The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-11-04


OF course, he would be unhappy for q
long time she expected that. 1t made
Sibylla herself feel little sad, now
that it was done. But that would soon
pass.
She wondered how far Chrissy was
on the road, and if Julien would be at
the hotel when she arrived. She went
down stairs and walked on the lawn as
far as the gate, where she had so often
parted from him. She saw the rain
clouds gathering and returned to her
room. She tried to read but could
not. She heard the sound of horses
hoofs below the window and looking
out her lips turned pale. Julien was
riding up the drive. He must have
galloped all the way from the town,
she said, as she hurried from the win
dow to her mirror.
Julien threw his bride to Absalom,
who was hopping about on one foot
before the door. In the hall he met
Lefty, who with scared eyes told him
that Sibylla was at home, and ran up
stairs to warn her sister.
When Sibylla entered he was at the
window. She closed the door and
stood looking at him in silence. The
color had not yet returned to her
cheeks, and Julien, she saw, was very
pale. For long moment they stood
looking into each others eyes.
"Will you not give me your hand,
Slbylla," Julien said at last in voice
unlike his own.
"Why should not do ?" she said
kindly, and advancing placed her hand
in his.
"Perhaps after to-day, Sibylla, you
will never give me your hand again,
for the words have come to say to
you are surely the hardest that man
can speak TO woman.
She drew her hand away quickly.
"Do not say them then" she said
with all her old imperiousness-'T
forbid you l''-then in an altered
voice: "Julien, have been weak or
wicked woman, perhaps, but remem-
ber am proud woman. know all
that you have to say. Don't reproAch
me-" He stared hard at where she
stood, looking at him with kindly,
sorrowful eyes; then sank trembling
upon chair. She had read what was
in his mind the instant she entered
the room. What q marvellous sym
pathy existed between themi She
was making his task easy, but oh, how
doubly hard
"How long have you known this,
Sibylla?" he asked after while.
"How long? How can measure it
by timer" she said with souch of inn
patience. 'It was days, weeks ago
that | became conscious of that inde-
Unable something which had come be-
tween us. felt that we were grow.
ing farther apart, and / tried to draw
myself nearer you. Yes, tried. But
even when / was most affectionate.
even when you held me closet, l felt
it most strongly = oh, miserable sham
and pretence; Julien, why do you
make me speak of it?"
"5ibylla, it was not sham and pre-.
tence-it was real-while it lasted it
was true"
"rhink so if you can; even truth
has its phases and mutations i sup
pose" Then she added more gently
''I want you to believe the best of
me-"
Captain Booth bent his head and
covered his eyes with his hand. He
attempted to speak, but only succeeded
in making a sound like groan.
Sibylla rose and stood beside him.
"Julien," she said, 81 am not wont to
speak slightingly of myself, but l am
not the woman to make you happy.
All my life have been humored aud
INDUCED. 1 should have demanded
much from you and should not have
been satisfied with less"-his very
thought. Somewhere there is an
other woman who will mako you a
better wife than L"
"Not that-Sibylla-think any. thing
but that-I swear there is no Jther
woman /"
"Not now; but there will be one
day, Of course.
He was silent a moment. "You do
not dispise me SibYlla?" he asked in a
low voice.
''Despise you-despise you, JulienP"
She touched his hair softly. 'I honor
and respect you more than any man 1
ever knew"
Captain Booth raised his head and
gazed at her with adoring eyes. Then,
as he continued to look upward into
her calm, lovely face, The slid slowly
from his chair and fell on his knees
before her. He bent his head, and
taking the hem of her robe tenderly
and as though it were a sacred thing,
he raised it to his lips. Then he stood
up, took few steps backward, with
head inclined, and was gone.
1t was q beautiful, triumphant end
ing to the interview she had so
| dreaded. and it satisfied Sibylla Ash
ley. AS the door closed behind Julien
she suddenly realized that the rain
was falling in torrents. Gould she,
after that magnificent exit, call after
him to got an umbrella from the rack,
but to be careful not to take the heavy
black silk one because it was her