The Mercur miner. [volume] (Mercur, Utah) 1895-1913, 1904-01-20
CHAPTER TX.
Misdirected Letters.

The night so unhappy to Cornelia |
was very much more unhappy to |
Hyde. He had sent his letter to her |
before eleven i'm the morning. and If !
Fortune were kind to him, he expect |
ed an answer soon after leaving |
Madame Jacobus When noon passed |
some refreshments.
At there was a knock at his door
and he went hastily to answer 1t. Bal.
thazar stood there with the longed
for letter in his hand. He felt that he
must be quite alone with It, So he
turned the key and then stood a mo
ment to examine the outside He
kissed the superscription and kissed
the white seal and sank into his
chair with a sigh of delight to read It.
In few moments a change beJ ond
all expression came over his face
perpleXity, anger. despair cruelty as
sailed him. 1t was evident that some
irreparable thing had ruined all his
hopes. He was for some moments
dumb. This trance of grief was fol.
lowed by passionate imprecations and
Teproaches, wearing themselves away
to an utter amazement and lncredul-
ity. He had flung the letter to the
floor, but he lifted It again and went
over the cruel words, forcing himself
to read them slowly and aloud
Your letter has given me very
great sorrow; let me die If that is
not what she says; very great sor-
row. You must have known for
weeks, even months. that marriage
between us was impossible; am
perfectly in my senses? 1t always
has been and always will be why, It's
heart treason of the worst kind! Oh,
Cornelia! Cornelia! And she 'grieves
at my going away and bids me on
no account call on her father--and
takes pains to tell me the No is alb
solute'-and ! am not TO blame her
oh this is the vilest treacheryl II Ia
Rem Van Ariens who is at the bottom
of IT, May the devil take the fellow!
| shall need some heavenly power TO
keep my hands off him | will never
wonder again at anything a woman
does Was ever a lover 80 be.
trayed?"
Thus his passionate grief and an
ger tortured him until midnight.
Then he threw himself upon his bed.
and his craving. suffering heart at
length found rest In sleep from the
terrible egotism of its sorrow.
Never for one instant did he i'm.
agine this sorrow To be a mistaken
and quite unnecessary one. Not
taking Rem Van Ariens seriously into
his consideration, and not fearing his
rival in any way, II was beyond all
his suspicious that Rem should write
TO Cornelia in the same hour, and for
the same purpose rs himself. AND
that she should be forced by circum-
stances 20 answer both Rem and him
self in the same hour, and in the very
stress and hurry OF her great love
and anxiety should misdirect the let
ters, were llkelihoOds outside his
| consciousness.
II was far otherwise with Rem. The
moment he opened the letter brought
him by Cornelia's messenger. in that
very moment he knew that IL was not
his letter. He understood at once the
position. and perceived that he held
in his hand an instrument, which II
affairs went as he desired was likely
to make trouble he could perchance
turn to his own advantage. These
thoughts sprang at once into his re
Elections, but were barely enter.
tanned before nobler ones displaced
them. AS a Christian gentleman he
knew what he ought 10 do without
cayil and without delay, and he rose
to follow the benignant justice Of his
conscience. Into this obedience, how
ever, there entered an hesitation OF a
second OF time, and that infnitesimal