The White Rose of Memphis

“‘Nothing whatever, that I am aware of. I met him in the street a short while ago, and he abused me terribly, swore that I never should marry his sister, and threatened to kill me if ever he saw me in your company again.’

“‘Oh, Eddie, go quickly; yonder he comes now; he is crazy with poison; keep out of his way until he is in a condition to listen to reason!’

“I would have obeyed Lottie by leaving at once, but it was too late; for Harry was within twenty paces of us before she saw him. He was walking rapidly toward me, while his eyes glared with anger.

“‘I suspected you would disregard the warning I gave you, though I had no idea you would have the boldness to do it so soon; but this is as good a chance to settle the matter as one could wish. Take that for your impudence, you hypocritical sneak!’

“And before the words were uttered, he slapped me on the mouth with his open hand. I raised my arm to strike him, but Lottie caught me:

“‘Don’t strike him, Eddie; he don’t know what he is doing!’

“My arm fell harmless by my side; and if he had given me a dozen blows then, I could not have resented it. How could I have the heart to strike my darling’s brother when her eloquent tongue was pleading his case? If it had been any other man, I should have pounded him half to death, but he was Lottie’s only brother, and she loved him, and that was enough. I resolved then and there that I never would hurt him, no matter what he might do. I could have tied him without an effort, because he was a mere skeleton, anyway.

“‘Oh, brother, has it come to this?’ exclaimed Lottie, as she stood trembling and weeping between us. ‘How could you have the heart to strike our Eddie? How could you be so cruel as to strike those lips that have uttered so many kind words to you? Have you forgotten the fact that I owe my life to those lips which are now smarting from your cruel blow?’

“‘Lottie,’ screamed Harry, as he seized her by the arm and dashed her back roughly against the wall of the summer-house, ‘don’t you know that Ed Demar is a deceitful coward who has betrayed you?’

“‘No, no! ten thousand times no!’ replied the dear girl, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. ‘If God ever created an honest man, it is my Eddie! Don’t I know him? Haven’t I been with him through sorrow and through joy; and don’t I know his honest heart? No, brother Harry, no one can shake my confidence in him – nothing ever shall make me doubt him!’

“‘I tell you, sister, you must and shall cease to receive visits from that deceitful wretch; when I tell you he is a traitor to you, I only say that which I know of my own knowledge, I only inform you of what I beheld with my own eyes. This is no hearsay evidence; this is no report of a detective; but it is a fact I beheld myself.’

“‘Dear brother, I beg you to hush; you are laboring under some unaccountable delusion; your trouble has been so great that it has clouded your judgment. You know that no sister ever loved a dear brother as I love you. I am sure that you would not tell a willful falsehood under any circumstances; but I implore you to let this matter drop for the present. Wait until you have time for reflection. It is so easy to commit irreparable errors – so easy to do things that cannot be undone. Listen to your devoted sister, won’t you?’

“‘If you will drive that cowardly sneak from my sight I promise you to let the matter drop for the present; but if he remains here another moment, I cannot answer for the consequences.’

“‘Please leave us now, Eddie,’ said Lottie, as she laid her hand on my arm, and cast on me an imploring look. Leave him with me until I can pacify him, and then I will send for you, when he will hear an explanation. You have not betrayed me, have you, Eddie?’

“‘Before high Heaven, I answer, No!’

“‘I believe you, and will always trust you.’

“‘What are you whispering to that hypocrite for? Why don’t you order him to leave here as I have directed? You had better not tax my patience too far!’

