Year: 1870

of It from her SOUL to let 1t be withdrawn
is like consenting to die when life j!


sweetest.


Thus it was through her, who hae


hidden him to 60. and who had meant
that he should go. that he remained fol


minutes longer, dropping into her eal


whispers of love which at last drew oui


her confession of love. And when the
parting moment caTne-that moment o.


woman,s life in which she least belongs
to herself-there was not IN this woman
a single reservation Of feeling or pur-
pose.


These people, who were so 4nadly in


love with each other, were almost stran-
gers. The man was Charles Leighton,


a native of Newport, who had never
gone farther from home than to Boston,
and there only to graduate in the Har-
ward College and Medical School.


The lady was. Alice Duvenois; her
name was all that was known of her in
the village-it was all that she had told
Of herself Only month previous to
the scene above described she had ar
rived in Northport to obtain, as she said,
a summer of quiet sea-bathing. She
had come alone, engaged her own
rooms, and for a time seemed to want
nothing but solitude.


Even after she had made herself some
what familiar with the other inmates
of the boarding house. nothing positive
was learned of her history. That she
had been married was probable; an in
dehnable something in her face and car
rage seemed to reveal this much more
over, her trunks were marked "Tames
Duvernois.


And yer, so young did she sometimes
look. so childlike was her smile, and SO
simple her manner. that there were
curious ones who secuted the suppose
tion of wifehood. People addressed her
both as Miss" and Mrs. - at last it
was discovered that her letters bore the
latter title then she became TopuIarlv
known as ''tEe beautiful widow.


It would be a waste of time to sketch
the opening and ripening of the in
timacy between Doctor Leighton and
this fascinating stranger. On his part
it was as nearly a case of love at first
sight as perhaps can occur among peo-
pie of the Anglo-Saxon race. From the
beginning he had no doubts about giving
her his whole heart he was mastered
at once by an emotion which would not
let him hesitate he longed with all his
soul for her soul, and he strove to win it.


Well, we win not go over the story !;
we know that he had triulnphed. Yes.
in spite of her terror of the future, in
spite of some Withholding mystery in the
past. she had granted hinl-or rather
She had not been able to prevent him
from seizing-her passionate affection.
She had uttered a promise which, a
month before, she would not have
dreamed herself capable of making.


In so doing she had acquired an al
most uncomfortable happiness. Il was
one of those mighty and terrible Joys
which are like the effect of opium = one
of those joys which eondense life and
it, which excite and yet stupe-
fy. which intoxicate and kill. With this
in her heart she lived ten of her old days
in one, but also she drew for those ten
days upon her future


After one of her interviews with Leigh
ton, after an hour Of throbbing, of
of vivid but confused emo
tons, her face would be as pale as death,
and her weakness such that she could
hardly speak. The hands which, while
they elung to his, had been soft and
moist, became dry and hot as with fever,
and then cold as iec At night she could
scarcely sleep; for hours her brain
throbbed with the thought of him, and
of what stood between him and her. In
the morning she was heavy with head
ache, dizzy, faint, hysterical yet the
she saw him again she was ali
life, all freshness.


From the point of confession there
was no more resistance. She would be
his wife; she would he married when
ever he wished she seemed mad to re-
ward him for his love she wanted some
how to sacrifice herself for his sake.
Yet, although she hesitated no longer,
she sometimes gazed at him with eyes.
full Of anxiety, and uttered words which
evil.


''If any trouble springs from this, you
must pardon me, she more than once
81 cannot help it. / have
never, never, never been loved before
and oh, have been SO hungry, so fam
ished for it, had begun to despair of
it. Yes, when first met YOU, had
quite despaired of there being any love
in the world for me. I could not help
listening to you; I could not help taking
all your words and looks into my craving
heart and now I am yours-forgive
mel


Stranger as she was in Northport,
everybody trusted the frank sweetness
in her face, and sought no other cause
for adrniring her and wishing her happi-
ness. The whole village came to the
church to witness her marriage and to
doat upon bridal beauty which lay far
more in expression than in form or fea-
ture. A few words of description-in-
adequate notes to represent the precious
gold of reality-must be given to one
who could change the stare. of curiosity
to a beaming glance Of sympathy


Small, slender, fragile; neither blonde
nor brunette; a clear skin, with hectic
flush; light chestnut hair, glossy and
curling : eyes of violet blue, large,
humid and iustrous, which at the first
glance. seemed black because of the
darkness, length and closeness Of the
lashes, and capable of expressing an
earnestness and a sweetness which no
writer or artist might hope to depict; a
which in solitude might be Lam
guild, but which the slightest touch of in
terest kindled into animation; in fine,
white teeth that sparlSled with gayety,
and glances that flashed happiness.


She was married without bridal cos
tune, and there was no wedding Journey.
Leighton was poor, and must attend to
his business and his wife wanted Moth
ing from him which he could not spare
nothing but his love. Impossible to
paint her pathetic gratitude for this af-
fection ; the spiritual--it was not pas
sionate- fondness which she bore him :;
the seftness of her eyes as she gazed for
together into his; the sudden,


remuIous outreachings of her hands to-
ward him, as she just touches him with
her finger and draws back, then leans
forward and lies in his arms, uttering a
little cry of happiness. Here was a heart
that must long have hungered for affec-
tion-a heart unspeakably thankful and
joyous at obtaining it.


''I have been smiling all day" she
sometimes said to him. "PeopIe have
asked me why looked so gay, and what
/ had heard that was funny. 1t is Just
because l am entirely happy, and be-
cause the feeling is still surprise. Shall
1 ever get over il? Am / silly Nor


Her pladness of heart seemed to make