Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-01-23

earnestly, II have loved you 80 well, and
with 80 little thought Of self, that surely
l deserve hearing; and II there Is any
act of mine you have misinterpreted, it
Is only fair you should let me justify N.Y.
self IL cam"
She looked into his face with such evil
dent dread of what 1t was that he would
say that for On instant he was discom-
posed
Then, as she averted her gaze, he went
on gravely:
AT the same moment I first realized
my love for you l almost simultaneously
discovered that you were already en-
gagged, and I accepted my fate-sorrow-
fully, it is true, but with no hope of alter
ing it. If I implored you to think seri-
ously before definitely fulfilling the prom
Use you had made, it was, heaven knows,
with no Interior motive, but from q wish
to secure your happiness, which valued
more than my own. Afterward, because
L heard so much against Sergeant Lynn,
and l myself proved some at least of the
reports were true, l went to you once
more, because loved you so dearly, and
dared to think that you loved me. Be-
heve me, it was not because of the mans
position, nor with the idea of tempting
you from him with the advantages l
could offer; if he had been worthy of you
l would have been content to see you his
wife, if he had been even lower in the
social scale. 1t was the knowledge Of our
mutual love, and the Wretched existence
you would lead if you married him, that
made me seek you then. You wrote to
Sergeant Lynn at my instigation. throw
ing yourself upon his generosity"
DO not let us speak of that" inter-
polated Jane, coldly; and it chilled him
even more to discover that she still wore
the big silver ring upon her finger, though
the presumable giver of it was dead.
Dispassionately as he had spoken, she
had not been able to hear unmoved the
story Of that time-told too, by him; but
as his words recalled the deceit which
had been practiced on her, all the scorn
she had felt before revived; and more
than ever it appeared possible he might
be guilty, too, of the death of Jacob Lynn.
Her GOODNESS communicated itself to
him.
Il have no wish to say anything that
will pain you. | will not deny that I was
to blame then, though perhaps not so
deeply as you think. Should you ever feel
curious to know how it happened, your
mother will tell you the true story"
Il am not curious" sighed Jane.
She would have given much to have
known nothing that could make Stephen
Prinsep the less a hero in her eyes than
he was at first. Some sins might have
been condoned, but these of his were so
despicable and mean that she hated her.
self because in spite of them she loved
him still. 1t was that which made her
fear him so, lest her infatuation-so she
termed it-should prove stronger than her
sense Of what was right.
''And | will not speak of the day." he
continued, (which should have been the
brightest in my life, and was the dreaci-
est. l went away shortly afterward and
tried my hardest to forget what was at
once pain and shame; yet the first sight
of your sweet face, the sound of your
dear voice dissipated all my resolutions.
| knew you were as dear to me as ever.
Then gradually the impression grew up
on me that you were no longer bound by
the old promise, and that evening we act
ed together-with me it was no acting,
JENNY resolved to WOO you again; and
again, just as began to dream of a sue
cess, the more to be priced because so
hardly won, you met me with the uneN-
pected blow that you had pledged your
self anew, almost as fatally as before!"
"When | did so" said Jane-and the
words seemed wrenched from her by
some inner force she could not combat
81 believed that I should never marryv'
"Nas it sop he asked, gently. At
times he could have sworn she loved him
still, then again that look of dislike to his
presence, tinged, too, with fear, swept
L T,o nj l<,~ f,i,, TO II
'"Tell me, Jenny, when you gave that
promise"
''The day you called for the first time
after your return from England" she an
swered, in low voice.
Because you thought that no longer
loved you. Oh, Jenny, it was you who re-
mai1fed so cold and unconcerned, and by
your Indifference drove me to the belief
that you had forgotten all that passed
between us so short time before!
had not forgotten-I shall never forget
that 1 have held you in my arms, and
kissed you as a man only kisses the wo-
man he loves. and hopes to make his
wife. The aching sense of loss which was
in my heart the day on which our mar
rage should have been is there now, and
will be till die, or until, Jenny, you re-
lent! Do you owe me nothing for the suf-
fering YOU have caused? | respected the
feeling of honor which made you refuse
to listen to me while you were engaged,
and even the generous kindness of your
second promise; but now, surely there is
nothing now to part us!'
stephen, Stephen she murmured,
wistfully, momentarily led away by the
feryor in his tones; but as, in answer to
her pleading cry, he stepped eagerly to-
ward her, she shrunk back, remembering
what was between them. Yet his words
had not been without effect Believing
him guilty still, she could make some al
lowance for the crime now, gauging the
greatness of the temptation by the great
ness of his love. And it had been an ac-
cident-he had not meant to slay him, she
was sure, or he could not have appeared
so unconscious of wrong-doing! She too,
had been so much to blame, first in MAX
ing such a promise, and afterward in
sending the one lover to meet the other
with anger in his heart. She had taken
no thought of the jealous passion each