The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1899-12-08

that you would have supported me in
. very painful resolution. The blow
10 hard enough to bear, even with
your help; without, It Is almost un-
endurable."
She rose from her chair, and then for
the first time 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 a shapeless mass, and then
threw it down.
'You have no heart" she said. "Do
you suppose it is nothing to me, who
was going to marry.you within a 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
FASHIONED 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 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
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 1 thought
that should be overcome. But, thank
Heaven! somehow for conscience sake
found the resolution to hold to what
l knew to be right. I think it was the
recollection of my dear wife that came
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, 1 am
sure that being but man, and there
fore weak, l should have yielded and
then there would have been no posi-
bility of further retreat. AS it were, l
with desperate effort, wrenched my
self free from her.
cit is OF no use, Fanny" cried, in
despair. 81 will not do it? think
that it would be wicked for a man in
my condition to get married. This dis
tresses me beyond measure; but if 1
yielded to you l should be doing a
shameful thing. Forgive me, FaBny,
it is not my fault, did not know. 1t
is hard enough added, with a ma
tural burst of Indignation, "to be Lud-
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 a
stern, cold face that it 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 it, and nobody knew that it
had come to an end And so it died
and went the way of dead things into
what seems to be forgetfulness, but is
in truth the gateway into those new
and endless halls of perpetuated life
on whose walls evil and unhappy rec
ords of the past, blazoned in letters
of fire, are the lamps to light us down
from misery to misery.
ITO BE CONTISJIED)