Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-11-06
CHATTER xxyI.-tContinued)

bly, heart was fulI OF not anger loI many
long months. but it died away; and then,
when l saw that you were not happy
forgaye you"
Then, Felix, why viii YOU not take
me into your heart again.
His face grew deathly pale-his hands
trembed. She saw such deep emotion IN
his face that her own. grew pale.
''You see but one side OF the question,
he SAID. Now listen to me. | loved
girl, Violet-ah, heaven, how | loved her.
She was the very light of my eyes! She
was the pulse of my heart. she was
the very soul of my life-my one price
less jewell l was working-as man sell
dom works-to make home for my darl-
ing, and place her in it. was seeking
every picture, every ornament tnat
thought would beauty a home, for one
who would herself adorn it most. what
happened? A weather. lover came-not,
mind You, one who loved her more, not
one whom she could loye-a man, to say
the best of him, coarse Of soul and hard
of heart; he could not even appreciate
the exquisite loneliness Of my love. lie
held out his hands to her. and they were
filed with gold; he offered her title,
money, jewels everything that women
love. He laughed to scorn the notion
that any tie to me bound her. Leave
him. he said-'he is poor. Come to me
Il am rich What did she do, this love
of mine, who held my heart in her
hands?"
The beautiful head dropped lower and
lower.
Have pity on me, Felix" she cried
have PITY
Il do not mean to be herd; am only
telling the truth. This is my version OF
the story. Violet What did she do? She
flung my love back in my face, she tram
pied my life under her feet, aud she
crushed my heart in her hand-she Tilted
me-left me with my life ruined.
Again she raised her hands to him, and
cried:
Have pity on me! You are terribly
hard"
Nay, am but just, Violet. And then
this woman who had left me to laughter
and ruin came to mech, heaven, that
women can be so light!-came TO me with
a smile, and asked me to take her into my
heart again. The past, which had been
one long agony to me, was TO be con-
doned by a smile, the torture of years to
be soothed By a few kind words"
"T cannot understand you" she said,
piteously.
In his passion he seemed to rise to
height which that weak soul could not
reach; but the pitiful, pleading voice
touched him and made him gentle again.
He looked down into the lovely face.
sSViolet. you viii understand this. Sup
pose that when you loved me most l had
left you and had married rich woman
"a woman whom did not love, but mar
ried solely because she was rich-that
she died after a few years, and l came
back to you with her money in my hands,
and asked you to share it-would you
do SOP
Eyes, l think should, Felix"
perhaps | might have expected such
an answer from you. i would not act
in such a fashion. l should be less than
a man now to take dead Sir Owens gold,
and with it you."
Il love you" she said, "and would
be true to you"
"Then give me proof. L hate TINS
wealth for which you forsook me! | hate
this splendor and magnihcence for which
you bartered your truth and fidelity! l
will never benefit by them. They robbed
me of you, they destroyed the best part
of my ife-I viii have none of them!
No man shall say to me that prohted by
your falsehood and enjoyed the price of
your sin--for ii was sin, Violet. Listen
to me- This is what my honor dictates
and my honor is dearer to me than my
life. | love you, and ask no higher gift
from heaven than TO call you my own;
but you must come to me unfettered with
dead Sir Owens wealth. will have
none of it. You must give up your man
sion, your jewels. your servants-all the
magniicence furnished by him. / will
provide a beautiful house for you-not
grand and stately like this, but home
that shall be a heaven of love. You mar
ried for money, Violet-money that did
not bring you happiness. Now marry for
love-that will"
She looked up at him with a bewilder-
ed air
Il do not understand. Do you mean
that | am to surrender all the fortune
my husband has left me?"
Il mean just that. Violet; viii never
share it.
But, Felix" she said, ''that would be
absurd, now that it is all mine to do as l
like with What could l do with it,
Build hospitals, anything
you like, except keep it,"
She looked at him thoughtfully.
''Do YOU not think that is very hard?''
she said.
ut is a true test of love. You had
TO choose once before between me and
money-then you chose money. / place
Al, t,,.., laF-ra ,-.,,r -,
chooseg'
''All the world would laugh at me. she
said.
The world would say you had given
up all for love. But. Violet, mind, | do
not wish 10 persuade you. l leave the
decision to yourself. For the second time
in your life you have TO choose between
love and money. Ponder il, and tell me
In few days what you have decided up
on"
She looked up at him wistfulsy.
as that your final decision. Felix?"
she asked.
Yes; cannot change it. Violet. Most
men make an idol Of something; my idol
is self-respect." he replied.
When she raised her eyes TO his they
were wet with tears.
Felix" she said, Il must 50 now: il
is growing late. VIII You kiss me before
/ sos"
He bent down and kissed the lovely
face-not once. but many times. Then
she rose and quit the room. He remem-
bered long afterward how she kept her
eyes fixed on him until she reached the
door.
He spent TIE night, as he had spent
many another, in walking rapidly. so that
he might beat down the temptation that
was come 70 him.
For il was a temptation. So loving and
50 lovely, SO gracious and so fair, was
Sioler that he eonld have elasped her 10
his hreSst aud have cried cut in rapture
that she was his. But honor stood be-