The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-11-30

those who may never exist. If they
do exist, then they must take their
chance. and bear their burdens as We
bear ours. All this talk about the flu
ture and posterity is nonsense. what
will posterity care for us that we
should care for it? We cannot affect
1T one way or the other; 1T is hopeless
to expect to turn Nature out of her
path. We are nothing but feathers
blown about by the wind, and all we
can do is to go down where the wind
blows us, and when we fall, we fall
as softly as we may"
looked up in establishment. / had
no idea that Fanny held views as
merciless, and, opposed to all pure
altruism as they were, in sense, I'M
answerable. Indeed, / had heard her
express notions directly contrary, and
at the moment was totally at loss
to account for the change. OF course,
however, the explanation was easy
enough. Theory had come into con-
flict with interest, and, as is often the
case, even in the most highly developed
people. it was so much the worse for
the theory.
II am sorry to hear you speak so,
DEAR" / said Il hoped and thought
that you would have supported me in
very painful resolution. The blow
is hard enough to bear, even with
your help; without, it is almost UNI
endurable."
| h. hnY hot
the first time l realized the depth OF
her emotion. Her beautiful eyes
| flashed her bosom heaved, and she
slowly crushed the paper she held in
her hand to shield her face from the
| fire, into shapeless mass, and then
threw it down.
you have no heart" she said. do
you suppose it is nothing TO me, VINO
was going to marry you within week,
to lose my husband and to be obliged
| to fall back again into this half life.
this very twilight of life? Oh! Geof-
| frey, think again." and she stretched
out her arms toward me, and looked
at me, and spoke in accents of i'm
passioned tenderness. Think" she
went on, "can you not give up your
scruples for me? Am / not worth
straining point in your conscience?
There is nothing in the world, Geof-
frey, that a man can profit by in ex-
change for his love. Soon this dis
ease will take hold of you, and then
| you will grow weak, and miserable.
and incapable of enjoyment. Live now
| while you can, and leave the conse-
quences to Providence, or rather to
| the workings of those unchanging
| rules which we call Providence. Look
at me: / am beautiful, and love you,
| and my intellect Is almost as great as
your own. Don't throw me away for
a theory, Godfrey"
| All the time that she was speaking
| she drew slowly nearer to me, her
arms outstretched and her great eyes
glowing and changing in the shaded
light. And now the arms closed
round me, and she lay upon my heart
and gazed into my face, till thought
| that / should be overcome. But, thank
| Heaven! somehow for conscience sake
| found the resolution to hold to what
| knew to be right. think 1T was the
recollection of my dear wife that came
over me at that moment, and induced
sudden feeling of revulsion to the
| beautiful woman who lay in my arms,
and who did not scruple to resort to
such means to turn me from my duty.
Had it not been for the thought, I am
sure that being but a man, and there
fore weak, should have yielded and
then there would have been no posi-
bility of further retreat AS 1t were,
with a desperate effort, wrenched my
self free from her.
| 1T Is of no use, Fanny" cried, in
despair. 81 will not do it? / think
that 1t would be wicked for man in
my condition to get married. This dis
tresses me beyond measure; but II I
| yielded to you should be doing
shameful thing. Forgive me, Fanny,
it is not my fault, did not know. 1t
is hard enough" / added, with ma
tural burst of Indignation, ito be sud-
denly doomed to terrible death with
out having to go through this agony"
and with a sudden motion / flung the
wedding license into the fire.
She watched it burn, and then sunk
back in the chair, covered her face in
her hands and said no more. In this
position she remained for nearly half
an hour. Then she rose, and with
stern, cold face that 1t almost frighten-
ed me to look upon, returned to her
work, which was now once more the
chief bond between us; nor was the
subject of our engagement alluded to
again for many months. Nobody had
known of 1t, and nobody knew that 1t
| had come to an end. And so IL died