But I deserve it all," she
added in her heart. "I could almost curse the woman who tried to
win him from me."
Stanton turned his horses off into a shady and unfrequented side
road where they would not be apt to meet any one. "Good heavens!"
he thought; "this is just the condition of mind that Van warned me
to guard against, and, confound him, he is the cause of the evils
he feared, and in their worst form. I be hanged if I can understand
him. All through July he was Jennie Burton's open suitor--at least
he made no secret of it to me, although his cool head enabled him
to throw the people of the house off the scent--and now he follows
another lady to New York, and leaves his first love on very flimsy
pretexts. By Jove! I don't like it, even though it were possible
for me to profit by his folly."
"My poor little Ida," he said gently, putting his arms around her,
"you and I must stand by each other, for we are like to have rough
weather ahead for awhile. It's no kindness to you now to hide the
truth. I do not know that Van Berg has formally proposed to Miss
Burton, but, as an honorable man, he is committed to her, and
I believe he has won her affections, although I confess I don't
understand her very well.
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