Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-09-20
LOVE AND GOLD.

She stood alone upon the porch, "in
the molten, golden moonlight wo-
man whose face was a dream of
beauty. Her wealth Of dark hair,
waving back from her white brow,
was wreathed with jewels: her robe
Of cleaning satin was rich and costly.
One snowy hand resting lightly upon
the railing of the porch, held a spray
of forget-me-nots; her dark eyes were
gazing listlessly upon the fair scene
stretched out before her in the o
light flooding the spacious grounds
which surrounded her grand home,
whittier she had come-a bride-just
three short months before.
Within the mansion a blaze Of light,
soft strains Of sweet music, and groups
of richly dressed people, for it was
Mrs, Earle's reception night, and her
great drawing rooms were thronged.
But the beautiful hostess stood alone
for a brief time, wrapped in revery.
/, crouching outside in the shadow of
q huge tree, watched that still figure,
with its bowed head, and the look Of
sadness upon her face, and / would
have been willing to give years of my
life to know that her thoughts were
Of me. Yet in the eyes of the world,
such thoughts - tender and loving
were sinful; for she was the wife of
Richard Earle, bound to him with
sheckles of gold. He was old and
ugly; she was young and fair; it was a
horrible sacrifice. And once she was
r:.ne-all mine. When / had left her,
only a year ago, her head had rested
upon my breast, and her tender eyes
gazed into mine while she murmured,
softly:
Cecil, 1 love you: I will wait for
you"
II went away the next day to Cali
fornia, where I had my small means
invested. The sum was not much, but
1t was all; and In this case, as In 9th
ers, the a6age Nothing venture, moth
ing gain" came true. The wheel of
fortune made a revolution, and / found
myself on top. Within a year after /
had zone away 1 returned home a rich
man. Returned home, and the first
news that confronted m was Enid
Gray's marriage with old Richard
Earle. At first I was stunned by the
shock; then / rallied, and declared
that it was false. But Cnere was the
indisputahle evidence, and all my mad
rawlings were in vain.
To night, when she held her court Of
fashion, / determined to be there, too.
/ would see her with my own eyes,
and judge il she was happy. So l had
entered the grounds of her beautiful
home, and, all unseen from my hiding
place, watched the woman l loved. /
saw her with her society mask off,
odd 4 IgN-, th.N H. .-a. X..wl .-s.
cradle. Had she forgotten me, or had
she only ceased to care? Even as the
thought fitted through my brain, the
sweet red lips parted, and I heard her
murmur, in a low. trembling voice:
Cecil! oh, Cecil! Truly, my punish
Gent is just"
My heart leaped madly. 1t was my
name that she was speaking-CecIl
Faulkner. Temptation assailed me. /
stole close to the porch; and in the
moonlight she saw ME standing there.
Enid" 1 murmured. "Oh, Enid,
why did you forsake me?"
She put up n white hand to her
throat, as though she were choking;
the dark eyes dilated; the forget-me-
nots fell from her hand, and fiuttered
to my feet. / stopped and picked
them up, and pressing a kiss to them,
placed them owe my heart. / have
them still, faded and dead long ago,
but my love Is as fresh and pure to-
day as IL was that night in the moon.
light, when / met my false love once
more.
Cecil" she faltered, lis it you? Oh,
why did you come here? II he-if
Richard Earle should see you, he
would kill you! Cecil! Cecil! truly you
are avenged; for though / have been
his wife but three months, I fear him
as the slave fears its master. / have
always hated him, and / fear him,
too!'
why did you not wait a little long
err / demanded, tiercely. "You sold
yourself for gold; and II have come
back with a fortune, EnidI'
She bowed her head with a low
moan.
II was mad. / think" she said, bit
terly. II was poor--so very poor
aud utterly friendless and alone.
Your letters ceased to come - and
l."
II wrote you every week. I inter-
rupted, wrathfully. There has been
treachery here. Enid"
There was no one to blame but
les, l. VIII tell you II truth. After /
became his wife. I discovered that he
had intercepted your letters. My life
Is a scene Of misery. and IL you were
to be found here now, we would both
be made to suffer. Go, Cecil, go! for
at any moment Mr.. Earle may miss
me and come here!"
Zone moment" l whispered, madly.
"Ycu love me still, Enidf'
For an answer she gave me one
swift look, and If ever a broken heart
looked forth from a woman's eyes,
then Epid Earle's was broken that
night.
Heaven help us both!' I groared,
and then / turned and plunged into
the darkness, where the moonlight did
not come. and hurried away, just as
/ must turn away forever from the
brightness and glory Of her love into
the gloom and darkness Of despair.
/ left the grand home OF the Earlcs;
but hardly had / closed the gate be-
hind me when there came the sound
of hasty footsteps. and a moment later
I was confronted by a man-an old
man, With a coarse, red face, small
ewes and n bald head He wore n