Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-16

a
J No, l do no. Miss Keith. I shall ever
preserve in memory the impression
/ your cOuntenance first made upon me
| shall. in spite Of your averted face in
this moment. and in spite Of the afro
ciously hardhearted and persistent
way in which you ran me to earth
I shall always connect you with hope
| pity and salvatiOn-after a great de
! spair.''
A tone of very deep feeling quivered
/ through the last words. | kept my
head turned absolutely aside. No.
! would not be duped.
"Will you not say something: Will
you not at least. be generous enough
to make some remark" he asked with
an impa tent sigh.
"Of course" | answered. resOlutely
discharging from my tones anything
but the most metallic hardness. these
papers prove to me that you have
spent the last seven years or so in
genuine work at the university. They
prove nothing more"
you choose to show me q relentless
spirit. And | suppose l deserve it.
But I have further proofs with me-
SO saying, he produced an ancient
looking newspaper and asked me to no.
tice the date. The year was that of
the incident of the theft, the day and
week few months earlier. The paper
was a northern journal. He pointed
out paragraph which J forthwith
peruSed. 1t was to the effect that Mr..
Hubert Marston, nephew of Mr.. Albert
Marston, well-known Yorkshire
manufacturer and NJ. P. had won a
scholarship at st. Thomas's college,
Oxbridge, and that it was supposed he
would end his career at the university
in the autumn. The paper added that
he had for ten years previously pur-
sued a very satisfactory and steadily
rising career at a public school.
That did fairly stagger me. OF all
his life there remained only a few
months to account for. During those
months it was that the robbery at the
railway station had occurred. [ found
myself looking seachingly into the
blue eyes, which were bent as steadily
upon mine.
And in that position we remained for
a few seconds. He was the first to
speak.
DO you now believe in me. Miss
KEITH" he asked. in a low voice.
No" said I: Il cannot say that
There remains a good deal to be ac-
counted for
He gave a sigh of disappointment
Il would give a great deal, some
how" said he, eff VOC would believe in
me just on my word. Yes. [ would
give a good deal"
To this. at first. | made no response.
There was something dOwncast in bis
air; he had troubled look. and [ be-
gan to conceive in all this matter some
great hidden stress of life, some trag-
zeal combination of circumstances,
which might throw a man once in a
way upon a wild act out of consistency
with the rest of his nature 1t was
growing dusk. We had been silent for
several minutes. To relieve the situa-
ton [ rose and stuck a match and be-
gan to light the candles. Then | ap-
preached the window.
LET me do thatr' said he, springing
up, and he went to the window and
closed and latched it, [ meanwhile
had my hand on the curtains.
'That also [ can do said he.
He came up to me and took the very
fold [ was holding. There was some
thing in the commonplace action which
relieved the embarra ssment we had
both been feeling. Our fingers met by
accident. In a moment his other hand
gently pressed my shoulder.
Miss Keith" said he, Miss Keith!
Only tell me that just on my word you
will believe in me. That you will take
back that ugly name you called me.
That, in spite of everything, you will
say to yourself, This man is not a
rulfian.'"
| pulled at the curtain.
''You are not really helping me, Mr.
Marston," said I, cneeriIy, please
stand out of the way and let me get
this well drawn to. Thank you. Now
will you sit down again? No. To tell
you the honest truth, I do not think
y
of most supreme and righteous anger,
1 am not at all sure that [ really in
my heat thought it Of you"
Nov" said he, Il can trust you. l
can trust you with my story. Will
you sit down again and listen to it?"
1T will be necessary to tell you" be-
gan Mr.. Marston, ''that | was early
left an orphan dependent upon an IN
cle-Mr. Albert Marston-for every
thing. He owned prosperous Woollen
mdnufactOry in Yorkshire and was a
member of parliament. AS soon as l
was old enough he sent me to a public
school. Here [ remained for seven
years. Among my schoolmates was a
lad named Rudolf Won Halle; took a
fancy to him, and the friendship lasted
until the evening before | met you at
the railway station. From that day
to this | have neither seen him nor
heard from him.
Rudolf was the son of a poor Ger
man gentleman, and was receiving his
education on very low terms through
the kindness of the head-master Al
though Rudolf returned my liking and
was willing enough to pair off with me
as my special friend. | soon discovered
in his character an impenetrable mys-
terry. Boy as he was, he had a mar
vellous power of reticence | have
since believed this to have been in
duced in him by some abnormal cir