The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-07-09


Esther tried to speak, but the words
died upon her lips. There was the dawn
of wonderful new sensation rising up
not guessed it before. Oh, joy-oh, hap |
piness lfaspeakable, to realize that the
world held but her for hin, that she had
not given her heart in vain! 4
The silence Of the house seemed very
strange as they stood there, and when
Garstine spoke, his voice was harsh and
broken-not the voice Of a happy lover
but the voice Of a man in doubt and pain.
II love you more than the whole
world he said "but yet, before ask
you to be my wife-before I dare to
| touch even your dear handI want you
/ to know-that my surname is not Francis.
7 am Sir Anthony Francis Garstine."
A faint cry broke from Esther's lips,
and she shrank from hinl-her face white
and her eyes full Of fear.
'You are-Sir Anthony Garstine?"
How well She knew that name, con-
nected in her mind as it was with
time Of horror and despair, and now she
had given her heart where her hand
could never follow!
why did you tell me what was not
the truth?''
"Because-w1th the thought Of your
brother between u.s., he said steadily,
| chow could I have ever hoped to win
saw you at Darkfeld and tried to COM
fort you, and since fate brought us to-
gether there, could I have been the one
to risk anything coming between me and
my happiness? Call me coward If you
will-but you know that love YOU
"Then," said Esther, slowly, like q
woman in dream, N'this. house is yours.
+ know it-and you ARE a rich man.
.'I cannot help it," Me returned miser
ably. IT have neverN hated my money
till now, and wish with all my heart
, that was the poor NAH you have thought
me if it could have given me your love
, IT did love you" said Esther, but
) there is Frome between us-Frome-in
t prison." ,,
r ''What else could do? was obliged
+ to prosecute him for the sake of the ex-
, ample since every one knew it.
: Her eyes flashed suddenly with hard
! light.
v "You could have been kinder" she said
'sHe was so young and so poor. 1t would
! never have happened again, and you
!. might have saved him, body and soul"
He stood looking at her irresolutely
loving her for the warm indignation thai
!. shook her like a reed, watching her
: glowing beauty until he knew every Tea
ture by heart, printing it on his mind fol-
!, the last time, as he told himself. Hel
faith in her brother was so absolute thai
) he could not destroy it, and he stood
9 there with words surging UP within him
but silent as the grave.
q "IIow could be sure that man who
n had been so mercilessly just to a first Of
g Tense would not be a cruel husband?'
s said the remorseless, rosy lips.
" "Wil you do me one favOr-W1l you ash
e lsomeone who knew the circumstances a
k the time whether was merciless?" he en-
n treated.
Esther was gathering up her book AM
nj he w he raaO11Jta line of he
8 mouth, the pale purity Of her stern youns
face.
"a IT have no one to ask" she said. /"
- have had no friends since-since From
! was convicted"
He stood aside to let her pass as sh
: swept by him, but when she was at tn
II door he sprang to her and caught her wris
3 in his.
Tell me- he cried, could you hay
'r loved me?'
a She looked at him, and he read tn
truth Of her love in her blue eyes, blu
- read also the invincible sternness of he
q rcsolute mind
d ut is too late" she said, and the por
there dropped between them, and he wa
alone
The despair Of his face haunted her a
10 she hurried home, but she steeled he
!, heart resolutely against him, and remenl
bered her brother
~ HE might well say that he would hel
20 Frome," she cried to herself in the soil
% tude of her own room. 1T was all h
~ could do to atone. F'rome had never
=, his life sinned before, and little kind
- ness and gentleness would have saved hin
i, at that crucial time"
- She was SO angry that she forgot to
~ sorry for the man who loved her-forgt
," that his very presence had grown to be 6
the light Of her life to. her-forgot thu
se she had allowed him to help her, and we
a. , under so many obligations to him that Iii
:, would be very different now that ST.
-, could never see him again. Her work
IA Hill street among the pictures and bool
q and cases of uncut Jewels had all been
- sham and she flushed hotly in the lam1
10 light as she remembered how delicate
az he had treated her. She glanced rour
ne her ROOM and everything that met h
81 eyes reminded her Of Frome. There W.
m his writingtable and faWorite books and h
te photograph, taken with his favorite do
and there in the drawer ,weI< his POI
t. clothes, all laid away and ready waitir
en- for him on the day when he should
or free. She sat down at the table and Dire
his writingcase towards her, SO that 81
t. might live again thru his boyhood and thu
SO the time when they had been togethe
living in lodgings in London, and strivir
ce to keep the wolf from the door, The
20, were letters from their father and mothe
Of and locks of soft hair cut from heads loI
laid under the grass. There was an Inn
nd pocket that she had not noticed before
air the leather case, and from it she DIRE
it mechanically a small bundle of letters til
up with string, written in a handwritil
~, them, and her eyes, caught by the fir
words, followed fascinated, until she hi