Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-05-24
At WAR With HERSELF.
The Story Of a WOman's AtOnement,
auo by Charlotte NJ. Braeme.
CHAPTER xLu-Contlnued.

tqpmined resolve. She set the lamT
that she carried in her hand down on
the table, and went up to Loonie. She
kpelt down by the bedside, and placed
her hand on the hot brow.
-Leonie," she whispered, "Leonie,
my darling, could not help coming I'll
you'll could not part from you in an
ger, as we parted tonight. We are,
both Of us, motherless- have
neither OF us u sister and we have
been great deal to each other. /
could not retire in anger, Leonie, be-
cause love you so dearly"
The noble face softened into unutter-
able tenderness as she bent over the
angry girl.
ri know you are not pleased with
me- she continued, in the same low
voice. IF you were but an Indifferent
acquaintance, your right or wrong do
ing would not seem impol tant to mo-;
but you are my dearest friend Leonie,
and cannot see you acting dishonor-
ably without coming toplead with YOU"
.'"I hope you will spare me all preach
Ing, Ethel. had quite enough Of that
this morning"
Il want to plead with You, not to
preach to you, said Ethel. "You shall
not harden your heart against me, Leo
ME! you shall not turn coldly from me.
Hove you, and by right OF my love you
Wust hear me.
Il cannot really see what it matters
70 YOU said Leonie. How does it
concern you? You can have no inter-
est in the inheritance"
Do not speak to me 80, Leonie; my
Interest is in you, and in your soul; it
IS for your souls sake that | come to
plead with you now"
II can take care of my soul myself, "
said Leonie, abruptly.
d .You can; but will you do 50? Let
me speak to you Us your own sister
might speak; try to think that am
your sister, Leonie, and then you will
have more patience with me. My dar-
ling right and wrong are so clearly
marked out for yOu-do not mistake
them. Believe me, unless you give up
this inheritance, which never was
yours, you will be unhappy all your
life; you will never know peace or rest
again; you will even despise yourself.
Honor and honesty both call upon you
to give it up"
Then they call in vain, Ethel, for l
shall never do so.
You will. | have more faith in you
chan you have in yourself; you will do
right in the end. 1t is Il terrible temp
tation-I admit that. Because you love
luxury and magnificence so dearly-be-
cause you love all that wealth brings
1t is great temptation; but, Leonie,
there is something far above all this.
THAT is preaching, Ethel"
Miss Dacre bent over the fair face;
she looked tenderly at the rare perfec
ton of its loneliness
AYou are so beautiful, Leonie," she
uurmured; your soul should match
your face, See, my darling, there are
two paths before you; have patience
with me while sketch them"
y must listen, | suppose, said |
EeOnie, resignedly,
"Yes, you must listen lie ME. Sup
pose you do what is right-you give up
to Paul Flemyng, before your marriage, |
whGti9 justly his-the money, estates,
&ud, and title the late Earl meant to
leave him. Before God and man you
will then have done a just and honora-
bic deed; and what will you be the |
worse for it! Your husband who will |
never know CT this argument twill adj |
Tnife you as the most loyal of women, |
and people will have faith in you re- |
cause You have proved yourself capa-
bic of being honest at any cost to your
self l can see naught in which you
can suffer, but in every respect you
will gain, You will have fair name |
before men, and clear, bright, brave
soul before heaven. Oh, Leonie think |
what that means; think what it is to
have the clear light CT heaven on you
10 live so that you may find a home in
that better land. There is the other
path. You may, with perhaps some |
show of Legality ON your side, keep this
inheritance you may humiliate the |
man you are going to marry by giving |
him everything, which in reality he
ought to give to you but say to you
that in doing so you imperil your own
soul. Leonie, those are not light |
words Suppose that half of England
Were yours, and that wonderful ex-
tbenSion of life were given to you-that |
you were allowed to live over hun |
'dfed years you must die at last what, |
then, would it matter to you whether
you had been rich or poor? The great
concern would be to have saved your
soul Leonie, can you say honestly |
Shat you are even trying to save your
soul when it is weighed down by such
Ie,sin as this? Can you fancy what the
hour Of death must be for one who has
lived life of fraud? You know that,
III you keep this which is not your own,
you can never honestly raise your head
among your fellow-creatures: YOU will
be burdened with a sin of wrong-doing
and misery that can never leave YOU"
} ETHEL you are wasting your time"
said Le0nle.
9"HNo, do not think so. You turn
from me proudly now; you refuse to
listen to me; you despise all that | am
saying-but you will remember my
words, for all that, Leonie You wi
remember that |, who love you with
1eep, true disinterested love, have
knelt here to pray you for your souls
sake to act rightly and honorably.
1eonie, have another idea about YOU;
II am wrong forgive me. 1 have
tiancied from your manner, from your
iieverish restlessness, from your crav-
ing for excitement-I have fancied,
Leonfe, that all this is not strange to
You; that you had perhaps found the
will, and had hidden it,"
2 A low moan answered her. When
she looked at the white face, she saw
that Leonie lay in dead swoon.
Was | too hard upon herr" MUIR
INJURED Ethel. ooh. mol Hnaven l,nnrrs