Courier Democrat., 1900-03-29
|'H+ER HEARTS Secret:
/ a+"~'& - - ~@. ,s4~- Or, UNDER A SPELL
!. BY JEAN WARNER -
Or, UNDER A SPELL.
BY JEAN WARNER.


that the dearest hope Of my heart is to
Win you for my own, my purer, dearest
self-my Wife"
| ':Would YOU choose a wife because
her face is fair and her voice is sweet?'
she asked in Il tone which trembled,
/ half-scornfully, half-timidly. "Would
you choose Il wife whose heart and soul
are sealed books to you? of whose
past you know nothing? whose very
name is unknown to you-for Sybil
Wraye is not my name. Ah you
shrink; you falter, Mr.. Give! 1t issnot
for such as me to hear your words-to
listen to your vOWS-tO bear your hon.
ored name. 1t is not for me-"
''For you, and only. you!" he an
swered. eagerly, striving to grasp her
hand, as she would have turned away
from him. 'You are only trying me,
Sybil. Darling that sweet, snow-white
face of yours is pledge sufficient to me
of your innocent past, of your beautiful
future. Only trust me, Sybil, as trust
you! I ask no more. There can be no
darkness, beloved. beneath the pure
sunshine of love 1t reaches, it glad
dens, it beauties all things"
save. but the sun SETS" she an
swered. dreamily-''the sun sets, and
then the night must come. No, Nr.
Give, you have forgotten wisdom in
Speaking-I have forgotten prudence i'll
listening to you. Let us treat this con-
versation as though it had never been.
1 will go away tomorrow, and you
must forget me-"
"Forgct you?' he echoed, bitterly
"forget you, Sybil? Can one go out
into darkness forever. and forget he
has seen the light? Forget you?-for-
get these two brief weeks of paradise
and go calmly into the frozen regions
of utter despair? Oh, Sybil Sybil! But
why should 1 reproach you, my poor
little darling? The fault was not yours.
l was too blinded to see the folly of
my own hopes, the madness of my own
love. 1 was too hasty, too rash, in
speaking to you. But can wait, dar-
ling-I can wait! Only give me a word
of cheer. of hope, to live on, then try
my patience as you will!'
The sunset hues had faded from the
western sky, and the roseate flush from
SYPHILIS check. There was no music in
the dry, hard voice that answered Her
bert's ardent appeal.
81 can give you no word of cheer no
word Of hope. The gulf between us is
too wide, too deep, too dark. for any
link. however slight to cross. We must
part tomorrow Nh. Give, and heaven
grant we may never meet again!'
There was thrill of pain in her last
words that stirred the dying hope in
Herberts S breast.
"Sybil. Sybil! you do pity me. Your
heart is not all cold-it is too sweet, too
womanly, not to feel both sorrow and
sympathy for such great grief as
| Miner
II have no hearth was her agitated
reply. 81 have no right to a woman's
heart. to a woman's sympathies. am,
for must be, all stone-all stonew
"You?" he repeated, in sad surprise
you. 50 young, SO gentle, so beautiful,
so gifted with all that can make wo-
man happy and man blessed?"
You are mistaken she answered,
colGly. "There is a curse that will fol
low me verywhere-that will take to
no mans hearthstone; there is spell
upon me that no happiness can dis.
solve. I must live, I must suffer, l
must die alone! But" her voice grew
softer, "you will believe me when tell
you, Mr.. Give, that I have felt your
sisters kindness and your own far
more deeply than the happier woman
would have done. 1 did not seek it: I
did not claim it; l did not deserve it;
yet-yet''-she bowed her face in her
hands, and a convulsive shudder
Sc. med to pass through her frame-''I
should have fed from it. My shadow
should never have darkened your
threshold-my hand should never have
broken bread at your beard. 1t was
! wednesday,, it was folly, madness
/ that brought me to Give Towers"
I Say, rather, it was fate" replied
Herbert imprisoning in his strong hand
the little fingers that were clasped so
despairingly. Darling, there but one
answer l will take as final. Look up
into MY face with those beautiful, true
! eyes, and say: Herbert, do not love
| you.' All else is naught to me. Love
like mine banishes all suspicion, deties
all distrust. I will not grieve you with
another sigh, another prayer, if YOU
| will look frankly into my face and say
you do not love me-"
But she only bowed her head still
lower upon her breast.
"Spare mel" she murmured. "Life is
hard enough without this-withoul
this!'
You cannot say it!' repeated the
young man, triumphantly. "Sybil,
Sybil! your own heart is my ally. You
| do love me little-only little, Sybil:'
"Love you! Love you: No, no!
cannot, I dare not!'' she cried, desper-
ately. ''Love, love! The word is mock,
cry between you and me. See" she
added, pointing with wild gesture to-
ward the west. "The light was but for
moment the darkness, the chill, the
shadow of night have come upon US al
ready. 1t is our doom-our doom!"
my darlingw cried Herbert, sooth
ingly. 'It is only the gathering tWi.
light There, there! be calm! will
say no more to you now, Sybil. Do not
| tremble so, darling-no danger is nea,
us. Look up far above the, shadow
darling. sed thastpr of love trembling
in the purple ~, the stir of hope that
lights the evening shadows and heralds
the golden morn. 1t is the only omen
see, the only omen will take! The
j -yesper-star, SNbil, shines above us, ant
II will, light our pathway yet:n