Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-04-12
CHAPTER VIII.
Beside the River.

( Ill
! CHAPTER VIII.
Beside the River.
I In no Very pleasant frame of mind.
I Herbert commenced his homeward
walk. He was veNed with himself
! veNed with Miss Marian. and. such is
/ loves inconsistency. vcNed With I'M
! conscious Syhil
Why did she choose to set herself
apart from her sex: Why did she
make enemies and critics of those
sharp-eyed. sharp-tongued beings, who
can forgive all things but superiority?
What was this veil of mystery sur
rouhGing her that could make one so
sweet. and pure. and gentle, the object
of so much d:strust?
All. LOve-immortal. Love itself-is
not invulnerable to the shafts of NAL
ice. and Herbert, who, only a few
hours before, had vowed to Sybil that
no Shadow could ever darken the sun-
shine in which her image dwelt. even
found himself questioning, fearing. nay.
even doubling, the woman who ruled
his heart!
Truly, Miss Marian knew how and
when to wound.
In his present uncomfortable mood,
Herbert felt no wish to return home.
He had no mind for Fannies gay bad
image, or his fathers more earnest con-
verse; he did not care to meet 'Lau-
renee or Fenton, who had asked him to
stop in the formers bachelor sanctum
until their arrival, when Fenton was to
conccct some remarkable beverage,
whose proportions were solemn myster-
les to the civilian world
So. striking. into by-path that led
through the grove, the heir of Give
Towers proceeded to indulge his
gloomy meditations by walk to the
river.
The road wound close to the shore,
and the quiet waters seemed to MUIR
muir their peaceful music at his very
feet.
The yelling mists, now illumined by
the light of a queenly moon, foated
around him like transparent clouds,
and gave a strange, unreal, dream-like
aspect to the familiar landscape. He
was in world of vague, fleeing shad-
ows; all about him was vapory and un-
certain. He could grasp, he could hold
nothing; and, like weird echo from
some far-off shore he seemed again to
hear the melody Of SYPHILIS sunset song:
''Thou in the sunlight
And I in the shade;
Yet, ah, by the sunlight
The shadow is made!
Thine be the gladness
And mine be the gloom;
For love, though thy triumph,
Is only my DOOM"
The memory of the sweet, sad face,
upturned to the rose tinted sky-of the
wistful glance in the soft gray eyes
the tremulous pleading Of the beautiful
lips-came back to Herbert with a
force that swept away all other feel
ings by a gush Of noble tenderness.
"My love, my love-my own sweet.
sorrowful love = though the whole
world should turn against her. my
heart shall be faithful and true! my
love shall be her refuge, her safeguard,
her shelter! One CLEAN from her pure,
sweet eyes-one faint smile from her
lovely lips-is more eloquent than the
voices of a thousand such frivolous,
worldly minded critics as Marian Grey!
Sybil, my darling-my own sweet
Sybil!"
1t was only the unconscious cry of a
SIlllCu lulO Itue Ncu Lt1ldS1u SSS,
but, as if his words had magic power
over her, a white form glided through
the nists, and Sybil herself, or her dis
embodied spirit, stood before him.
For moment Herbert Give, sound
minded and practical as he was,
thought he looked upon some unearthly
vision; for. yelled. and shrouded in
garments Of clinging white, with her
pure face wearing a look of dread des-
pair, and her eyes fixed in a gaze of
stony uncoDsciousness, she passed him,
like the wrath Of her living, breathing
self, and glded on. with outstretched
arms, to the silent, sleeping river.
Then suddenly, as if aroused by 8
lightning-fash from a dream, Her
bert's sober senses awoke, and, with a
low, startled Cry of "Sybilv' he caught
the girls arm even as she poised her
self for a spring into the waves.
"Sybil! Sybil are you mad or dream
ing? God in heaven, what is it you
would do?"
She gave one wild, terrified glance
into his face, and then sank, covering
and trembling on the sands at his feet
feet
"You here?" she whispered brokenly;
''you--you? Then there must, indeed,
be d God who watches ALL"
"What Is 1t you would d0?" he re-
peated, sternly, for the mighty love
swelling in his heart made him her
censor now. "Were you seeking death.
Sybil!"