Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1909-06-04

verse Of the proposition seems inexhausti.
BILE and unchangeable.
But all this while Grenville Rose had
been reading Maude's epistle His face
darkens as he does so, the brows contract,
and a curse breaks at last from his lips
in a low, cultural tone that bodies bad
times for somebody, suppOsing that Gren-
vile possesses power equal to his incli-
nation.
"That brute Pearman !" he muttered
'My instinct didn't fail me. Better I'd
have dislocated his cursed neck by throw
ing him down stairs that night than this.
And the poor child appeals to me to help
her! What can l doT"
Once more he glances at the letter
again he reads the paragraph: "Gren,
DEAR you have been my resource in all my
scrapes since can remember. Do come
to my rescue now what am l to do?
My childish troubles of bygone days were
not of much account, whatever they might
look at the time. This seems extinguish-
ing the sunshine of my life on the thrssh-
old-as If l was doomed, as l heard you
say not long ago. / have said | cannot,
l dare not. Both papa and mother say 1
am to decide for myself. But it isn't so
you know, Gren, it isn't. There's papa,
more sneering and gloomy than ever, sug-
gesting that we had better make the most
of Glinn during the remaining few weeks
that it remains to us-as | have decided
to give away the property. Mother of
course, all tears and papa bullies her
worse than ever. Oh, tell me what to do,
Gren, for l am very miserable. l can't
stand it much longer-I know | can't.
| shall have to give in; | cannot bear to
see mother always in tears. | almost wish
l was dead, do indeed and yet | don't
want to die"
YES" he mutters, after reading it
through for about the twentieth time ;
it's easy 10 see the whole thing. Ny
precious uncle intends you shall marry
Pearman, so that he may finish his days
in Glinn. My aunt, poor soul, is weeping
a Dead Sea over the arrangement, and
having her soul harried out besides
Maude-Maude, my darling, how can
help you? Pretty chance of pauper like
myself being much use on the OCCASION u
he mused, with a bitter sneer. "She never
says, poor child, by the way, what sum
if any, would stop the gap-though, oil
course, there must be a price. However
that is a question there is no use in rails
ing. OF course it's thousands and tc
raise a few hundreds would require all my
ingenuity, to say nothing of terminating
in my eventual destruction not but what
it's little I'd think Of that just now, tc
save Maude. My love, am powerless =
And Grenvlle Rose leaned his head upor
his hands and tasted the bitterest sorrow
this world can afford-that of an appea
for succor from the woman whom he low
| ed, and the knowledge that he was pow
erless to help her even haif's breadth
| in her bitter anguish. Better to stanC
| by her deathbed than this!
Our nineteenth century training make
us bear such trials well. But do not be
lieve, my brethren, that when the masl
| is dropped, feelings sre not much tn
| same as of yore. Bitter tears are shet
over worthless women, and deep lamenta
| tions made over rotten investments in thu
privacy of the bed chamber. The matu
final razor sweeps the chin at times. will
| a strange fascination for one strong FREE
stroke at the jugular vein; a morbid feel
ing to end all this weary struggle, ant
cut the knot of existence. A well-knowI
writer, the other day, laid down 1T wa
better to be bored than to be miserable.
| can't say l agree with him. l woulC
rather be miserable
For more than an hour does Grenvill
pace his apartment, musing over Maude'
letter. But no he can neither see help t.
be rendered, nor even anything to justif!
the slightest interference on his part
Then he thought savagely of the old duel
ing days how easy it would have been t.
have picked quarrel in those good ole
times, and run his chance of disqualfyinf
Pearman through the medium of a pisto
bullet. But we have changed all that
and when we quarrel nowadays, we EN-
pioy counsel instead of firearms. | sup
pose it is all for the best, though l take
it there was more polteness in genera
society when the being rude had to bt
so speedily justified.
(To be continued.)