Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-02-16

III some one WOul0 only come along
and buy the store, he unused as he
rode along, he would put Electra ard
the boy in the wagon and go out west.
Perhaps in a new country he could get
better start aud Electra would be
happier and better satisfied"
Satisfied" He gave a great start
as the word passed through his brain,
and suddenly, like flash of lightning
blasting wherever 1t passes, an un.
welcome thought forced itself upon
him.
Yes, she did seem satisfied since this
elegant stranger with his city ways bad
come among them! He had not seen
her so like the sunny Electra Of old
days for months and months.
"He neverought to have married her,
great rough, ignorant fellow, while
she was tit to be the finest lady in the
land. Yes, and she should be yet If he
was all that stood in the way. He
would watch and see. he would be
quite, quite sure, and them
He buried his face in his two honest
hands, hard hands and rough, hut
tender always with little children, and
grOaned cloud, while the horses Jog
ged along and would have passed by
the house of one of his best customers,
had not the woman seen him and
rushed out shrieking for him to stop.
'Be ye sick?' she asked sympathet-
ically, as he drew rein and looked up
with dazed, dull eyes.
"Yes," he said slowly, and as If with
an effort, "I am sick.n
/ - 1.
''my Johnnie's been powerful bad of
these three weeks, but he's sight bet
ter now ifhe could only get out o. doors
some, but he amt strong enough to
walk much and the men be too busy
in the harvest to ride him.
'Let him go with me todayn said
Joe, his old fashion of lending a hand
coming to the front in spite of this new
trouble, "I will bring him along to-
night safe and sound"
10, thank ye kindly" cried the wo-
man, and so when Joe started on
again his seat was shared by sickly
little lad whose pale face won Joe's
heart at once, and the child's artless
delight in all he saw soothed the dull
pain beneath the faded jacket of the
man.
! And SO they logged along through
the long summer day.
And Electra, what Of her? She had
lived in waking dream this summer.
She performed her work almost me-
chanically with her mind absorbed in
the new life Basil Holmcroft had open
ed to her. A world of light and beau
ty; world of books, of pictures, of
grand thoughts and lofty aspirations;
and to all this Basil Holmcroft held
the key of the opened door and led her
in.
Little wonder that she was fairly in
toxicated. Basil Holmcroft was new
element in her life. She had never
known q man of his type before and
he fascinated her by his winning ways,
his tastes identical with hers, his ap-
probation of thoughts and feelings
that heretofore had been unshared.
And SO she fioated along unconscious
of the rocks toward which her bark
was drifting, and was Basil Holmcroft
the man of the world as innocent and
unconscious as he appeared?
Yes, and no.
At first his feeling towards Electra
were as brotherly as she still supposed
them to be, for he was not an evil man
only very selfish one, but selfishness
unlimited leads to all evil. He was
first attracted to Electra Dunbar by
her beauty, her aptness in acquiring
ideas that usually come with years of
education and by what seemed to him
her unfitness for the sphere in life iu
which he found her. She was fitted
for higher things, so he reasoned, why
not give her little taste of happiness?
The impulse to stretch out helping
hand aud add touch of color to this
dull tinted life was, perhaps, the near
est to genuinely unselfish feeling he
had known for years. But when it
grew to be the chief pleasure ofhis day
to bring the light to her eyes, the color
to her cheeks, when he had been en-
nuied by the continued society of any
woman, found himselfhappy for hours
in the society of this simple country
girl, he should have known his danger,
aye, more than that; he should have
known hers, and gone away. But he
shut his eyes to all save the pleasure
of the hour and-drifted. o fatal drift
ing with the tide, that has wrecked
more lives than all the storms of cir
cumstances.
1t had been o sultry day, this day
when Joe Dunbar went his daily round
with the boy, Johnnie, by his side, a
close, hot day, and Electra had robed
herself in her one extravaganza, a
cheap white gown simply made but
showing to perfection her stately
figure, and harmonizing with the vel
vet softness of her rounded throat
where q late rose nestled in folds of
snowy lace. She had cleared away the
tea things, put Harry in his little bed,
| lighted lamp in the shop and step
ped back into her little sittingroom
for book when Holmcroft's voice
from out dusky corner startled her.
II have taken the liberty to remain
awhile" he said, "shall you send me
away?
hYouare welcome,n she said simply.
II viii get a light"
10 please no,n he cried; 'tit is so
pleasant here in this half light.n
"Do not CO." as she was moving to-
ward the door
Harry is asleep. the work all Gone,
come sit down where / can see you.
No one needs you just now as much as
IL
There was tone ofrepressed excite
n.ent in his voice. Her quick Instinct
took alarm; she hesitated, but ht
caught her hand and quickly drew he
chair near his own.
"How do you know the work is al
done?n she asked, to break the silenc'
that someway embarrassed her.
because you would not be here If il
were not. IT is always duty befor
pleasure with YOU" trifie bitterly.
"Why should not duty be first ant
best?p
"Duty isn't everything"
uThere was no mistaking the ton
ro.w, o,I TtIoafrnto unioa had n trnn