Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-12-10

sand vet he loved you, my mother:'
whispered Alma. in the half bushes,
tone of awe.
Yes" muttcred the lady.
''And yet you loved him."
yes"
And your marriage was happy II,
to that fatal evening"
Perfectly happy
''And yet-and yet
''And vet we parted-yes, as ships
at sea that meet and strike in the fog
and fly aS,lnticr-wrccAs doomed to &C
down to destruction. SO we married
and so We severed.
WAS it right
1T was right.
oh. mother, What made it right
What could make it right that you
snd ms father. who loved each other
So devoicdiy. who We're so worthy OF
each other. 100. and whose marriage
was so happy in itself. and so highly
approved H.; all. should separate SO
;s,lddcnly-so utterly and cverlastingly.
The lady did not reply, but turned
away her face to avoid the searching
eyes of her daughter.
ooh. Heaven cried Alma. "there
could have been but one rcason--some
previous engagement, or bond. or.
Or"
She could not bring herself to utter
the other word, but dropped her face
in her hands, while her bosom rose
and fell with those convulsive. tear
less sobs that seem to ''press the life
from out young hearts,"
81 know what you would say, Alma !:
but YOU are mistaken, poor. unhappy
girl! There was no previous engage
'ment, bond or love. far less marriage.
either ON Hollis Elverton's side or
mine, with any third person whose ex-
dstence could invalidate our marriage.
Hollis Elverton was a bachelor and
a girl when we married. nor had eth
er of us ever loved until we met and
loved each other. No. Alma. it was no
previous marriage that burst us asun-
der" said the lady. as some memory
of unusually exquisite pain convulsed
her statue-like form.
''Then. in the name of heaven. earth
and hades. what was it?" exclaimed
Alma. with starting vehemence.
81 have told you enough-enough to
decide your fate. l must not tell you
more!'
''Yes. and without any reason as
signed. you have pronounced SEN
tcnce OF communication and out
lawry against me; sentence that
cuts me off from the comforts of relig-
Ion and the intercourse of society; a
sentence that dooms me to fate
worse, infinitely worse, than death.
But. mother. without a reason that
shau convince my own judgment and
satisfy my own conscience. l cannot.
and ought not. to accept that SEN
tence or submit to that fate:' said
Alma, with gentle firmness.
Rash girl, what do you mean by
that?"
II mean. mamma. that, while l
may obey your hard commands while
Lam a minor. even though obedience
may destroy my life or reason. as it
may, but when am free, mamma, as
every one ought to be at some period
Of their life. must redeem my plight
ed troth by bestowing my hand upon
that Norham Montrose to whom even
you acknowledge that you have no
personal objection whatever. This is
all l mean. mamma
'.But. in the interval, you will meet
and converse with him often:"
'sNo, mother. will not seek to see
him; will even try to avoid him."
"But if he should throw himself in
your way. or happen to meet you and
speak to you. you will answer him
you will converse with him?'
II wish could promise that would
not. mamma; but, oh. l could not keep
such u promise, believe me, 1 could
not" said Alma, convulsed with sobs
II do believe you; and that belief
forces me at length to speak that
word-that word which must sever
you at once and forever from him and
from all cthcrs-that word which may
sink into your heart and corrode your
life until you are bloodless. as l am;
or that may kill you at once-strike
you down dead before me! Be it SO;
better that you should die than live to
marry said the lady, rising and APP
preaching her daughter, while the
grayness of death again Overspread
her paIlid face.
Alma, with dreadful sickness of
the heart. waited to hear some fatal
communication.
Mrs. Elverton bent down and wills
pered in her ear.
Alma sprang to her feet, gazed with
dilated eyes and blanched cheeks in
bewildering despair upon her moth
er's face, as though unable to receive
at once the full horror of her words,
and then drew her hands wildly to
her head, reeled forward and fell
senseless to the floor.
CHAPTER XXI
And how did Eudora pass the few
anxious days of imprisonment pre-
ceding her trial! r.-g y, -. ..
Oh. heaven! how much the human
heart may bear, and yet live on! Who
can compute the amount of sorrow,
humiliation and terror that formed the
great weight of anguish that pressed
her young heart almost to death?
Deep, poignant grief. for the loss OF
her nearest and dearest kindred; burn.
ing shame at the infamous charge un.
der which she suffered, and shudder.
ing horrors ut the awful doom that
.darkly lowered tOver her. *
Either of these passionate emotions
:singly was enough to have crushed
her heart or craZed her brain. All OF
them a t. once, she was .fated to endure
4 ss Often, ms with closed eyes and labor.
tnX lungs shelay upon the narrow bed
: nSTN,Gy ,,,ionw onIl chnf thn,vtybt tI,n IN,