St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-28
"THE FEVER CALLED LIVING

hearted, gray-halred physician VINO nad
told him the worst" with voice in
flected by altogether unprofessional
emotions; and as he recalled the scene
Wilfred DevereuX smiled grmly.
Wilfred DevereuX had led a selfish
and altogether useless life, but he had
found the world fairly amusingi until it
had begun to bore him, and of late it
had bored him profoundly; so he did
not care so very much if he was going
out" as he phrased it.
He was to avoid excitement. The doc
tor had said so. Again he smiled as he
recalled this advice. For years his lite
had been a restless search after fresh
distractions and excitement. and the
woridling thought how entirely super
fiuouS the counsel rendered by his ply
Sician had been.
Well, he was following out the pre-
scripton tonight. at all events, idly
lOunging in the luxurious little smoking
room.
He did not feel any penltence for his
miSSpent years Of manhood. No; since
one summer afternoon long ago he had
made up his mind to give up taking life
anu " II EtNI u IL IHNlNIl 40 GA
opportunity for having "a good time"
and now he had nearly spent his life;
he had had the good time" and felt
reckless.
In a few days, weeks or mOnths-it
did not interest him to speculate which
the men at the clubs would say to one
another, Hello so / see Door old
Devercux is dead" and the cousin who
was to inherit his property would con-
gratuIate himself that there was any
thing left to inherit.
That was all. 1t might have been so
different, but it was her fault. Was it
quite fair, though, to lay the blame OH
his old love? Yes, yes; she had cast
him off; she had sent him adrfft, and
his life's shipwreck was due to her.
But. despite these melancholy -refiec-
tons, DevereuX would not give way TO
gloom. On the contrary, he rose, ex-
changed his smoking jacket for his dress
coat, studied his list of engagements,
and. having ascertained that Mrs. Pot
tinger-J ones expected him at a ball in
Kensington, and that Lady Hildegarde
had sent a eald for her crush in Brook
street, he sailed out into the thronging
street.
Once more DevereuX felt momentary
piC GU OOil5 ~ NlIlLSii VA wv Oil'il7
ant world, and then he thought of the
summer nights that were to come next
year, when all this life would 90 on
just the same, while he would be lying
in six feet Of earth somewhere away
from the sound of the throbbing of the
wheels, and the never-ceasing fail of
feet on the London pavementS.
He Shuddered After all, death was
not pleasant to think about.
Again he forced his mind to thoughts
of the past, and presently TO such good
purpose that he had forgotten Mrs.
Pottinger-JoneS and Lady Hildegarde,
aud was leaning on the parapet of the
embankment. whittier he had strayed.
and was watching the sparkle OF the
stars in the dark river.
1t was sunny summer afternoon,
and the fresh breeze blew from the sea.
The tide was out, and the long lines of
foam were white against the blue. On
the cliff edge, where the poppeS famed
and the bees hummed in the thyme,
stood young man and girl.
She wore pink dress and hat with
a shady brim. and there was look of
pain in her eyes.
us that your final decision" said the
young man. Have you no pity?''
"Plty? Yes, infinite pity; but | cannot
marry you Indeed-indeed, cannot"
she answered.
Il would do anything, anything" he
pleaded, "to make you love me again.
know am unworthy of you" he went
on. You are ali angel, a goddess"
But she only listened to his frantic
praise with head averted.
mo, no; it is too late," was all she
would vouchsafe in reply to his plead
ing. Her mingled expressions of pain
and scorn told the young man how he
had been weighed and found wanting,
and he clenched his hands in despair
and modification.
Then he drew himself up and spoke
slowly and deliberately.
Every WELL" he said. "Since you cast
me off have nothing good left to live
for. But don't think l shall waste my
time i'll vain regrets, or that shall ever
come Oack to you, will commit every
sin and folly that can hide away tie
pain of this parting. | will sQuander
my life as carelessly, as recklessly, as L
can. l will never try again to be or do
anything pure or good"
"My only object henceforth shall be
to forget; to forget you and all my fool
ish dreams, my belief i'll you and your
love, my misplaced trust in wOmanhood,
and ali my sins shall be laid at your
door. You may repudiate them Mary,
but my sins shall be allon your head
You could save me if you would, but
yOd will not"
His face was flushed, and hers had
grown angry and scornful.
Suddenly he softened again. Don't
you see, Mary how you are spelling my
life?"
She made no reply. He asked her for
a last kiss, for the flower she wore at
her throat, but she refused both by
silence and downcast gaze. And so
the romance of the young mans life had
ended.
Devereux thought of all this as he
gazed into the dark flowing Thames.
Heavens! how well he had kept his
word about squandering his life! But
he did not blame Mary now.
"Mary is in town tonight" he re-
fected, as his cab bowled down the en-
bankment, and under the towers of
Westminster toward Kensington. II
wonder if she has changed much, and if
| shall come across her before die?'
And now he had reached his destin-
alton, and was walking up carpeted
stairway, while the music sounded
above him. He could not dance. The
doctor had forbidden it, so he strolled
aimlessly out of the ballroom.
Sometimes one seems to know by
premonition what is to happen next.
So it was with DevereuX, and he
scarcely started when the girl of whom
he had so recently been thinking about
appeared before him.
The salt smell of the sea, the fresh
ness of youth and the old impossible
happiness seemed to come back to him
as he looked into her beautiful, serious
eyes and returned her sedate greeting.
She was no longer mere girl, but she
was very beautiful : indeed, little
changed from what she used to be.
Silently she suffered him to lead her
out on the balcony.
II have heard little of you since we
parted" he said.
'And l have heard-much Of you"
Al. 7 Foo O