Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-07-03

worldly sense am not your equal
Not my equal"
He drops her hands abruptly and starts
to his feet She rises also, an instant
later Silence. One of the distant cows
lows melodiously; a light wafture of
scented breeze sets little sisterhood of
daisies just between them quivering in
every fragile cluster.
"Good heavens!" he apostrophizes;
you must know; everybody knows; it
has followed me like my own shadow ever
since it happened. Miss Heath must have
told you"
She shakes her head as though asking
herself whether his late gladiatorial ac-
tions have had some melancholy mental
effect upon him. II don't understand you
a bit, Mr.. Dalgrish."
He laughs oddly. "WiW you have plain
English? I'm as poor as a church mouse.
l once had quite fortune, you know, but
it's all gone now"
His words certainly do not seem much
of a bombshell to her. II am very sorry"
she presently comments with calmest CON-
miseration.
Whereupon he gets bolder "Of course,
for this reason, l seem wholly without the
right, Lillian" (moving to her side through
the daisy punches while he speaks), "of
saying that want you for wife. You
are really beyond my reach. All your
friends will say So Nearly everybody
will believe that | covet not you, darling,
but your fortune"
my fortuner' She opens upon him
the widest eyes of amazement. "Who on
earth told you that had more than a few
hundreds a yearg"
He finds voice enough TO answer, and no
more than to answer:
"Mrs. Heath"
He sees strange look cross her face at
this. Then she suddenly turns her back
upon him and walks away with head bent
groundward.
He does not follow her for some little
time, but remains with eyes fixed in one
straight-ahead stare, both hands Juggling
industriously at his moustache. After
while he moves toward the spot where she
is now standing He is very close to her
before he speaks her name.
Lillian"
She half turns. He discovers that her
face is set and hard.
"Wellg" she responds, neither coldly
nor cordially.
II guess, though am not sure, that you
and l have both been thinking very much
the same thoughts"
| j
mean we have both been thinking that
Mrs. Heath"
Here he pauses
She faces him then, murmuring
quickly:
"Well! What about Mrs. HeathY"
"Shc is good hater; that is all. Do
you agree with me?"
A rapid and bitter laugh leaves the girls
lips Eyes. She hates me because she
believes l tried to make Archie Heath
break with her and marry me; which is
false belief, by the way. Why does she
hate your"
He echoes her bitter laugh then.
"For good reasons. / behaved more or
less abominably to her when | was rich
and eligible Rufus Dalgrish, when she was
poor and scheming little Fanny Chiches-
ter"
After that there is quite long pause.
She breaks out at last: "We are quite far
from home, and we must remember what
our estimable hostess said about getting
back in time for dinner"
Somehow their eyes meet just here, with
strong, mutual regard Of each others
faces No matter what the search pre-
cisely tells each of them. 1t results, as
far as Dalgrish is concerned in some
words something after this fashion:
LILLIAN Martel, you and ! both started
with an idea of marrying each other for
money. We were the merest blind pup
; pets in the hands of a rather clever and a
very revengefIl woman To-day we have
both been undeceived. Mrs. Heaths re-
venge is accomplished, l suppose. She
has fooled you she has fooled me-"
Lillian Martcl has averted her eyes from
his face. She just bows for answer.
: For my own part" he presently re-
commences, at seems as if worldly policy
could only dictate one course to each OF
u.s."
She shrugs her shoulders. "Do you
mean go home to dinner?"
eyes"
every well. Suppose we GO"
| Their eyes have met again. Rufus Dial
grish thrusts forth his hand for her to take,
and now his voice quivers under the stress
of strong passion.
cor suppose Lillian, that before we go
we strike an agreement, you and 2"
"An agreement" Qaying her hand in
hisl
Eyes. To make Mrs. Heath's revenge
perfect. To marry each other. love you
as have loved no woman before; as /
shall love no woman again ! am willing
TO take you even if your hundreds year
are fifties-are tens--are nothings. Will
you take me with the same brilliant pros
pects?"
Her reply is not in words. She throws
herself upon his breast and sobs there for
good three minutes Of time. When she
at length lifts her face to his, he sees that
it is very April of smiles and tears.
Don't you think Rufus, that we deserve
to be called the worst match of the sea-
SOM"
II haven't doubt Of it, darling. don't
see how we are going to live at all except
in Cleveland, where there is some slight
chance for me-"
She laughs good, clear, hearty laugh.
"That will indeed be across the hills and
far away won't it? What are those
words?
| Across the hills and far away,
Beyond their utmost purple rim,
| And deep into the dying day
The happy princess followed him.
l am the happy princess and you arc
him Goodness gracious, Rufus dear"
| "Well darling: what has haDpcnedY''