“I thought it best to leave him with Lottie, hoping that she would be able to keep him quiet until his better judgment should come to his assistance. As I made my way toward my office, I began to ponder over what had occurred, and you may be sure that my thoughts were anything but pleasant. My cheeks burned with indignation when I thought of the blow I had received, and I felt my self-respect leaving me. I began to feel that I had acted cowardly in submitting to such treatment. Who but an arrant coward would have quietly taken such an insult from mortal man? Then on the other hand, I argued the case thus: How could I strike the brother of Lottie, when I know how dearly she loves him? Did she not beg me not to return the blow? How could I do anything against her wish? Then I thought of his feeble health, and the great troubles he had endured, and finally satisfied myself that I had acted right in not punishing him. But the mystery in which the whole affair was clothed puzzled and perplexed me; and the more I discussed the matter in my mind, the greater grew my curiosity. Could it be possible that Harry was laboring under a mental hallucination? or was some enemy of mine at work to undermine me? Could it be that Mr. Heartsell was at work in secret to turn Lottie against me, in order to secure the prize himself? Those questions, and a thousand others of a similar character, came trooping across my mind, until my brain seemed to be on fire. The course that Lottie had pursued had the effect to counterbalance the influence that the other circumstances were producing. She refused to distrust me, and I believed that they never would be able to shake her confidence in me. I felt that I could endure any amount of misery so long as she was my friend and remained true to me.

“I must now tell you of an event that had transpired on the night before the rupture between Harry and myself – a thing about which I was not informed until a long time after it happened. It was not until after the great mischief had been done that I was advised of its cause. If I had been informed at the proper time, irreparable misfortunes could have been prevented. But perhaps I had better proceed to tell what it was that had enraged Harry against me. Early on the morning of the day previous to that on which he had insulted and struck me, Mr. Heartsell called to see him, stating that he had some private communications to make to him. They went into the summer-house and took seats on the wooden bench – the very spot where Lottie first promised to be my wife.

“‘Mr. Wallingford,’ began Mr. Heartsell, as soon as they were seated, ‘the communication which I propose to make will not be pleasant for you to hear, yet I honestly believe it is my duty to tell you. Of course you are aware of the relations heretofore existing between myself and your charming sister. I loved her very devotedly, and, as you know, asked her to marry me, but she declined, very candidly informing me that she loved Doctor Demar. The frank manner in which she answered my offer of marriage, and the courteous manner in which she treated me, rather increased my affection for her. To be more plain, I still love your sister, and would make any sacrifice to secure her happiness. I had reconciled myself to my fate, and was willing to bear my disappointment with becoming fortitude so long as I had reason to hope that your sister would be happy. But when I became convinced that she was about to marry a man who was unworthy of her – a man who (to say the least) is a hypocritical scoundrel, I determined to make known to you what I had discovered. Edward Demar is either married to another woman, or he is living with her unlawfully.’

“‘Mr. Heartsell, I would not believe such a story if you were to bring a dozen men to swear it! I have known Ed Demar from boyhood to this day, and if he is not an honest man, I must confess that there are none.’

“‘I did not expect you to believe it, for, to be candid with you, I would not have believed it myself had I not seen it with my own eyes. I can readily understand the fact that such confidence as you have placed in Demar is very hard to shake, but you can see for yourself, if you think enough of your sister’s happiness to induce you to do it.’

“‘How do you mean that I may see for myself?’

“‘Ed Demar brought a beautiful woman with him from Philadelphia, and as I have already told you, she is either his wife or his mistress – I don’t know which. He has her hidden in that old brick house, just over yonder, in that flat. She has lately been moved in that house; he had her concealed in another part of the city, but he has lately moved her to that old building. I think they are making arrangements to elope, as I have overheard some of their conversations. He is to visit her to-night at ten o’clock; and if you wish to satisfy yourself as to the truth of my statements, I will go with you to a spot where you can see with your own eyes.’

“‘Heartsell,’ said Harry, as he rose from his seat, his eyes flashing with anger, ‘if you have slandered Demar, I will take your life – and if he has betrayed my sister, I’ll kill him!’

“‘Very good; you may take my life and welcome, if you find my statement false. Will you go with me to-night, so as to make the test as to who is to be killed?’

“‘Yes, I will; but I despise to play the spy or eavesdropper.’

“‘So do I – so does any gentleman; but how can you catch a traitor without doing it?’

