Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-08-12
CHAPTER XXXIII.

"Oh, my love, my loye!"
She stood with her arms out
stretched toward the white walls Of
the Hall, the moon shining over mea-
dow and river, the night jay creak-
ing in silence.
In all her anguish and misery, in all
her passionate longing and sorrow,
these were the only words that her
lips could frame. All was still in the
house behind her. Frank, worn out
with excitement, lad gone to his own
roou. The old man sat smoking,
dreaming and thinking of his little
girls bethrothal. Jasper had gone
he was too wise to prolong the strain
and she had crept out into the little
garden and stood leaning against the
gate, her eyes fixed ON the great
house, which at that moment perhaps
held him-Leycester-w few short
hours ago, was hers, and in a low
voice the cry broke from her lips.
'Oh, my love, NY Lowell"
1t was benedic,ion, a Farewell, a
prayer, in one; all her soul seemed
melting and flowing toward him in
the wall. All the intense longing OF
her passionate nature to av to his
protecting arms and tell him all-'o
tell him that she still loved him as
the flowers love the sun, the hart the
waterbrook-was expressed in the
words; then as she remembered he
could not near them that it would
avail nothing if he could hear them,
her face dropped into her hands, and
she shut out the Hall from her hot,
the awful tightening round her brain,
burning eyes. She had not yet shed
one tear; if she could but have wept.
the burning fire in her eyes would
have been assuaged; but she could
not weep. she was held in thrall be-
numbed by the calamity that had be-
fallen her.
She, who was to have been Leyces-
ter's bride, was now the bethrothed of
Jasper Adelstone.
And yet, as she stood there, alone
in her misery, she knew that were it
to be done again she would do it. To
keep shame and disgrace from the old
man who loved her as a father-the
boy who loved her as a brother. she
would have laid down her life; but
this was more than life The sacrifice
demanded of her, and which she had
yielded was worse than death.
Death! She looked up at the blue
vault of heaven with aching, longing
eyes. If she could but die-die there
and then, before Jasper could lay his
hand upon her! If she could but die,
SO that he, LEICESTER, might come and
see her lying cold and white, but still
his--his! He would know then that
she loved him, that without him she
would not accept even life He would
look down at her with the odd light
in his dark eyes, perhaps stoop and
kiss her-and he would never kiss her
again,
How often have blind mortals clam
ored to the gods for this one boon
which they will not yield. When sor.
row comes. the cry goes up give
us DEATH" but the gods turn a deaf
ear to the prayer Live they sas
the cup is not yet drained, the task
is not yet done
And she was young, she thought,
I 4sr 4 er
she might live fol--for years. Oh,
the long, dreary vista Uf years that
stretched before her, down which she
would drag with tired feet as Jasper
Adelstones wife. No thought Of ap
peaiing to MIN, to his mercy, ever &C
Cured to her; she had learned TO
know him, during that short hour in
London. so well as to know that any
such appeal would be useless. The
sphinx rearing its immoyable head
above the dreary desert could not be
more steadfast, more unyield ng than
this man who held her in his grasp.
"No." slS. murmured, u have taken
mp this burden; ! must carry it TO the
end Would 10 Heaven that end were
nigh"
She turned with dragging step TO
ward the house, scarcely hearing, ut
terly needless Of the sound Of ap
preaching wheels; even when they
stopped out side the gate she did no,
notice; but suddenly a voice cried in
low tremulous accents, @Stella!" and
she turned. with her ha d pressed "a
her bosom. She knew the voice, and
It went to her heart like a knife. II
was not his but so like, so Ike.
She turned and started, for there
standing in the moonlight, leaning on
the arm Of her maid, was Lady Lillian
The two stood for a moment regard