival in her
affection to whom he had ever given
q Thought, Miss Chandler's cousin, Ed
pa's announced escort of that evening
Barton Brinsiey.
The letter of an accepted ioFep ta
the woman he loved, 1t betrayed de-
cided encouragement from Edna. IT
even bore a slight ridicule of Marshalrs IS
pr6C6QSlOUS. EuIla Hdu eluuTeu lllS.
Edna had played him false, and while
her shy lips were responding to his
ardent expressions Of devotion her n.y.
pocritical heart was thinking Of Barton
Rrinsley.
The >eemplication was maddening.
With eyes dashed with the insanity
Of despair the tortured artist looked
up. He clenched the tell-tale sheets
In his hand as IL they were the false
heart Of the girl who had Tilted him,
and that Of the man who had stolen
away her love.
Ill will kill him!' he choked out,
his soul ablaze.
And then, realizing the folly Of such
a sentimept, the right Of any man to
honorably strive for woinan's prefer:
ence, with the bitterness Of death COM
pretending that the woman was the
'deceiyer,S remembering his mothers
taunt once made that he had better
marry some one besides '.a namelass,
homeless nobody he Gained h9Wa,