The sun., 1893-05-25
CHAPTER III.
TWO LETTERS.
Ia+tors Mr.. Marshall

"Two letters, Mr.. Marshall. =,
RAYMOND Marshall took the rendered
missiyes from the hands of the anu
nuated postmaster of Hopedale, thrust
one. an ordinary business misslye, INTO
his pocket carelessly, but the other
his eve frightened and his pulse came
quicker. oa
"From Edna he murmured, recog-
nizing the handwriting on the enVe-
one. something about the reception
tonight. hope that tiresome MI.
Rrinsley is not to be her escort. IL
is too precious, too sacred to read
here" ,,,a
He reached home and went to MS
room. with a gay song on his lips. Inc
memory of the girl he loved was always
with him, the possession of shy, dam
-, onistIp from her enhanced its sweet
ness. -.
"Rather bulky" he commented, as
he carefully cut open the envelope, as
If every scrap of paper her hands hau 1,
touched was precious. MI MarsnaA
why! what is this? Oh, Edna! JOKE
a cruel hoax, surely"
The words died in a gasp. with staf-
ing eyes Marshall surveyed the letter
before him, Then staggering to MS
seat, he sat gIaring at II with eplor"
less face and chilled heart.
A formal dismissal, cold, precise
disayowal of all the past, the cruel
words seemed icy fingers reaching Tor
his heart, to blight all the faith and
love of his nature with a 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. Ii
| was better so since fate ordained it
| Remember her as q friend, their brief
ssiirtation" as wayward caprice fol
| nassing the summer months away!
False! Deceitfull | will never be.
| lieye it," painted the petritied Marshall
"WhFl yesterday-the ring / gave her
the pledges we made-oh! this is some
| farce, some hidden dream! What is
| this?'
Mechanically turning the wretched
missiye over and over in his neryeless
hands, Raymond Marshall observed fol
| the first time that it was comprised
| of two sheets of paper.
| And striving to separate them, ne
ascertained that stray patches of mu
| ciIage held the lower page to the other
Tn a few minutes he diScerned that. i
| could not have been the intention OF
| the sender to inclose the second sheet
That was accidental 1t had stuck tt
| the top sheet and had been folded IL
/ with 1t by hasty, careless hand.
1 It bore writing-not Edna's writing
A dagger seemed driven to Ray Mar
shall's heart as he tore it free, ant
| the bold, masculine chirography danced
before his vision.
If he had been startled before, every
oulse stirred with fierce fire now. The
letter had evidently been received b!
Edna the day previous, and was signet
with the name of the only rival in he
| affection to whom he had ever givel
Thought, Miss Chandlers cousin, Ed
mas announced escort of that evening
Barton Brinsiey.
The letter of an accepted lover Il
the woman he loved, 1t betrayed de
cided encouragement from Edna.
even bore slight ridicule of MARSHALL
pretensions. Edna had endured this
Edna had played him false, and whil
her shy lips were responding to hi
ardent expressions of devotion her ny
pocritical heart was thinking of Bartol
Rrinsley.
The complication was maddening
With eyes dashed with the insanit,
of despair the tortured artist looket
up. He clenched the tell-tale sheet
In his hand as if they were the falls
heart of the girl who had Tilted him
and that Of the man who had stolel
away her love.
IL will kill him!'' he choked out
his soul ablaze.
And then, realizing the folly of sue
a sentiment, the right Of any man t
honorably strive for woinan's prefer
ence, with the bitterness of death com
pretending that the woman was th
deceiyer, remembering his mother
taunt once made that he had bette
marry some one besides 'ia namelass
homeless nobody" he caiFaed down
II