Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1889)
WKST oenilKT. Progress and attention were both suddenly arrested by an eager, musionl voice behind her calling : " Mailamoiselle, Madamoiselle I" Turning quickly tw gave a gaspingly of: "Mon nieur I " and stood face to face with M. ,e Grand. " Hon iVh Mon Dieu ! At hint, at Inst ! " he ex claimed, tears filling his dark, melting even. " lint ma rhnt will not run away from her Antoine again, I have searched for you months and wan almost in de spair. i!i )titt will Ih mine now, she will g. Imok to France with nie and he a duchess the Duchess I n Grnnde. Don't say nay or I will drown myself in the river, or ocean maybe." They were walking together now, and his tout's were deep and passionate. More than one turned to note the striking contrast Mween the man's dark, fiery face and the girl's delicate blonde beauty. She was trembling violently, and her voice was scarcely audible as she faltered : " Hut I told you in my note, Monsieur, that I could not marry you, that" Mmi IHfu! what note?" "Why tho ono I sent you by--by Cousin Arthur the day before I started for home." "He never gave it to me, Mailamoiselle, never, but he told me when I went to ask him what was your sick nessthat I was never to cross their threshold more, that I scared you into your sickness, ami other such things." IVt was sMeehlos8 with mingled surprise and un easiness. How strange and dreadful it all was, Arthur had not delivered her letter ami Monsieur had gone on loving her and searching for her all these months, while she had hardly thought of him. How he must have suffered, and how she pitied him. Her own heart was sore, and therefore she could feel for others. " We are almost home," she said irrelevantly. "Then promise me, Mailamoiselle IVt, to Is' my wife." He sHike calmly now, and with a voiee and manner wholly foreign to himself. She raised her eyes to his face and tinted f..r the first time how pale anil haggard he looked, and there was a look in the lustrous eyes that she quailed I fre but could not understand. She dare not refuse hmi, and why should she ? He loved her evidently, and if she could make him happy, ought she nut to do it 1 Hut as she asked herself the question, another ll came to mind, and she said gently : "Oh, Monsieur, do forget me, do tu- ( l-v- I am not worthy of you, I a nly a "", f-li-li K"1- not fit at all to I the Duchess I .a Grande " "Mi rhtrr, I am determined. Pr..ini' 1 ask at once or More the msm-ti I '"" !" death. I am one who can love but mih 1 to you the whole wealth of my Milium mt "' 1 ' 1 SlloiJK. lit "U yu nil that is within me. When you positively n fuse to marry me my intervst in life will lie done, I shall .nap at once the brittle oord of existence, I may not drown myself, there is a quicker way." and he . toiu bed bin breast significantly. She shuddered. ! "This onee more I nk you, urn tKtrt, this one and ; hist time." j They had reached the (tale now, ! "Come in, Monsieur, and I will answer you later." " No, you must answer me now, once for all. An i hour, more or lens, can make no different lis you, to me it means a great deal." His strange magnetic eves were on her, looking, ll sinned to her, into the Innermost recesses of her soul, She faltered and turned her glance aside, but he drew it baek again. "Is it yes or no! Speak!" His long white lingers moved menacingly toward that inner breast jun ket, and before she knew It, she had littered an agnnlied " Ye I " Some two weeks previous to the events last record"!, Arthur Dra'r astonished and horrified his mother by announcing his intention of "seeing the west and tak ing in Aunt Mason's family enroute" " Why, Arthur I" and then the closed her li In a manner the young man knew well how to Interpret. Without seeming to notice her be went on : "The bank does not need father and me at the same time now, since young SUuin has gut the hang of things; and I can lie Utter spared now than after the new year." "Y es," In gan Mr lrar In a tone of hesitancy, ! "but I really do not think you ought to have your ! father with so much care just when he Is feeling to ptsirlr. Mi) I"' you have nt noticed It, but I am quit uneasy aUnt him, and lie Is very r'lles iilghl" " ludii'd I I certainly had not observed that he was 1 worse than iisiml." be said coldly " Well, well ! arrange it U twe. li you," she answered with allivt.il Indifference; hul she t.s.k rare to meet ! his father I" fore he did When atmin he ke of tin1 matter lothe s holarly hanker, the latter ran hi long white lingers iierv-usly through his iron gray hair, and listed uncomfortable, Iml r inami-d sih-nt 1 1., yon still think that I can I spared, father f " Arthur tf""l t last li v Vrthur, my son. I can lnl Ml - that It I ,, I nn'i h't feeling r. .Ill II ly Well, Slid If y..l Would ,.,.fn. that is .-l-me this a little for the pres. ,i ,! u.yht might I a-tht k would give me II... ,...in; man l!uh"l, and a torrent of angry, .,,!,. l irow h-l f"f wttrraiM-n, only .