“‘True, true! but where shall we meet?’

“‘Here, at this very spot; meet me here at 9:30, and you shall be convinced. By the by, let us compare our time, so as to make no mistake.’

“After the two watches were compared and set with each other, Heartsell took his leave, while Harry sat immovable and silent, with a mind full of gloomy thoughts: Could it be true that Edward Demar was the treacherous hypocrite Heartsell represented him to be? His heart fluttered with emotions of anger when he thought of the effect such a blow would have on Lottie. Harry loved Lottie with all his heart, and woe to the man who dared to betray her. Harry was at the rendezvous promptly, and had only been there a few moments when he saw Heartsell approaching.

“‘How long have you been here, Wallingford?’ inquired Heartsell as he approached.

“‘Only a moment,’ was the whispered reply.

“‘Speak low, Heartsell, my sister is in the garden, and I don’t want her to know anything about this business.’

“‘Alas, Wallingford, she will hear it soon enough, Heaven knows!’

“‘Yes, and it will be a fearful blow to her, indeed; for she loves Demar devotedly; but I cannot believe he is the treacherous scoundrel you think he is.’

“‘I did not believe it either until I was forced to; but come, it is time we were going.’

“‘I feel ashamed of myself, Heartsell.’

“‘Why?’

“‘Because this is the first time I ever did anything on the sly; I think we are engaged in a very small business.’

“‘If you love your sister, how can you consider it a small business to take steps to rescue her from the clutches of an unworthy villain?’

“‘Of course not, but these steps ought to be taken openly and not in the dark.’

“‘True enough; but don’t they always employ detectives to catch the thief?’

“‘Yes; the best detectives are the shrewdest thieves.’

“While this conversation was progressing, Harry and his companion were walking quietly toward the gloomy old house – their arms locked in each other. The moon was struggling through the clouds that were moving briskly from the south toward the north, every now and then coming out between them and spreading a temporary light over the earth.

“‘This is a most favorable night for our business, Wallingford,’ observed Heartsell, as the moon darted out between the two dark clouds, lighting up the road nearly as bright as day.

“‘Why so?’

“‘Because we will be able to see all we wish.’

“‘What do you mean? You talk is if it would afford you pleasure to witness the downfall of Demar.’

“‘Pshaw! Wallingford, you don’t know me; I merely meant to say that it was a favorable night to detect this rascal in his treachery. I assure you I should be gratified to find it all a mistake.’

“‘It seems to me impossible for it to be anything else but a mistake; and I feel my cheeks burning with shame – I feel degraded at the underhanded, sneaking course we are pursuing.’

“‘I don’t doubt it; I can readily understand the reason – you thought your friend Demar was honest, and that his pretended love for your sister was all reality; but wait a while, and see if you don’t change your opinion of him. By the way, here we are – that is the house. We had better turn off to the right, and take up our position back of the building. By standing on the bluff there we can observe what transpires within, for there are several glasses broken out of the rear windows, and this will enable us to get a full view of the interior. Come this way, Wallingford; we’ll hide ourselves behind this tree, where we will be on a level with the second story, and in hearing distance of the room. By the way, there she is now, watching for him; speak very low, else she will hear us; she is remarkably pretty; don’t you think so?’

“‘Yes, but she looks as pale as death, and appears to be very sad.’

“‘Ah, yes, poor lady, I dare say she has cause to be sad; no doubt she has been betrayed by that scoundrel, and is now beginning to realize her situation. See! she is preparing supper for some one.’

“‘Hush, Heartsell, I hear footsteps coming this way – listen, don’t you hear them?’

“‘Yes, and, by the way, that is he, now; stand close behind this tree, or he will see us, for he is coming directly toward us. A plague on the moon! I wish it would get behind that cloud – I fear he will see us. Look! she is coming down to meet him. He is getting over the fence at the corner yonder, and will pass within ten feet of us. Now take a good look at his face as he comes along this way, and tell me who he is.’

