Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-07-07

reality with which my life has been
blessed" nm. g..
$50 be it," prayed Jessie "But Tor
uou there is d future. A future wEerelh
the arms OF a loving. dutiful wife can DC
clasped around your hetk, and wherein
ihe bra title of Joyous, beautiful children
will have their place. God grant it,.
She was silent moment, her bosom
rising and falling stormily, as If with
thonghts for which she had no languages
and then she resumed, burricdIy;
~ come to my last requests, dear
Vance. of which have two. 1he llrSt
is that you will forgive me for allowing
our acquaintance to go so far L knew
from the first hour of our meeting-oh,
only too wcll.-that had no right 10 en-
courage your attentions, since was fore
doomed never to marry! But it was so
sweet to be loved Tho fluttcrs you
caused my poor heart were so deliciousI
It was such delight to meet you'll you
had 50 much to say that thrilled me-
You will forgive fne for not breaking OIL
the acquaintance sooner, dear vance,
aForgive you, darling? | will bless
you to my last breath for having given
me this great happiness"
81 knew you would be generous,
Vance" and she kissed him with solemn
Tenderness. "My second and last re-
uuest is that you will order your future
life precisely as if you had never met me-
The only thing now wanting to crush
and kill me is to feel that have blighted
your llfe such is not the case, vance?'
mo, darling. On the contrary, you
have glorifed and ennobled it,"
aTben let it be a grand success, Vance.
want you to be honored and happy
The world is full of sweet, good girls,
and you are one of those worthy and
gifted men who readily attract them. |
shall hope to hear of your marriage In
due course. and then"
The poor girl had assumed too much.
She broke down, and sobbed piteously.
nNothing that you can reasonably ask
of me, darling" assured Vance, seizing
her cold, trembling hands, "shall be re-
fused. But my heart is no longer mine,
Jessie. | cannot reclaim it. ! feel, too,
that there is no adequate reason for this
banishment. will go away now, but /
must come again; and | must know more
about the curse of which you have
spoken."
"No. Vance: we muis not continue
this acquaintance. We must separate
how and forever. Forgile me for all the
pain am causing you, but Go not seek
to change my decision BE sure it Is
none the less irrevocablc because / have
DELAYED about announcing it. Judge OF
my pain by yours, and be merclful.
Farewell, dear Vance. One last kiss.
"But. shall we not meet again, Jessle?"
asked the young physician. caressing her
as tenderly as sadly. "At least once
more?"
"Oh, do not doubt 1t. daring!" and her
eyes ldndled as if the music OF the
spheres had already fallen upon her
hearing. "Oh, yes. By-and-by, Vance,
when this mortality shall have put off its
letters and earthly infirmities, and we
shall have exchanged the thorny paths OF
this vale of tears for the everlasting
radiance of the starry plains above us,
then we shall meet again, dear, dear
vance,"
A moment longer she hung upon his
breast and lips, as if upon the verge OF
insensibility, as indeed she was.
And then, with final swift return oil
the wonderful strength lent her by de-
spair, she tore herself from the arms OF
her lover and burst into the house, with
a mien so agonized so terribly indicative
of suffering, that he did not venture to
detain her or to pursue her.
She had fled from love and all that
love had TO offer.