Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-03-03
NOT ALL IN VAIN.


you could care for her as you always
have
''You do not understand her, Dane.
1t would kill her nearly if she thought
l loved anyone better than herself.
Loving, gentle. patient as she is, in
this respect she is a little tyrant, and
she is too dear to me to allow adding
one drop to her already overlooking
cup of suffering. / cannot even tell
her OF our engagement. Things must
go on just they have and we must
wait"
"Madge, this is madness. Wait!
We might wait a lifetime; she may
outlive us both"
mo, that is scarcely possible,
though"
at may be for years, she added
with sigh.
Eyes. 1T may be forever" said
Dane, savagely.
"Let us hope not. But If it must be,
it must. AS have said, she would
droop and die if she thought had a
heart for any one else, and she must
ever come first before any happiness
of mine"
Like most other men, Dane Forces
sr was unreasonable when anything
aippened to thwart his wishes, and
Ae was blind to the suffering of the
girl he loved. He could not see that it
as costing her anything.
''And this is lovel A thing TO be
lightly cast aside for the within of an
invalid. You pretend to love me, yet
will destroy my LIES happiness with
out reason, for there is no plausible
reason why Dora should not be as
happy and as we'll off with us as she
could DO otherwise. Strange love
that"
"Do not speak so bitterly. Dane,'
replied Margaret, with sob in her
voice. "You do not understand, but
my reasons are strong and right why
| should not give myself to another
while Dora lives. Forget what you
have said to me this night, and let us
be friends as of old. Do not bind
yourself to me; give you your free
dom, only let us be friends for Dora
sake"
What you ask cannot be; we must
be more than friends, or less; since
you will it so you are free, but shall
go; it would be madness for me to
stay where l can see your face. Oh,
my love! my love! Once more / beg
of you to think what you are doing.
Marry me now, or year from now,
and / promise you Dora shall be
happy"
"How can let you go? Yet, Dane,
it cannot be, we must be friends only
for the present"
"You really mean it?"
Eyes"
"Then good-by - to you, to my
happiness. to all that would make
life worth living, land with passion
ate kiss on her quivering lips he was
gone, without thought that she toe
must suffer-without a suspicion OF
tIle sacrifice she was making.
She tried to call him back, but her
Ilps were parched and no sound would
come from them. With a cry she
flung herself on the ground, and with
only the stars to witness her agony,
fought her battle alone.
i ooh" she murmured, "that this
should be required of me. What have
| ever done that this must be? From
earliest girlhood have given up my
life to her. None of the joys and
pleasures of other young people have
known; none of that companionshir
that brightens life; all, all, has beer
sacrificed to make her poor life little
happier; all that love could do have
done, only to have this demanded oi
me. Oh, Dane, IL you only knew the
truth! Yet you never can. She loves
you; loves you with that strength Of
which such natures are capable; il
would be certain death to know you
loved another, and that other me-
But she shall never know. 1 will
make my moan in silence, and keep
the truth from her. But he has gone
what will she say to thatp Oh, why
couldn't he have stayed and let things
go as they were! No, he Is gone
gone! Oh, Dane, come backl'
For half-an-hour she lay there
81 mpest-tossed, then with a prayer
fer strength on her lips she stole Il
: her room, and when she entered hel
sisters apartment all traces OF hei
4 to emotion were gone.
What, Dora, not sleeping yetP'
she inquired, anxiously, as pair o
glittering eyes looked at her from
among the pillows, and she saw Grim
son spots on the usually pale cheeks
al thourht Won were ready to sleep
or would not have left YOU"
mot even to be with Dane?"
mot for any one. dear. Do I everr
"No, but you will some day. =.
know how il is; you will learn to love
some one, and then what will becom,
OF mep Ionly hope 1t won't be Dane
although he will never love me,
could not endure it to know OF hi
loving any one else"
Il ''Dora, dear. you are exciting your
self uselessly. You know ! will no
leave YOU for any one on earth. Yo,