The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-08-04

aught pleaded for him then, and the
memory of his patient years OF wait
ing arose, a remembrance of one
whore victim she had been, and who
had often addressed her in similar
tones, smothered the newly kindled
affection. Her calm, even tones but
uttered, very WE'LL" and may you
be happy" in measured smartness.
This exasperated him, and kindled
to fury the rage just then uppermost.
lie left the house, and week passed
before he again presented himself.
He looked pale, anxious and excited
when he again stood before her She
welcomed him with her usual sweet
smile, but there was b pallor in her
face that he had never seen there be-
FORE She had been thinking much
since that night of angry parting.
Light had shown upon her and she
had had a revelation of her own heart.
Something had whispered that it
would be agony to part from Clarence
and then the conviction came like the
lightning's fash that she loved him.
The sorrowful, anxious time of his alb
sence had strengthened this convic-
ton. She knew that in him her heart
reposed the fullness of an undying
affection. Now her soul waited for
Lis speech. 1t came.
Lillian you introduced me to Fran
ces Armstr ong, your cousin, and told
me that she would make good wife
Last night she promised to become
mine. Congratulate me-"
Lillian raised her eyes to his, and
strove to speak. but the words died
upon her lips. She had believed him
all her own so long-she had believed
that word would bind him to her
more closely than ever-snd now-he
was another's and nothing more
to her than the husband of any
woman she had known. She raised
her eyes to his, for a moment, then
they dropped and fell again, the pal
lor deepened to gray upon her face,
and suddenly and silently she sank
upon the floor at his feet. The emo
ton she struggled 50 hard to repress
had betrayed her. and too late Clar
ence May saw the prize he had SO long
sought within his grasp. yet separated
from him by an unsurmountabIe OBJ
stacle
He raised her UP ana called her
maid to her assistance. then sudden
ly left the house. His precipitation
had ruined his hopes. He was bound
in honor to the woman to whom he
had proposed equally bound in hon
or to hold no communication with
Lillian until he could, if it were pos
sible, forget his love to her. and its
late return. | know not which, IN the
coming weeks. passed the most
wretched days.
Though the wife of Clarence May
was the cousin of Lillian, they did not
meet until long after the marriage
had taken place. Lillian journeyed
with her children, and her establish
ment was broken up. Her resolve
was not to meet the man she loved
till she had cooled herself to calmness.
Frances, too, could not forget that
she had not been the first choice of
her husband, and she prevented the
meeting she dreaded by all means in
her power: nor was Clarence May
anxious to test his stoicism too soon.
But pretexts were at last wanting,
and Lillian could no longer be absent
She returned to her home, and the
claims of relationship and friendship
renewed at least an outward intimacy
yet most uncomfortable one. Jeal-
ousy, reticence, despair were in the
hearts of those, on whose lips were
words of only calm but cordial cour
tesy.
Lillian aged fast under this trial
Tints and contours that sorrow had
not marred or stolen. disappeared be-
meath this sad, regretful waiting for
release from pain, for which she sigh
ed in vain. Strive as she would, the
/ love that had bloomed late had bloom
ed and had bloomed profusely. But
her fiercest trial was yet to come
There was an eccentricity, some
times deepening to insanity, in the
| family of Frances and about three
yeaIs after the marriage this idiosyn-
Grassy was developed in her. 1t was
tierceness that beset her and there
were two beings whom she hated with
the unreasoning hate of insanity-her
| husband and her cousin Lillian. It
was found necessary to send her
from home, lest she should iniure
them in her paroxysms.
And then the two so strangely stu
ated were thrown into nearly the old
relations. 1t was struggle for them
high principled as they were-it is
hard to contend with ones own heart,
and this they both must do, and with
their longing for sympathy which
neither had ever before denied the
other. Were it possible for me to re
late them, l shrink from the details
OF this struggle SO relentlessly pur-
sued. The time came when Clarence
May saw in the near future the hope
OF release, and beyond that blissful
certainty, as he believed. Frances,
long declared iEcurable in mind, now
lay upon her death bed, her physical
power in rapid decay. Long widow
ed in fact, he did not believe that
Lillian would make the probation OF
his real widowhood long. He dared
to hope, and almost to exult. Let
tho Sc who have never loved blame
him. Then suddenly the brimming
chalice was dashed from his lips.
Lillian sickened suddenly and violent
Iy, and almost before the conviction
OF her danger was forced upon her,
she had ceased to live The same day
Frances died also, in the grated room
of her asylum. 1t was by her side
where duty, not choice. detained him
that Clarence May stood that day
His heart was broken. and ever since
he has been wanderer in far foreign
lands, his name almost forgotten il
that of his birth, where once it had
proud and honorable mention. And
SO has ended, SO sadly, the story of 6
love; great but not wise.