The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-05-28

decision long since irrevocabIe. i,ut onca
more place the choice in your hands -
You say you ask Of me ONLY myself
Is il not all have TO give? | cannot
give up the world TO lead the life Of .
reeluse, even though you 80 selfishIv
make the demand. One would supnosa
was a child to be dictated To at will.
Il has all been a mistake. Mr.. Ellis and
've may truly congratulate ourselves
that our eyes have been opened in time
TO redeem an otherwise fatal error. We
part as friends. / hope"
Friends? Who has been AT worl, .
Whose hand may ! thank for having
laid this network of worldliucss and
suspicion in the mind of a girl. who a
few short months ago. harbored no s1,cb
thou@ht2 NOu could not trust mo
them with your beauty. You feared
| would guard ii beyond the reach of
other eyes True, / might have held -
as a sacred shrine. but its bloom. its
radiance would have been undfmmed
till death robbed me of both. You giv..
me up, then2 So be IL Go hack IN
your world. Glory in IL: reveI in II
and teach men the lesson YOU have given
me, that the brighter the eve. the fair
er the cheek. the falser the heart. Good
evening. Miss Reynolds and with a low
bow. Nelson Ellis went out from the
light into the shadow.
Marion stood as in a stupor. She had
spoken her own thoughts for the first
time, for the first time expressed the
feeling which so long had ranked
How cold, how heartIeSs and UorIdIv
II had sounded even To her ears What
was the selfishneSs of which she had
accused her lover but the reflex Of her
OWL? Had the world really grown so
dear To her that she could nor Weld -
Up, even in the first flush OF vifebood
by husbands side2 How iDvirinrrba
picture had been, She had not really
meant what she had said. She had not
dreamed E-irnn would so accent her at
her Wort. ard wordless despair was in
the beau 'fHi "yes. rs the hot tears
WeIlod u -rd dropped one by one faster
ara faster, until she buried her head
IN her hands and sobbed as a child.
But there was one who heard Of the
rup'ured engagement with keen exul-
tatiOn. and n suppressed lool, of f.
nmph WIS on Allen Fane's face when
~ -T.AfN AAlf woman he mad defer
mined to win for his own.
You did splendidly. Marion he said
To her. Have / not told vau from the
first how selfish he was. even in his low.
that he never appreciated vou2 But
now, darling, that YOU are free 10 h.
won and | to WOO. viii YOU not let me
prove that man may be generous2 I
could have given YOU up 10 amy other if
thought Your happiness WAS at stake.
but not To one l read 50 well"
Hush, Allen. hush, II seems 10 me
desecration 10 listen TO such words. If
he were selfish. then J. such seltiSbneSs
glorious You call II splendid 10 show a
man who has placed his whole noble
heart at a woman's feet how frivolous.
worldly and beneath him Is that for
which he sues. l have thrown away the
highest prize life's lottery " I'D ever offer
me / have listened 10 the subj le words
which have first borne seeds of dist rust
but now that all is over. and have
with my own hand plrck.d the unbIoS-
Somed fruit. l can at least do him JUS
tice- and tell YOU nv heart is his. his
only, though he may never know it