The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-11-05
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been doing"
"Why, in heavens name, did she leave
this house," exclaimed Nestorius, alone
with Lashmar in the library. What
made her do such a thing? She seemed
to me tolerably contented with her fate
resigned to live on as she was living,
till her literary talent found an opening
and gave her Independence; and yet, with
in few hours of my leaving her, she
rushes away as if she were driven by
Furies. What can it mean?"
'It means that I am BRUTE" answer
ed Lashmar, standing before Nestorius
with downcast brow and dogged air;
Eyes, brute. I have always been
brute to that girl, from the hour when
my poor brother first brought her into this
house to the hour she left it, driven out
of it by my foul tongue. You do we'll to
talk of the Furies. That girl has been
my Nemesis. She has brought the sin Of
pride of BIRTH the overweening confidence
in caste, home to me. She has made me
feel what poor worm am, and that in
gentlemanly feeling l rank lower than the
lowest iron worker in Brumm. l set my
face against her from the first; was re-
solved to see nothing but evil in her;
was hard, cold, cruel, pitiless, saw her
youth blighted by hard usage and never
entered one plea in her behalf. And then
when came back to the castle the other
day and saw her grown to graceful wom-
anhood, saw her strange and spiritual
beauty, l was angry with her for being
so superior to her station, for giving the
lie to all my prejudices. The more found
myself yielding to the spell of her mys-
teal beauty the more l set myself against
her, wrestling with the inclination to see
more of her, tearing myself from the room
when she was reading to my mother,
stunning her at all times and in all places
rs if she had breathed infection. And
vet could not pluck her from my heart;
and vet her image haunted me and start
ed up out of my sleep fancying that her
voice, was in my ears, those deep, low
tones, which gave new melodies to Keats
and Milton. 1 hated myself for falsifying;
every principle of my life, which was to,
see perfection only in the we'll born; and,
every grace that attracted me to her was
an offense against my pride and made me
more resentful of her existence 1t was
in this mood that watched her and you
| the night before last from yonder window.
l saw her throw herself at your feet and
kiss your hand, and was mad with rage
at the spectacle. I accused her of trying
to entrap you with an offer-playing for
high stakes!"
"You accused her of trying to entrap
me!' cried Nestorius "Did you do that,
Lashmar? How wise and far-seeing you
young men are! What if 1 tell you that
had just asked her to be my wife, asked
her with as earnest entreaty as ever man
made to the woman of his choice? I had
so asked her and she had refused me. 1t
was friendship, gratitude, which she offer
ed me on her knees-all unworthy as am.
Love she could not give me-"
"She refused to marry you-she, my
| mothers slave!
Eyes: it is strange, is it not? She has
not seen enough of the world to have
learned now to sell herself to the highest
bidder. She has curious primitive no.
| tions that woman can only give herself
| in marriage to man she loves, and she
does not love me"
''She is a strange being" murmured
Lashmar, walking to the nearest window
and staring out into the garden, with his
| face averted from Nestorius.
CTo be continued)