The Opelousas courier., 1897-01-09

anu tuht tue nap uau UeCOIue looStueu'
A fierce flush leaped to her cheek
with the first impulse that followed
this discovery, and she rose, and cross,
ing the room with a quick step, locked
the letter in a bureau drawer. But
the thought occurred again and sgair.
That open letter haunted her. Her
mind traced in conjecture its struc'
ture--all the epithets of endearment
all the protestations Of love. The
longer she dwelt on it the more .shar-
rowing became her thoughts. In
sheer desperation she determined tc
deliver the letter Immediately. She
need not go to Eveline, and thus ex.
pose her secret, but could send it by q
servant.
Again the letter was in her hand,
but instead Of following outher inten.
ton, she began to walk the room with
a hurried step and quiveriDg frame.
AS the moth fits about the fame,ss
did Cornie coquet with the tenpter.
There was a growing longing to per-
use those words Of endearment to her
rival. It was conquering every senti-
ment Of delicacy and honor. With a
swift motion she drew the letter from
it's envelope, and setting her teeth
hard, began to read.
She took an almost fierce delight in
thus augmenting her pain. Uncon-
sciously she crumpled the paper in
her ~convulsive grasp. Her heart
raised in her throat until it choked
her. The hot tears blinded her eyes.
Suddenly she started andlooked at tho
letter aghast. A %teardrop had fallen
upon the fair page and left an un-
slightly blotch. With a swift brush of
her dress she sought to remove the
tell.tale moisture; but it was too late !;
the mischief was done; she only
blurred the writing more. Farther
more the sheet that had been smooth
was now all crumpled.
What was to be..done? Cornie stood
pale and trembling. Then o SEN
tence Of the letter REQUIRED to her
mind.
sIf I an not Indifferent to YOU, q
word will detain me; but if | do not
hear from you earlier, / shall know
the significance of your silence, and
the three o'clock train will bear me
from the scene of my happiness and
disappointment, to ind peace of mind
as best I can"
She sought the passage again and
read it several times. Then she folded
up the letter and replaced it in the
envelope with a strange steadlness.
H1ving locked it in o drawer she went
down stairs; and nothing but the IN
usual pallor of her face, and an occa.
sional start told that Cornie
Farnsworth had yielded to the tempt.
er, and committed q most treacherous
and cruel act.
"Roy, do you want to know"
Roy looked up at his mother with
an expression of surprised interroga-
ton.
"Why, what a strange question: he
said. "l suppose We should all like
to know"
"Well, then, you arc the cause, and
the only cause"
Roy looked blank.
IL? What have l to do with Cor
MES i'll heaIth!"
"Stupid man! Is it SO strange that,
when young people are thrown con-
stantly together, one should get think
ing too much of the other, unless the
feeling be mutual? There, o I've
told you. And, Roy, you are in honor
bound to respect her."
"Why, mother mine, I have never
said a word to Cornie other than any
Of her gentlemen
"Now! now! Words! Has the thing
to be demonstrated like q mathemati-
cal proposition? What have you been
doing at her very apronstring ever
since you we're big enough to walk
alone? And you know, my son,
there's not a girl in town that will
compare with Cornie."
"That's so," said Ross. thoughtfully.
81 know that you will act an hon
orable part in this matter, Roy"
With that, Mrs. Carlton judiciously
dropped the subject, and her words
bore fruit. Roy got to thinking over
their life-Cornie's and his-durlng
the year Of his disappointment. She
was certainly very gentle and woman
". Now that his attention was called
to it he remembered a kind of wistfal
sadness in her air, the significance Of
which he had never before asked him
self. There was nothing of jealousy
in it, nor even of r%eproach. She was
certainly a very nice young lady.
And, come to think of it, he had a
vague idea OF some time asking her to
be his wife before he saw Eveline. His
mother wds Noubtless right; he had
been q very ~colntant attendant upon
Cornis.
Whep he saw the rex of happiness
that lighted up Cornie. face when he
asked her to be his -ife-with what
perfect content andai trust her head
rested on his shoulder-he tried to per-
suade himself that he wasl a happy
man. His feelings were not Just
what-on that night when he wrote
with so much passion to Eveline-he
had expected those of an accepted
lover would be; but doubtless he was
as happy as most young men in his
situation.
Several weeks after their bethothal
they were in Comics boudoir. She
was rummaging in q work-box con-
tanning old letters and papers, broken
jewelry, bits Of ribbon, oily papers in
closing locks of hair, and the thou