The record-union., 1898-03-06

turn of her head, the splendid eyes. that
seemed so full of pain, all We're beauti-
ful. She rose from her sofa and stood
facilss him.
Least said soonest mendsd. Dering.
You know, | told you this morning that
you must give me up
For Gods sake. spare me a second
repetition Of this" safe the man.
wearily ana impatiently 1t IS not
amusing"
1T isn't "a repetition. It's something
quite new Dering, don't look ut nae
while i tell you. You are marrying me
! beeause-becanSe you thought - that
in the cid days always stuck to you.
But-but-there!-I didi.'t." She drew
! in her breath with Il gasp.
And Major Jardine disobeying her,
| fixed his eyes coldly on her bianched
! face
4 didn't. You remember George Pal
mer?"
YES. an internal sweep = of course 1
remember him"
| Mr.. Palmer would hardly have recog-
! niZed himself by that description Der
ing found himself thinking, as he re-
called the distinguished oihciafs clean
shaven face, his eyeglass. and bland.
enusive- manner.
'Well-he-was-- Oh. don't make
me say it. He was in love with me,
too-and land r.
Major Jardine seized her by the wrist.
lie was your lover! Vt the same time
as was My God, | didn't think .
woman could be so baSe--so lost as
that,
Now YOU Know" said she. in a
WHISPER covering her drawn features
win poth her hands And you must
so-you must so. We viii never see
eacn o'her any more. never - never
again SO don't be- too down on me
easily"
His face was ghastly. and working
painfully. Hers locked quite old and
was stifened by pain. In the nidst of
ms sense of supreme relief of wild iov
at ms freedom, came an odd pane. al
most Ike jealousy, at the thought of the
way IN which he had been befooled hv
thls woman. He felt as if he could
nave flung her away from him as hs
would a poisonous snake. He had no
'housht OF pity in his heart no admir-
atIoh Aof the courage of her confession.
roT one tense moment the two faced
! 'thVE' Ihen she fell down on
hei knees at his feet. and without once
siahelhS back at her, he opened the
door walked slowly down the narrow
stairway. and left her, with no word Of
compassion or farewell
| V
MAJOR and Lady Cicely Jardine had
'aheh oehghtiul house in Park Lane.
anu were one OF the most sought after
lF
bride had not Yet got over her aston.
ishhlent that any woman IN the world
should have been found so insane ca
wicked, as TO throw over Darino Eor
TINS IS what she had been told that tho
second rate. scheming Indian widow
Mrs. Livesey, had done.
/ On brilliant July morning nc +ba,.
mad come in from an early ride and
Clceiy had gone upstairs to take off
her riding habit, on the hall table some
letters were awaiting Major Jardine
fie went into the library to read them.
ana started when an odd. oblong pink
envelope. with saudy monogram. and
very strongly scented. appeared among
them he gave a shrug of disgust. ana
half doubted whether he would read it.
| Then he impatientIy tore il open
am a Homburg. you see" said
| the letter. ''and I am sure If you saw
the company | keep you would think
| me gone more than ever to the bad
But respectable people bore me. and I
bore them. Still. l don't want you to
think quite unkindly about me. though
we shall never meet again. l have a
second confession to make in this the
last letter l shall ever write to you
"Oh. Dering, Dering. how could you
! ioyra Hoff +Ja
you be so blind as TO think me such a
! degraded wretched creature-I. who
would have died and lost my soul for
you? How could you think l would
have had another lover when you cared
about me? George Palmer Why, l
| loathed him. The only good thing that
| he ever did-and that urconsciously,
poor man-was TO make you happy. and
| give YOU your wife OF course it was
| a lie-an absolute liei Perhaps all
! the same. it may stand to my good ac-
! count scmewhere-and l don't suppose
! / shall have much to boast of but this
| lie that was for you. dear, and that cost
| me all, the joy l ever can know Once
more, Dering, goodby. oh, remember
| that l never, in all my life, loved a
! soul as l loved you-and l was faithful
to you-very. very faithful-always.
Perhaps | am still
! When Cicely. fresh and radiant after
her morning ride, came into the library,
she noticed that her husbands face
was pale, and that his eyes were dim.
"Dering, darling. what's the matter?
Have you had bad news?- Has any
thing dreadful happened?'
He came toward her and kissed her
glossy brown curs II had letter,
Cicely. from an old friend-one who has
had great and sore trouble. but for
whom J can do nothing l only wish
to God I could.'
rs ne very i'll or poor?" said the gir!
wife gently.
1T is friend who was always kino
and faithful TO me-" answered her husi
band. whom l nIisjudged very cruelty,
and from whom 1t is late and vain to
ask forgiveness. Mrs. Arthur Henni-
ker in New York Herald.
-------r~------
Where Ananias Came In.
A long sufferering listener after hear
ing from a youth his account Of how he
and two conlpafionS kept 500 Indians