Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-03-21


scented: there must be more. Is it pos
slole. then, that THAT you-that any
9nlng ever passed between you and me
IN the old days which could have been
taken IN SO i'll a part that it must needs
rise as barrier between us for ever
more?"
''What did pass between us? Stop
where you are, for he had made a
movement towards her. What did
pass?'
Why, we were companions, friends
we liked to be together. I was fond
OF you, and you-by Heavens. if | had
ever thought ever imagined But
you cannot mean it,
Il do mean it..
"You cared for me:" his voice falt-
cred.
II did care"
"You? A mere child?"
81 was no mere child"
'But you could not have known-it
is not possible you could have known
what love meant. \ GU could never
have felt"
mot have felt? Not known? Oh
how little, how little, can you know"
cried she. weeping afresh. mot have
known. when you yourself had taught
me! Not have felt oh, [ think [ shall
| never feel again can never feel again
as did then. You ask me now for my
heart? You stole it then. How d1u [
get it back? Only through your neg
lect and utter Indifference. But [
have it now-fast; never, never to part
with it more. No. not now-not again"
as he once more endeavored to speak
and to be heard. mot again. Once
in lifetime is enough. Oh, you had
it that once"-here her voice was al
most lost in convulsive sobs-' that
once" she whispered, "but-but "a
second-time-never!" and with sud-
den rush, she flew past and vanished
from his sight, leaving him dumb,
motlonless, and alone.
CHAPTER XVIII.
NCLUSION-GRANNY TO THE FRONT.
Had she then all this time been but
revenging herself?
Bellenden asked himself the humil-
lating question d thousand times,
smarting with shame, disappointment,
and, worse still, disenchantment.
Had the girl to whom he had given
such high place in his imagination
as well as in his heart, been Laying
towards him part so unworthy? Had
she, whom he had all unwittingly
sinned against for it had been unwit-
tingly, when all was said and done
had this bright, beautiful creature,
with her noble bearing, and her proud
8 -orn of all that was false and mean,
stopped on his account to vengeance
SO far beneath hers elf?
He could hardly believe it. Had an
angel descended to soil it's wings he
81 - - e. ~ !
ness, purity, and truth more cruelty
shaken.
Could this have been Geraldine who
had just fed from him, as though his
touch were contamination? Could it
have been she who had poured forth
such derisive tauntS, and announced
such a petty, base, and degrading
scheme as her own? Could it have
been her sweet face,so many a time and
oft turned towards him. shy as a blush
ing rose bud, which had now been over
spread by the angry glow. and whose
features had been, alas distorted
with a fury which he had been the
object?
He felt as if rough touch had been
laid on his shoulder. and rough voice
in his ear had hidden him awake
from fair dream and face a hash
reality. His idol had been shattered,
and lay in pieces at his feet.
She, for her part, spent the night in
tears. Why make mystery Of it?
OF course the whole had been Ce lips
work. He had contriveu, goodness
knows how! to draw his cousin apart,
and get her to himself at last on the
second day Of the festival; and he had
then first pleaded his own cause, and
in md u.
sequently, and doubtless with more
acrimony than might otherwise ha, Q
been vented, turned his attention to-
wards blasting the hopes Of his pre-
sumably more successful ri al.
He had meant to order his plan of
action on this wise. 1t was to have
been thus: Clear the course oil Bel
lenden, then walk the course, Ray
mond.
But lovers seldom keep to their pro.
grams on such occasions, and Cecil at
the critical moment had come to grief.
His own wreckage had been a GER
tainty almost from the outset; but he
had done himself none the less damage
in that he had sought to involve Bel
lenden in his ruin.
1t must be supposed that finally this
had been apparent to him. But there
IS, DIS every one KNOWS, d CefIalH uorC0
consolation in hitting back, even
though each blow recoils on the head
of the striker; and Geraldine's sutton,
beholding his suit hopelessly re ected,
may be pardoned if, not being a man
OF fine character, he had not taken the
downfall of his hopes quite so we'll as
he should have done.
He had been as unable to bride his
tongue as woman, and sore from his
own wounds, had recklessly delivered
as many us he could in return.
Nothing he knew would heart the
proud-spirited girl more than any re-
verting to the old childish folly. and
accordingly are sorry to say it =
it had been to this that the defeated
candidate had turned at once.
A very Indifferent tale it had been
to hearken to. He had been watching
his cousin, he had allowed, and had
been very much afraid, very apprehen-
sive and anxious on her account. He
had hoped against hope that he had
been mistaken. Not less on her
account than on his own ION his own