The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-11
PAID IN FULL.

been foolish. ] am, as you have said.
poor and of no account in the world. 1
am parentless as well as penniless. It
it would be-absurd to think of mar
riage. Let us forget the past-be as
though we had never met. Your words
have forever obliterated the past in my
mind. could not, would not, be your
wife, though all the world urged me to
it. But your debts, your position How
are you going to extricate yourself from
the one and maintain the other?''
GLOW unsophistioated you are,
Edithp'
''But you do not surely intend to
make marriage your emancipator?' she
asked
He smiled at her earnest, pitying,
semicredulous look and then replied:
well, perhaps such proposal seems
-a-peculiar to you; but, my dear
girl, look at things sensibly. There's
Mary, for instance, my cousin. She's
an heiress. believe she-well, thinks
a great deal about me. You must have
seen Ii, Edith. Now
"But for PHYS sake, think of what
you are going to do! Do not deceive and
betray Miss Mary. Pause before you at
tempt to win her love for such sordid
ends. Is it not enough that you should
chill one heart without deliberately
breaking another? She is of such dis
| position that when she discovered, as
she undoubtedly would some day, that
you had more regard for her wealth
than for herself. it would kill her. 1 en-
treat you, consider. For myself I care
not. | can bear the revelation. But Ma
ry-no, she shall not be thus deceived.
Oh, considerl'
There was a great deal of considera-
ton i'll Frank Vaughan's nature. He
was full of it. But unfortunately it was
all for himself. He did consider Mary
truly, but not in the manner enjoined
by the feeling girl he had deceived. He
considered his cousin heaven sent
blessing. She was good match. With
plenty of money in her own right from
her deceased mother and as heiress to
her fathers great Accommodations she
was just the wife for him. True, she
was trifle slow, but then that would
not matter. She could follow the bent
of her ow inciinations, and with her
money he could do the same. On the
whole, Edith had taken things very
calmly. All, she was sensiblei 1t would
have done no good to create fuss, as
he had told her. He had certainly ex-
pected her to shed tear, because be
had thought she had given her heart to
him. But then women's hearts are very
flexible things. In fact, women them
selves are. Of course they don It feel
things like men do.
Things seemed to go very smoothly
and pleasantly with Mary. Frank found
her even more susceptible than he had
imagined. All, not much difficulty here!
How pleased she was with his atten-
tions! How she fingered over the pleas
ant, artful phrases he whispered to her
day by day! How impressionable she
was! She would be ripe for proposal
in no time.
And Edith! Poor girl, as the weeks
went by she noted the effect this man
was producing in his cousin. If love
was not already full grown in Mary, it
was in embryo. What should she do?
Size could not. knowing as she did the
motive power at work behind the man,
stand idly by and allow another wom-
ans heart to be deceived. Mary and she
bad always been great friends, though
she was but the governess. She must
| cavo bar IT. WOO bor dy,tu Navar+L al occ
when Edith came to speak to Mary on
such delicate matter she felt her task
difficult one, bnt she persisted in it.
Nor did she confine herself to a vague
warning. That might have been miscon-
strued. Edith boldly related all that had
passed between herself and Frank and
detailed that final, cruel conversation
werd for word, and Mary listened with
pity. She put her arms around Edith S
neck and kissed her in gratitude and
sympathy.
| Mary was not one to say much, but
she thought a great deal. She knew that
ere long her cousin Frank would again
| be sutton at the court of love; that
his petition would be presented to her,
| Ala AoSu anu WV detJ siAoOA w oAh e1'O az
| ton was set down for hearing. They
were alone in the grounds, seated in al
most the same spot as Edith and he had
stood in when his chill words had fro
zen her heart. Frank took Mary's hand
in his. She trembled slightly, but he,
bending over her, told her of his love
and asked her to become his wife. He
was surprised, startled, at her answer.
"Lovep' she exclaimed, with light
laugh. "What is love? A nonsensical
caprice. Born today, dead tomorrow.
''But not such love as mine, Mary, p"
said he. 'Do you not love me?'
''Love you'll Well, perhaps did once,
but-well, one can't live on sentiment,
you know. 1t is foolish of you to love
me, and have been foolish to encour-
age it. Besides. you know, Frank, you
are only briefess barrister, penniless
and in debt, while am an heiress, and
society expects great things from me. :"
Surely he had recollection of some
such words as these! Where had he
heard them? Where? Great heavens |