The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-11-17

his greeting. Il have been waiting for
you"
You are alone, as usual" she asked,
drawing nearer.
II am always alone. Why in the
world did you Gomez"
you had telegram just now, in the
garden" she explained; II feared it
might be bad news"
He gave a little hard. mirthless
laugh. Bad news has long ceased to
be possible in my life" he said, cold
W. Was that why you Gamer
"yos."
"Reason enough to keep most peo-
pie away" he remarked, drily. AT last
she asked: "Why do you walk round
and round your lawn every eveningY
He shrugged his shoulders. Force
of habit, l suppose; it is the way I
think"
Then, hastily changing the subject.
he inquired: What will your mot. .er
say when you tell her where you've
been?"
81 don't think 1t will occur to her to
ask. Her thoughts are taken up at
the present moment''-shc glanced at
the clock--"in accepting an offer of
marriage on my behalf. She is an al
mirable woman: am her sixth daugh-
ter. and when she has disposed of m"
we shall all have been married before
the age of "a"
The girl was gazing at him steadily
and without fiinching; vaguely she
found herself wondering if there had
ever been time in her life when she
had not known him-when, in fact this
stranger had not been her first and
greatest thought, the supreme interest
which completely filled the emptiness
of her world. So had love come to her
by that name. When she spoke Ter
voice was low and appealing: "Well. It
can matter little how one works out
ones destiny, IL in the end all will in
fallihly turn out well. For instance,
shall marry this man of my mothers
choice. and perhaps for few years
we will be miserable together: but at
last death will free one of us and then
rfe's object will become claar and I
will v'.'w 1t rom tn! impartia.:tv Of
my last hour. from the standpoint Of
age, experience or resignation. as
charming picture In a circular frame,
and shall smile to see how we'll the
colors blendc1." She laughed hope
lessly
Poor little girl" he muttered ris-
ing, and. leaning against the mantle
piece, he looked down at her with
yearning, dreamy eyes. "Shall 1 tell
you the riddle Of my life?" he asked.
She assented
''Ten years ago I married the girl
my father close for mean heiress.
the only child of rich and indulgent
parents. We lid not love each other
Il punishme 1T which l doubtless de-
served Less than year after our
marriage l first roticed n strange ex-
preston in my wife's face. which day
by day became more apparent and
then she began to talk strangely and
to say senseless things. Vainly I
strove to fight the fear which was fast
growing to certainty, till at last the
violence of Il mad woman left me in
doubt no longer as to the terrible
thing which had come upon me.
81 won't describe to you the horror
of the next few months. when the best
brain doctors in London pronounced
her case hopelessly incurable, and
when l had done all l could to restore
the balance of her disordered mind.
without avail. did not want to send
the poor thing away; but the matter
was taken out of my hands. When |
was recovering from knife wound in
my left tcmple-you see am destined
TO carry Il reminder of her to my
grave-the doctors insisted on remoy-
ing her to an asylum, and there have
been obliged to leave her ever since"
The girl had drawn nearer to him;
his story had been shock to her. but
her thoughts were not of herself
How dreadful" she said, "and how
lonely you must often be! Why have
you never let me know you all these
years?'
Il dared not.'--hc turned away
He did not see the glory of love and
suffering that shone in her soft. dark
eyes. Maybe he heard both in her
voice, for there stole into his eyes the
light of happiness.
ut was unkind of you" she said. "I
might have been better than nothing"
She crcpt close to him. and shyly
put her hands in one of his: he bent
over them. holding them TO his brow.
Little girl" you don't understand"
he said softly. Better than nothing,
it was just because you are better
than everything that I could not say
to you, Gomez" Every day since l
first came here l think l would have
given my soul to see you come in al
that door as YOU did tonight. l was
often lonely, but it satisfied me to
know that you were near. 1t amused
me to wonder what we should say TO
each other if we ever met"
Yet said the girl, II wonder that