The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-09-07

have IL In my power 10 turn him out
TO morrow, but you can save him by
consentlng 10 be my wife. You need
not answer me. now, but | viii have "A
decided answer soon. ] may as well
tell you ! have your fathers consent
10 press my suit and If you consent
all will be well. Shall | call tO-mOr-
row.
you need not trouble TO call will
speak 10 my father, and Will write TO
you tomorrow, answer EfIie, white,
but perfectly calm and resolute
please leave me nOwW
Hugh Pendennis knows IL Is useless
TO stay any longer, so he hastily quits
the room. Left TO herself, Efiie won
ders If she can really be the light
hearted girl who had bidden Jack
Rosslyn such an Indifferent farewell
just one short year ago. for now she
realizes that she loves the lad who
had given her the one love Of his loyal
and trusting heart. All, too often II
is that one learns the value Of ones
friends when one seems TO have lost
them forever
why had she been so careless Of
hurting his great love and inillcting
so much pain upon him by her indif
! fercnccf
! And why had she not seen the way
her fathers affairs had been tending.
She, who should have been the stay
Of his age, had allowed him 10 get into
! the power of Hugh Pcndennis.
! Bitterly she rcproaches herself and
deems IL must be her punishment &c
consent To become the wife Of Pen
| dennis.
II can't speak TO my dear old father.
! He would rather be turned out than
| should marry man | did not love.
No, | viii keep IL all to myself. He
shall never know. | must write to
Pcndenns NJ once, while ! am nerved
to it,"
Crossing the room she reaches her
writing-case, throws IL open and pre-
parCs TO write, but tnr first thing
which meets her eyes Is Jacks only
letter he had sent, and whicn she had
never even answered. She reads IL
through now, her eyes half blinded
with tears at the humble expressions
OF his love and the depth of tender
ness in the lines.
The whole letter is full of joyful
| hope OF coming home some day to ask
her to he his dear wife. If only she
could love him little he would be
satisfied d try & gain more by de-
grees.
How different II all reads now!
| What a contrast between his and the
| love OF Pendcnnis "Ah. my dear
| Jack. you do not know how much |
love you now, and how hard II is for
me 20 give up all hopes of ever seeing
you" She takes up little picture
portrait of him. and looks long and
! earnestly at II.
! The sunny blue eyes seem To be
4 laughing at her in serene unconscious
ness Of what she is about to do. New
erthcless II must bc done, although it
seems so impossible task. She
wearily gets piece of notepapcr and
commences to write: My dear Mr..
Pcndcunis"-nay that sounds too for
NAL, and she cannot afford to bc that.
She must alter it to My dear Hugh
"
But Who is this in the doorway, pal
lid. and SCARED with wounds and n
great wstful light in his blue eyes.
With one cry of "Eflie" he comes TO
her and clasps her in his arms, but
already the shock has been too much
for he. Poor Etlic is unconscious.
Jack Rosslyn, for he ii Is, gently and
tcndcrly lifts her on the couch, and
rings for the maid. As he does this
his eyes fall on the heading of the let
ter-"My dear Hugh" A sharp stab
of pain, far more acute than aiy he
has received in the war, picrccs
through him.
Then there is someone else! Is this
TO bc the home coming TO which he
had so arCently looked?
Wen, how could nc expect II 10 bc
different? She never seemed to care.
And yet il is so hard To give up all
thoughts of IL!
lie looks at her as she lies Such n
treasure any man might desire. and
yet there Is something corlorn about
her Then he steps nearer and oh.
serves IL is tears which have marked
her face.
Can il bc that the Hugh referred "a
is Hugh Pcndennis. whom he rcmem
bers rs on, of Etlie's especial aversion
IL so then he must be patient and
hopeful until he knows all. for per
haps all may yet be well
As he thus thinks and gazes at hel
the tired eyes open slowly: she mur
murs jazz and he knows that h,
has not come in vain.
Now. Ethe. dear tell me all abou
IT," Jack says And in n short tim,
all is recountcd and cxplained-hov
pendcnnis has them in his power an,
that only 10y conscntng 20 become hi
wife can she keep her father iron
ruin.
IL Just came at the very right mo
ment for one. then. did ~ Jack asks
fondly caressiLg the little hand In hi,
"Wen. pendennis shall have his lettc
/, tomorrow. dear. hut different on
: to VIII n expects. for although onl
poor disabled soldier. yet | am ric
enough to save you and your fathc
from him. And who knows II II IN
:. not been for these wounds. migi
y not have been here now"
Ehic can hardly trust herself
= speak She feels how unworthy sf
= is OF IL all. hut still 81 Is happy
~ tho calm assurance that lack Is wit