Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-05-25


any one but you, Leah. ] chung To
him, still weeping. He was all the
world to me-alT the world. Stay
with meat least until my father Is
better, AMI the darkest hour Of my
trouble is past oh, Leah, much as
I love you, 1 am ashamed to tell you
the rest!"
Hettie buried her face in her hands
and wept aloud; while Lead wondered
why her fate should be so much bet
ter, brighter, and happier than her
sisters.
CHAPTER XIII.
It was some comfort TO Hettie to
have her tears kissed away, to feel
loving hands take hers, and loving
lips touch her forehead.
Tell me all about it, dear, and
then We viii forget it. l will try all 1
can for the remainder of your life
and mine t. make you happy, AMI &c
atone TO you for this unhappy love-
Il have so little to tell YOU" sail
Hettie, land / am so much ashamed
OF it. / asked him to stay just little
with me, but he said No. he must
60; and | asked him why. 1t all
came out then, Leah. He did love
me; he loved me with all his heart
All me. if you could have seen his
face-the sorrow on it which no
words could describe. He did love
me-living and dying, il will comfort
me TO remember that. / shall never
know love again; but he loved. me;
there was love unutterable in his
eyes when he looked at me. Only
think, Leah, have had but ten
minutes real happiness in my life,
and that was when first found out
that he loved me-before | knew
what stood between US. Leah, the
great sea lay before us; the vino
brought the brine of the ocean and
the fragrance from the meadows.
would 90 through a lifetime of torture
for one such hour again. He told me
why he must go. What. of all the
reasons in the world, should yOn
think IL was?"
Was is that he was rich and you
were poor, Hettie?" asked Leah.
NO: he cared nothing about that"
Was it''-and Leah lowered her
voice-"anything about our father,
Hettie?"
NO: he liked my father; he re
spected his peculiar ideas, and
would you believe it, Leah?-came
often to discuss matters with him
No, it was nothing about my father
You would never guess, Leah; it is
too cruel to guess. He did love me;
and he told me that because he loved
me he must go away and never see
my face again. Even while he said II
ali his great love was shining in his
eyes. And the reason was this-that
he was engaged to marry some one
whom I am sure he did not love. He
told me that a certain train of cir
cumstances had led to his engage
lment, and that he himself, mistaking
the friendly, kindly admiration he
had for the lady for love, had asked
her TO be his wife. All, Leah, how
much unhappy love there is in the
world! He told me that this girl
whom he was engaged to marry
would Gle If her left her. and that un-
known to himself he had learned to
love me and could not ask me 70 be
his wife-then we parted, never in
this world to meet again"
What a sad story, Hettie!" cried
Leah.
If she had but known, if she had
but guessed who il was that had thus
loved Hettie, she might have died
then and there.
You must not think" said Hettie.
I''that he was wanting in loyalty and
honor: he was engaged, promised.
pledged TO this other, and he had no
thought of loving me. Neither of us
knew or though of il until al at once
the truth came upon us Ike a great
binding light; then honor told him
that he must go"
Il think he was cruel TO You,
IHettie," said Leah. all unconscious
whom she was judging.
NO; he did not intend to be cruel;
he did not know. IL came on us all
at once, just as when people think
they are wading through a shallow
IAAOoh anu SAAANAAAg nAu AhNAhoNAftS
lin a deep stream. He could never
have been cruel: he was the most
gentle, the most chiyalrous-"
He should have thought more of
the danger that you ran; the fact
that you were lonely and frienjless
should have made him all the more
cautious for you"
Il do not think that love often rea-
sons" said Hettie There was no,
I much harm done"
"Only two lives spoiled" put in
Leah, sadly.
Il viii not call mine spoiled" saio
Hettie. Il would rather have loved
him. and loved him unhappily. than
have been the beloved wife Of any
other man. Mine viii be a life apart;
but 1 win not call il spoiled. That
night. Leah, he kissed me. No MAJ
had kissed me before; no man shall
ever kiss me again. On that night.