Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-06-02
CHAPTER XXIu.

OF parting have come, and Eric Llewe1.
'!hs friends-his dearest ones-are al
ahout him His mother, his cousin Hes
ter, and his lost love, Edith Cameron.
The miserable girl whom he has mar
ried has no place among those" Muriel
thinks, as she keeps away In proud self
Torture, and locks herself into her bed
room- hoping in the bitterness of childish
ihisery that Eric will put the climax on
MS cold, cruel conduct by going away
without even saying good-by to her.
She hears step approaching the door,
and some one knocks rather sharply. Mu-
riei runs to the door, and with shaking
hands undoes the lock, and sees Eric
standing on the threshold, as he always
does. In his haughtily punctilious observ.
ance of the terms on which they live.
"I-I-thought you had gone!' she
gasps, trying terribly hard to keep from
letting the tears, and the tenderness, and
the misery of her heart, come all together
with a rush
What have / done to make you imag-
Inc | was lacking in the commonest cour-
tesy to youT' he demands, in a suppress
ed tone, for in modern built London
house one never knows where they may
be overheard.
Il thought l saw the cab drive away
with the luggage" falters Muriel: but at
the harshness and coldness of his tones,
love and hope die out of her heart, and
she strives to meet him on his own
ground
well, as my time is decidedly limited"
he says at last swallowing something In
his throat with a fierce effort, Il must say
good-by to you, and l assure you in
tended doing so without fail" And there
lis a scornful CLEAN in his burning eyes
--Will you not shake hands,"
For few moments a fierce conflict
irages in her heart, and womanly dignity,
wounded love, pride and wrath restrain
her as if with visible shackles. But the
Next moment the shackles are flung off.
and with a wild, despairing cry, Muriel
pushes after him who is forsaking her.
He has descended the stairs half way
already. and as he turns Oh the landing,
shocked and scandaliZed indeed at the
idea of scene" he finds himself in
MurieI's arms. But ere he can hold her
up. she has slipped down on the ground,
clineing around his knees with a piteous,
frantic entreaty-
.Dop'I leave me-oh, don't leave me
Snon Issz+e i..sj~- J an. ali a3onel Don't
60 away from me- 1~irt Don't go away
from me! Ny heart is breaking"
"For heavea's sakei" he says. she sweat
starting on his broE for very shame and
distress. don't tehs We in this insane man
ner! They will hear You downstairs Mu-
riei you foolish child, to give way in
this manner al the last. Do hush, Muriel.
he Repeats almost aDgrily, for the wild,
convulsiye cry has brought some one
rushing into the hail downstairs, and an
ejaculation in Miss Hettis's sharpest
, tones of indignant anna cement:
"For mercy's sake, what is the matter?'
t"I beg your pardon" Muriei falters
! brokenly, and she drass herself up off the
door where she has kne.I at his feet and
.-iuar TO him; and blinded with tears, tries
10 grope her way up to her roOEi again, but
Eric's aru. j. around her slip waist, and
Eric draws her head down on his breast,
while the strobx impulse rises throbblns
10 his lips to bid her come with him now
this minute and not let the inconvenience,
or The. gbsurdity, or the ridicule, which
this sudden resolve will surely bring on
, them. hinder them or keep them apart.
-Muriei, dear.' he whispers, hoarsely,
. srraiuing her TO his heart. Are You
yrieyins to part with me? My dear, you
, might haYl. come, too, if you had decided
I in proper time. You refused, you know
NV own darling girlI'' he whispers pas
which she proffers him, like a penitent
.a,ild longing to make it up" my own
dear little wifer''-when Miss Hetties
.hril. sarcastic tones ring up the stair
case.
Eric, the hanson has come. and you
will surely be late if you don't hurry a
little:'
Il must gS,' he says, hastily. Kiss
me. Muriei! Ne. dear, don't hold me
don't. Muriei. Bs good girl, and be
brave now. and don't upset me SO horribly
at the lustr' he says, irritSbly, in his dis
:. tress at the sight of these violet eyes
. str.aming tears and those quiyering lips
, tryiug in vain to say good by" and the
little white hands ciutcbing his coat collar
with a grasp of despair.
p. won't you take me with you? Oh,
won't YOU take meT' she says piteously,
half beside herself at the thought that
xhe next FIVE minutes will See her left
alone In the world; that hundreds and
thousands of miles of land and sea will
sever her from her only friend and rela
tive on earth
And. never, it may be, to look on his
face apain He will be dead TO her, as
Miles is dead to her. Miles loved face
lies under the coffin-lid down deep in the
-darksome grave in the far-off country
churchyard, hidden for evermore from
her sight until the Resurrection. Eric's
loved face-ahi most dearly loved of all
beside-her love, her bridegroom, the
darling of her SOUL she may never look on
him again until that day when the sea
shall give up her dead!'
MY dear girl! How can you be so un-
,reasonabieF' Eric exclams harshly, in
his vexed trouble. "It is madness of you
to ask such thing, and utterly impossi-
itle as we'll You know you refused posi-
lively To come with met is your OWL
-doings. Mnriel! Let me go, dear, let me
goi l shall lose the train!'
Il shall never see you again" she NUT
ters in an agony. looking up still with be-
seeching eyes and little coaxing hands
.clinging to him and caressing him with
anrreating touch. "Oh, Eric! shall never
see you any more!'
He cannot get another word out; sob
is choking him as it is, as he lifts her up
IN his strong arms as easily as Il she were
a child. and presses his face to hers for
nait a score of heartbeats, and when he
outs her down the face of each is wet with
the others tears. They are still waiting
in the hall for him, though he had hidden
them good-by before, and his mother is
weeping; and, as he rushed hastily
through the group, he stays to kiss her
again.
BE good to my poor wife, mother" he
says hoarsely, and never even looks at
Edith or Hester as he dashes out to the
hanson. leaps in, and the horse starts at
rafting pace, and the cab is out of sight
In half dozen seconds.