“‘That is Ed Demar, beyond all doubt.’

“‘Of course it is; but see, he has stopped, and seems to be watching for some one. Now he is moving this way again. Hark! what noise was that?’

“‘He made it with his cane by tapping on the plank fence. I dare say it was a signal to notify the woman of his arrival, for she is going out to meet him.’

“‘Look, Wallingford, he has taken her in his arms! How does that suit you for a husband for your sister?’

“‘I’ll kill him, if they hang me as high as Haman for it!’

“‘Dear Eddie,’ exclaimed the woman as she threw herself into the man’s arms, ‘what made you stay away so long? I have been lonesome and miserable; I cannot endure this suspense much longer – it is killing me. When will you take me away from this horrible place, darling?’

“‘Within two or three days at farthest, my dear,’ was the reply, as he pressed her again to his heart.

“‘What would your sister think of this hypocritical scoundrel if she knew what he was?’

“‘Don’t mention my sister’s name in connection with the double-faced traitor; she shall not be annoyed with him any more, you may depend on that; but hark! he is speaking to her; let us listen.’

“‘Has any one been here to-day, Mollie?’ said the man as he led her into the house.

“‘No one has been in the house, but I saw a man standing on the bluff there yesterday, and thought from his conduct he was watching the premises.’

“‘I dare say he was, because I begin to suspect that we are watched; and this makes me the more anxious to get away from here.’

“‘Come in, dear; I know you are hungry, and I have prepared you a nice supper with my own hands. I have made you a cup of strong tea, and broiled you a mutton-chop.’

“‘You are very thoughtful, Mollie, and I consider myself eminently blessed by your love – I feel that I am unworthy of such good fortune. I don’t think I could endure my troubles but for the sustaining influence of your love and encouragement.’

“‘Oh, Eddie, if we could escape to some distant land where no one would know us – where we could feel safe, how happy we should be!’

“‘Yes, darling, and that is precisely what I mean to do soon; I would do it now, but there is an unfortunate little affair that detains me here, though I will get it off my hands speedily.’

“As soon as the man had dispatched his supper the woman removed the dishes and returned to where her lover sat, and began to play with his long, shaggy hair. It was evident from her conduct that she loved him devotedly, for she ever and anon bent over and stamped a kiss on his lips, while her long, black hair fell unconfined about his face.

“‘Let us leave this place, Heartsell,’ whispered Harry; ‘I shall die with disgust; I cannot command my feelings much longer. Oh, what a shame it is to see what I have beheld to-night! I have often seen my sister kiss that rascal’s lips and shower a thousand endearing expressions on him. He made her believe he loved her, and I have heard him swear by everything sacred that he never cared for any other woman. I don’t believe it would be wrong to shoot him down like a dog, though I mean to give him a chance for his life. He or I must leave the world, and that very soon. Heartsell, Lottie must know of this affair.’

“‘Yes, I think it best to tell her everything. Poor girl! it will nearly kill her; I deeply sympathize with her, and would freely lay down my life to secure her happiness.’

“‘You shall marry her if you want her, because you have saved her. I think she will be guided by my wishes when she finds how she has been deceived in that man.’

“‘Wallingford, if she would love me as she has loved that unworthy scoundrel I would be the happiest man on earth.’

“‘She can’t fail to love you when she learns how you have worked to save her; but come, we must go now; we can discuss that matter at another time.’

“‘Wait a moment; they are drawing the curtains down – there, they have put out the light.’

“Heartsell and Harry remained by the tree until after midnight; darkness and silence pervaded the premises, and it was certain that the parties had retired, when they turned and walked back to Mr. Rockland’s.

“‘Good-night, Wallingford,’ said Heartsell, ‘I’ll see you again early in the morning.’

“‘Good night, Heartsell, don’t fail to come early.’

“Harry went to his room, but found it useless to try to sleep; therefore he spent the night in arranging his plans for the morrow.