Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-05-07

Then Clifford forgot the ashy cheek
and hollow eyes; he saw himself about
to be defrauded, by some overwhelm-
ing misfortune, of his own hopes, and
he caught her passionately, almost
fercely, to his breast.
do you know what you are saying,
Jane? Do you know what promises
you have made-promises that no one
but me can ever free you from"
"You will free me from them ALL"
"I free you! give up your love!
Jane, tell me what you are talking
about! 1t is impossible that you can
be speaking in sober earnest. You wish
to be freed from your promises to me
you wish to break off our engagement!
l will never"
But lust then the thought struck Mr..
Mohun that, before any woman could
wish to give him up, some oyerpoWer-
ing unfitness to be his wife must GER
tainly exist upon her side; and he
paused before committing himself to
any rash oath.
II am ready to hear you out, Jane;
but am sure, If you knew what horri-
Bile pain you are giving me, you would
try to tell me whatever you have got
to say in less cruel way than you
have chosen"
She looked at him tenderly, yearning-
", as a mother might look at the sick
child whose worse sufferings she would
thn hyIf
pass from his lips to hers.
"Cruel! Oh, Clifford! would to God
l knew any way to spare you this pain!
If said what did too suddenly, for
give me. I have been thinking all
night how should break it to you best,
and now the time has come I say it
abruptly and in the hardest words l
could have chosen. Oh, Gifford-oh,
Mr.. Mohun, if you knew what torture
it is to me to have to pain your
"Mr. Mohun! Jane, what are you
thinking of? Do you wish already to
forget that you are my promised
! wife"
He kissed her pale, trembling lips; he
reassured her very tendcrly-although
still without any further positive com
initial of himself.
'Tell me what you have to say quick.
| ly, Jane, dearest, and the worst will be
over for us both"
And then he went on to whisper, but
rather indistnctly, how impossible it
was that any circumstances whatever
| hn;r Il h,x
positive he was that no disclosure she
could make would change, in the slight
est degree, the position in which they
stood to each other.
Instinctively - utterly without the
agency of any reasoning process-Jane,
for the first time, knew that Mohun's
love was not blind. self -immolating
love, like her own. She had fully re-
solved that he should give her up. She
| had sworn 10 herself to accept no sac
rifice. however noble. that he might
wish to make. But STILL human nature
is so constituted that we can all of us
60 through positively any other torture
better than that particular one which
! we have laid down in our own mind as
right and fitting for us to bear TO
have witnessed Mohun's suffering in
giving her up, to have withstood his
passionate desire to marry her in spite
of all, would, no doubt, have bitterly
wrung Jane Grand's heart; but yet,
believe, the harest unexpected thought
that he was prepared TO meet her
wishes, and TO act wisely, smotc
through every fiber Of her heart and
brain with far fiercer agony.
She said no word II let him know
what panS of cruel disappointment
that soothing, commonplace whisper of
!, his had awakened. Neither then ror
aftcrward did she admit to herself lin
anything like n tangible form of
thought the truth that his love was
largely mixed up with sellishness, and
worldly wisdom, and disregard for her.
But she turned very trembling and chill
in all her frame; she loosed herself abb
| ruptly from his embrace; and then,
| standing a short distance away from
him, she clasped her two dcath-cold
little hands together, and looked into
his facc-looked at him with eyes
whose piteous, dumb cntreaty must
one would think-hava risen unpleas-
antIy before Mr.. Mohun's memory dur
ing a good many years of his succeed
ing life.
"YOu know what ] went to London
! for yesterday" and as she spoke the
agitation died down in her voice, and
it began to take something of the hard,
unmodu!ated tones with which she had
spoken to Mr.. Clithero the day before.
"You know what went for? To hear
the history, which I never heard be-
fore, of my parents life"
Yes, Mr.. MOhun knew 1t. But he
i, hoped-he felt surc-that Jane had
greatly exaggerated to herself the ef-
feet which these histories would have
upon their own future fate.
"You are very proud, Gifford-you
are very sensitive in your ideas of
honor; know that from the way that
/ have heard you speak ( Bertha and
Agnes Tenant score of times"
"But that has nothing to do with us
now, my dear child. How does my
opinion of the Tenant family concern
anything that relates to your engage
ment with me"
| 90 oh, nttAd