El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-19


lision, but after the lapse of several months
he had won Mrs. Raymond to his side,
and so by proxy wooed Helen and won
whats-a cold, reluctant consent to be his
wife.
"If she never loves me-" he thought
bitterly, "if all my love fails to win hers,
what will my life be?''
He did her Justice. He knew that II
his love failed to win her heart his gold
was powerless to make her happy. He
knew that II her mother died or could not
be benefited by her marriage she would
rather beg her bread herself than be his
wife.
While matters stood in this unsatisfac-
tory state Mrs. Raymond made q sugges-
ton. 81 want you to go away for q
month";" she said to him, land let Helen
miss the constant devotion that she has
had since your betrothal. Let her feel
that a void has come into her life and how
duh and cherries it would be II she lost
you. The wedding day is set for June 10,
and this Is April. Stay away until the
9Th or 9th of June"
1t gave him the first really happy mo-
ment Of his engagement when Helen said
gently, yet with a shudder:
"I cannot bear to think Of you on rail-
way trains, Will. Write often, that I may
know you are safe. "
Her lips met his in q tender pressure
such as loving sister might bestow, but
with far more affection than she had ever
before given him. The hope made this
unexpected absence endurable, and for two
weeks life held more pleasure than it had
done in all the days Of his courtship.
Then came a blow-sudden, sharp, over
whelming. He was In a large western
city when, after night, returning to his
hotel, a man on crutches asked for char
fly. The voice was familiar, and in q
shock Of horror the face struck him.
George Vanhorni'
"Let me go, Spencerp the crippled man
pleaded. II did not recognize you. Don't
you know am deadf"
at know you are coming in here with
me-" Will said gently. substituting his
arm for one Of the crutches and entering
the hotel. where he had room. He would
not let his guest speak until he had or
dered a supper and made him comfortable.
Then, turning to him, he saw that he was
weeping.
"See what q woman you make Of mep'
the poor fellow said. "You thought was
deadp"
Eyes. All your friends think So"
1T was a narrow escape, and I wonder
why was spared. Nine months in a pub
lilo hospital have left me crippled and in
curably Ill. They would not keep me aft
or could get about on crutches, but
have begged or starved, and 1t will not be
for longi would not let any one know
for fear 1t would get to-to-Heleni''
''You want to hide from her?'"
"Yes-yesl What would her life be tied
to miner You win not betray me, Spen-
cert"
"But you may recover?'"
"Nol should be only q wreck II i
could, but I cannot"
Will Spencer literally could not speak
This man asked Of him only the silence
that would give him his wife, And then
true, unselfish love triumphed.
"She will never marry meP' VIII
thought ruefully, as he folded q long, long
letter, "but she shall not be cheated out
OF what little happiness life may still hold
for her"
He wrote, too, to Mrs. Raymond q let
ter that caused that respectable lady to
grind her teeth, but which she obeyed,
packing her trunk and accompanying
Helen in the journey westward.
1t was Will Spencer who met the two at
the depot and accompanied them to the
boarding house, where he kept Mrs. Ray
mond in the parlor after sending Helen up
stairs alone. 1t was Will Spencer who
smoothed away every difficulty, engaging
rooms for mother and daughter and quiet
ly effacing himself.
0eOrSe NannOrn was roSOlut6 on ono
point-he would not marry Helen. He
had no hope Of recovery, but If the unex-
pected should happen he would not risk
running Helen"s life by binding it to his.
"Oh, she would cry, what am to de-
serve the love of two such men? Mother,
1t humbles me to think how they love mei'
And by this love her courage was sus-
tanned through the three months when she
and her mother smoothed George Van
horns path to the grave. Will Spencer
never spoke of love to her, giving her up
entirely, but upon her lover he lavished
every kindness wealth could procure or
friendship dictate.
1t was three years later when he came
home from a European tour and called on
Mrs. Raymond.
"Mrs. Raymond, sir, is dead" the serv-
ant told him, land Miss Helen's Twin in
- street. She's come into some money
from her uncle, sir, and Mrs. Grady took
this house, sir
Come into some money! Well, she did
But In a few days little note reached
him:
ut was unkind to let me hear of your
return by accident. Will you not come to
sec me?''
And when he went he could not keep
Che love out Of his eyes or his voice, and
she-at lastl Her eyes dropped under his
gaze, her cheeks blushed for him, her voice
faltered with tenderness. And he had no
secret hidden from her loving eyes, no
treachery he would dread to have her dis
cover.-New York Ledger
Worms.
In old pastures in England the worms