The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 26,
February 1893, by Various

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 26, February 1893
An Illustrated Monthly

Author: Various

Editor: George Newnes

Release Date: September 27, 2009 [EBook #30105]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRAND MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 1893 ***

Produced by Victorian/Edwardian Pictorial Magazines,
Jonathan Ingram, Josephine Paolucci and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

THE

STRAND MAGAZINE

_An Illustrated Monthly_

Vol. 5, Issue. 26.

February 1893

[Illustration: "KENNETH THREW HIMSELF SUDDENLY UPON PHILLIP." (_A
Wedding Gift._)]

A WEDDING GIFT

(A WIFE'S STORY.)

BY LEONARD OUTRAM.

"I _will_ have you! I _will_ have you! I will! I will! I will!!" I can
see his dark face now as he spoke those words.

I remember noticing how pale his lips were as he hissed out through his
clenched teeth: "Though I had to fight with a hundred men for
you--though I had to do murder for your sake, you should be mine. In
spite of your love for him, in spite of your hate for me, in spite of
all your struggles, your tears, your prayers, you shall be mine, mine,
only mine!"

I had known Kenneth Moore ever since I was a little child. He had made
love to me nearly as long. People spoke of us as sweethearts, and
Kenneth was so confident and persevering that when my mother died and I
found myself without a relative, without a single friend that I really
cared for, I did promise him that I would one day be his wife. But that
had scarcely happened, when Phillip Rutley came to the village and--and
everybody knows I fell in love with _him_.

It seemed like Providence that brought Phillip to me just as I had given
a half-consent to marry a man I had no love for, and with whom I could
never have been happy.

I had parted from Kenneth at the front gate, and he had gone off to his
home crazy with delight because at last I had given way.

It was Sunday evening late in November, very dark, very cold, and very
foggy. He had brought me home from church, and he