Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-05-17

1T was the happiest, proudest day
of my life when he asked me to be
his wife; and-and in the conviction
| that | could and should make him
happy, | did not regret the means by
which | had won him. | forgot, you
see, that the day of reckoning might
come. 1t has come, and | face It.
All the world may know the story"
No, no. oh, MOI" painted Lucy.
Il do not care who knows. | have
made my confession, and | have done
with It. | do not ask your forgive
ness, Miss Leslie. If | stood in your
place | should find it impossible to
| forgive as you do. | will not utter
the conventional wish that you may
he happy. | tried to ruin your hap.
piness in securing my own, and have
failed. Let that console you as it
will torture me. If you want further
consolation take 1t In the assurance
that he has loved you all the time
he has been engaged TO me Yes,
have felt that all through. His heart
was always yours-never mine. If
this evenings work had never been
| If we had been-been married he
would have bone on loving you, and
my punishment would have been
greater even than it is. That woman
lied when she spoke of you. Yes
| can understand how he came to
choose you before me-"
-. I.
her and moved to the door Yorke
started as If aroused from a kind of
stupo@, and went forward as If to ac-
company her; but she drew away
from him.
Your place is here, not with me-"
He stopped irresolute, half dazed
by conflicting emotions and she look
ed over her shoulder at Ralph Dun
combe.
81 ordered my carriage to follow
me, will you see if it Is on the road,
Mr. Duncombe?"
He started forward and offered his
arm but Yorke motioned him aside
aud took her hand.
no he said, hoarsely, my place
Is by your side You are my prom.
Used wife, Eleanor"
She smiled bitterly as he drew her
hand from his.
Pardon me, Lord Auchester,"
pointing to Leslie, there stands your
promised wife," and with one more
look into his face she turned and
left them.
Horke was a gentleman. He could
not let the woman whom he was
pledged to marry in a few hours go
out into the night like an outcase.
He followed her and Ralph Dun
combe.
Eleanor, you will at once come
home with me?"
The sound of wheels was heard.
and she stood and listened to them,
rather than to him.
Eleanor, think what you do" he
said. Il stand by my promise, my
engagement Notwithstanding"
Notwithstanding that obtained
1t by fraud! Yes, | knew you would |
say that, and | am grateful. But you
forget Yorke, | heard every word |
you said. You could give me-
what? Not yourself, not your heart.
You could not You belong to her.
Forget me. Oh, Yorke, loved you
SO! No, do not come near me! | am
not so degraded as to accept such a !
sacrifice. You love her, and | do
not wonder No, | do not wonder |
She Is more beautiful that | am, and |
better-a thousand times better. She |
VIII make you happy, and ah! how
much more is this-you will make
her happy, Goodbye. Go back to
her Plead to her, kneel to her to
forgive you. She will find 1t hard
these good women are always harder
than we are. She would not have |
done so much to win you rs | have,
and Will, therefore, be all the slower
to forgive, But go, and-and"-the |
carriage was drawing near; she |
threw back the hood of the cloak and |
flashed all her proud, white lowell
ness upon him-"and when you think
of me, think of me as | am at this
moment-at the moment relinqush
you
He stood motionless, and she drew
near and laid a white hand upon each |
OF his shoulders, looked into his |
eyes, lingering feverish look. then,
as Ralph Duncombe opened the car
riage door, she let her hands drop
slowly and got into the carriage.
Ralph Duncombe was for following |
her, but she stayed him with a gest.
ure.
mo, no! Alone, alone" came
from her parted lips.
The words alone, alone" fell like
n funeral knell upon Yorke's ear.
They were the last words he Was to
hear from Lady Eleanor's lips for |
many year.
The two men stood and gazed af. |
ter the carriage Than ynriya tvrn,3 |