Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-06-04

picture l have painted OF MY home?
Pause. Marion. Think while yet on the
threshold. II your life is mine, it be-
longs not to the world. II 1t Is the
worlds, then in it have no claim. !
offer you, darling, all have. ask OF
you only yourself, but ask itas free
boon and one which is placed willingly
IN my keeping. You must decide, Ma
rion, for yourself. ] had hoped your
decision long since irrevocable, but once
more place the choice in your hands,"
"You say you ask Of me only myself
Is II not all have to give? cannot
give up the world to lead the life of a
recluse, even though you so selfishly
make the demand. One would suppose
I was a child to be dictated to at will
It has all been mistake, Mr.. Ellis, and
we 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 workf
Whose hand may thank for having
laid this network of worldliness and
suspicion in the mind of girl, who, a
few short months ago, harbored no such
thought? You could not trust me,
then, with your beauty. You feared
| would guard it beyond the reach Of
other eyes. True, l might have held II
as sacred shrine, but its bloom, its
radiance would have been undimmed
till death robbed me Of both. You give
me up, then? So be 1t. Go back to
your world Glory in it; revel in it,
and teach men the lesson you have given
me, that the brighter the eye, the fair
er the cheek, the falser the heart. Good
evening, Miss Reynolds" and with low
bow, Nelson Ellis went out from the
| light into the shadow.
Marion stood as in q 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 heartless and worldly
it had sounded even to her ears. What
was the selfishness of which she hat
accused her lover but the reflex of hel
own? Had the world really grown SC
dear to her that she could not yield Il
up, even in the first flush of wifehoot
by a husbands side? How inviting the
picture had been! She had not really
meant what she had said. She had no
dreamed Nelson would so accept her a
her word, and wordless despair was IL
the beautiful eyes, as the hot teari
welled up and dropped one by one fastel
ard faster, until she buried her beat
in her hands and sobbed as child.
But there was one who heard of th,
ruptured engagement with keen exul
tation, and suppressed look of tri
rmph was on Allen Fane's face wher
next he saw the woman he had deter
mined to win for his own.
"You did splendidly, Marion,' he sale
to her. "Have / not told you from tn.
first how selfish he was, even in his love
that he never appreciated you? Blu
now, darling, that you are free to b
won and l to woo, will you not let m,
prove that man may be generous?
could have given you up to any other !
| thought your happiness was at stake
but not to one read so we'll"
flush, Allen, hushI 1t seems to IN
desecration to listen to such words. i
he were selfish, then is such selfishnes
glorious. You call it splendid to show
man who has placed his whole nobl
heart at woman's feet how frivolon.
worldly and beneath him is that TO
which he sues. / have thrown away Tn
highest prize life's lottery will ever offe
me. have listened to the subtle word
which have first borne seeds of distrus
but now that all is over, and hay
, with my own hand plucked the unblo'
somed fruit, / can at least do him ju.
tice, and tell you my heart is his, hi
only, though he may never know It,"