The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-07-25

The butler came IN with the letter.
upon a copper tray. There was &
great pile of them. and as the man
closed the door after he had put the
tray upon the writing table, Sir Will
lam began to deal the letters like a
PACK of cards, throwing this and that
one on the floor with q shutting
movement of the wrist. And as he did
SO his eyes were horrid in their
searching and their intensity.
AT last he came to the one he
sought, a letter addressed to him In a
bold but feminine hand writing. Az
mis- fingers touched 1t a loud sob burst
out IN the silence OF the room. With
shaking fingers he tore it open, stand
Ing among the litter of the unopened
envelopes, and began to read.
He read the letter right through.
th"n walked to the ma~ntelpiece. lean.
ing his right arm upon it as IL for
support. But the tension was now q
little relaxed. He had come down to
md the worst. to meet the inevitable.
he had met II, and there was now
neither anticipation Of the momen of
realization o the last and torturing
Kicker of despairing hope.
This was the letter. 1t began with.
out preface or address:
You must have known this was
coming. Everything in your manner
has shown me that you knew it was
coming. and for that, unhappy as | am,
| am glad. | have a terrible comics.
sion to make to you. But you, who are
so great-you, who know the human
mind from your great height, as a
~conquering general surveys a country
from a mountain-top-you will under
stand. When you asked me to marry
you and | said Yes / was pleased and
BATTERED. and | had a tremendous ad.
miration and respect for you and for
all you have done. Then, when we
came to know each other better, | be-
gan to see the human side of you, and
| had-and. II you will let me say SO,
still have-a real affection for you.
and had it not been that something
more powerful than affection has come
into my life, | would have been a true
and faithful wife and companion to ,
you.
But you have seer and you must
know that things are changed. Are
we not all subject to the laws of des-
tiny, the laws Of chance? Is it not
true that non of us on our way
through the world can say by whom
or how we shall be caught up out Of
ourselves and changed into what we
could not be before? Oh, you know 1t
all. You of all men know it!
Il need not here speak in detailed
words, because from things you have
seen you know well enough what | am
about to say, of whom | would speak
If could. But it is enough, William,
to tell you what you already know
that love some n else, n that II
am true to myself, which is, after all,
the first duty Of all Of us, | could never
marry you. can never be to you
what you wish or what | would like to
be as your wife. | am stricken down
with the knowledge of the pain all this
Will give you. LHOuSn l LHduk heaven
I is not a pain for which you are I'M
prepared. dare not ask your forgive
ness, | can say nothing to console you. !
have acted wickedly and wrongly, h
,ut | cannot do anything else but that :
which am doing.
Forgive, if you can. Think kindly ;
I you can, of Marjorie" !
Now he knew. He folded the letter n
kissed tan odd action for a a
nan so strong-and put it in the IN. 4
tide pocket of his coat, which pressed =
text his heart. =
Then he rang the bell. !,
ASK Mr.. Guest to come" he said. !,
very well, Sir William" the butler !,
answered; "but Mr.. Charliewood has ;,
ust arrived" !,
Then ask him in" Gouldesbrough :
answered. !
Charliewood came into the !,
by Jove!" he said, you look about ).
IS seedy as I've ever seen you look" !.
Sir william went up to him and put !,
lis hand upon his shoulder. :
ITO Be continued.) .