Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-11-05
and smoked.

story. Were you never curious
about me in the old daysP
Yes, Often.'
'Mell, l want to tell yOu my
history. was a disappointed man
then; | am brOken-dOwn one
now, without friends, almost with
out money, Oh! am not going to
borrow. You rem ember when
left you and returned te EnRlsndi
Il do, and you promised to look
me up in London, which promise
you never kept
No; but you received a letter
from me telling you that was
going abroad"
'Yes.'
That letter was a lie. | have
not been out of the country since.
! knew l WAS not going when
wrote that letter.
BE spoke as it the statement
was lbe keynote to his whole his
tory. His manner quite startled
me
'Yon wonder Why took the
trouble to tell you liei Well, |
wanted to be trrgOtteu; dill not
want YOU to try to 1nd me,
'And yet you have spent the last
two months looking for me- y
sald.
Il don't want 70 be forgotten
an, more. | want 10 have friend
iu the world TO talk to-
He was silent for a moment aud
relit his pipe.
There we're two of u.s. he said
'twip boys. l was the elder by ten
minutes, and we were born three
months after our fathers death
We grew up great friends, as twins
often are, and yet We we're very
different. L developed into a quiet
stndious gray faced yOungster. L
was slow at learning, slow OF
speech. and DObodJ's tavorite. My
brother, Richard, on the contrary
was bright, clever; even as a boy
his conversation was accounted
brilliant. He could do anything
and everything, was full of fur
and laughter, and generous and
thoughtless TO a fault. Richard
benmore was petted by every BODY
When we were about sixteen ny
mother died. I remember the nigh
before her death as if it were
yesterday only.
You are my eldest hoy, Robert,
she said, taking my strong hand
10 her feeble one. 'YOu are, per
hsps, not 50 clever, naturally, al
Richard, but you have got balance
winch be has not. Richard trOnbles
ne often
Every body likes him, mother
ans wered.
That makes all the more dan
ger; and | want you, Robert, t(
look after Rlchard.'
Il shall always love him.
And you will help himf'
Yes, alwavs.'
'More than Oncs that night she
made me repeat the promise, an(
took an oath, little knowing wba
the oath meant.
Time passed, and We both go
on we'll. Ihad, perhaps, the mos
money, but then l did not 60 on
as much as Richard did. and h'
gave away more than l DID, too.
The humdrum round OF m
daily life was suddenly disturbed
pleasantly 80. Alice Evershau
came into il, and from the IRA
moment | saw her | loved her.
had never even cared about a wo
man before; had never even. as
boy. had = preference Tor one o
the pupils at the seminary 10
Young ladies we passed every
morning on our way 10 school. Fo
long time 1 loYed IN silence.
feared to put my fate to the tes'
aud when plucKed up my cou'
aye to ask Alice to be my wife
WAS too late. She was kind ant
geu;le, bat her mo- WAS final.
But. Alice, l will want. fo
will chsnge-you must change,
SAID, IN in my despair
Il shall never change
Who 10 the-the other manP
Il cannot tell You that. A w
man does not confess her love Il
a man before that man has aske'
her.
Life has been black enough Il
, me many times, heavens know
bat never so black as it was the
IL IS the Que great passion [ hav
, known. aud it has made me wh'
| l am today.