Passaic City record., 1897-06-19
A BROTHERS SACRIFICE.
By STANLEY HOWARD.

| eyes"
s'That letter was lie. I have not
been out of the country since I knew
I was not going when wrote that let
| ter
He spoke as if the statement was
the keynote to his whole history. His
manner quite startled me.
''You wonder why I took the trouble
to tell you lie? Well, wanted to be
forgotten; I did not want you to try
to find me-.
'And yet you have spent the last two
months looking for me-" [ said.
''I don't want to be forgotten any
more. I want to have friend in the
world to talk to-
He was silent for moment and re-
lit his pipe.
''There were two of u.s." he said;
'twin boys. I 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. I
developed into quiet, studious, grave
faced youngster. was slow at learn
ing, slow of speech, and nobody's
favorite. My brother, Richard, on the
contrary, was bright, clever; even as
boy his conversation was accounted
brilliant He could do anything and
everything, was full of fun and laughter,
and generous and thoughtless to a
fault Richard Denmore was petted
by everybody. When we were about
sixteen my mother died. / remember
the night before her death as if it were
yesterday only.
"'You are my eldest boy, Robert
she said, taking my strong hand in her
feeble one You are, perhaps, not SO
clever, naturally, as Richard, but you
have got balance, which he has not.
Richard troubles me often
Everybody likes him, mother I
answered.
"'That makes all the more danger;
and I want you, Robert, to look after
Richard
"'I shall always love him.
"'And you will help him?'
"'Yes, always
"More than once that night she made
me repeat the promise, and took an
oath, little knowing what the oath
meant.
"Time passed, and we both got on
WELL Ihad, perhaps, the most money,
but then I did not go out as much as
Richard did, and he gave away more
than did, too.
"The humdrum round Of my daily
life was suddenly disturbed-pleas-
antly so. Alice Eversham came into
it, and from the first moment saw
her I loved her. I had never even
cared about a woman before; had
never even, as boy, had preference
for one of the pupils at the seminary
for young ladies we passed every
morning on our way to school. For
long time I loved in silence. I
feared to put my fate to the test, and
when plucked up my courage to ask
Alice to be my wife I was too late.
She was kind and gentle, but her mo-
was final.
"'But, Alice, will wait. You will
change-you must change said, in
in my despair.
"'I shall never change
"tWho is the-the other man?'
"'I cannot tell you that. A woman
does not confess her love for a man
| before that man has asked her.
''Life has been black enough for me
many times, heavens knows, but never
so black as it was then. It is the one
great passion I have known, and it
has made me what am to-day.
ga week later Richard bounced into
my room one night, threw himself
down in an easy chair, and began to
laugh
"'Got the blues, Bobbie?'
"'No.'
"'Well, congratulate me. I'm the
happiest fellow in the world. I
want you to be my best man. I'm
going to be married
Married.!
"'Yes; I am caught at last-the
dearest girl living. You know her
we'll.
"'Who is it?'
Alice Eversham.'
''I sprang from my chair and brought
my clinched fist down upon the table.
Blind rage took possession of me for a
moment.
'Hallo!' he exclaimed What's
the matter? Are you in love with her,
too?'
"'No; I was thinking, answered,
stupidity.
+" IF you think like that often you
| will smash all your furniture. Come.