, 1874-06-21

He stopped me With proud gesture. No
moro Of that. Let me te judSe." It Was not
I was ashamed to speal. in that strain longer. I
felt as rich, As proud aH he, and his tone had
made me SO.
IT don't know what to sny,"I confessed 'tIt
do, and yet know i. is not love- wish wore
your sister. for then I could lore you ike thus,
and dare to show it without mistake"
!" Would you, sweet ?" he said gratefully, rs Il
q word OF kindness were rarity. You will
make me want to be your brother, too, and such
= wish is far enough from ME now. I want you
In my home, and my heart, where no ono can
take you from me. We will have new home,
one that the shadow has never entered, he
shuddered at the word and your window
year round, and you shall open the books in my
library that lie With the dust on them these
two years, for I can't go into the room
since the evening found those two standing
in the freight with their arms round each other,
and her lips" he rocolected himself with sort
OF sob. so Katie, take me sway, and let me lire
with you among flowers and music and things
that will let me forget thAt terrible dreary house
and the coldneas there. which prays sometimes
for my torture, and sometimes
ONLY Fon HI DEATH"
Are there ouch women2 remembered that he
married her a poor proud girl With wealthy re-
1ations, aud that he had done Verything for her
family. .Ha was the proverb OF The Mills for his
devotion to her. And yet seemed to Emell those
roses in NY bowor-wludow!
We rose aud went home, under the nncon-
tcious curfew of boarding-houBe decoruin, Tor
St. Georges clock Was tolling 9. lie came in,
seeing that the par1or Was deserted.
'4I don't see," I said speaking out the
thoughts my mind had been busy with. ''how
any woman could troat you 10. never knew OF
such one."
With q sad, slow motion be turned back his
sleeve little, and began to undo the neavy gold
buttons at Ills wrist, thon stopped and turned
tie cuff back again.
You do not know what women can do, thank
God" he said quietly. as If wishing to dis1niss
that subject.
was shocked at my oun question, and said
was Eorry.
"Don't you KNOW" be said, With that slow,
sweet light rising in his eycs, those beautiful
eyes his mother left him. that am long past
judging your acts and ~ords? I'm not sure
shouldn't think whatever you might propose Was
right. Or, If it was wrong, it wouldn't make
much difference. I
SHOULD LOVE YoU THE SAME"
With proud sort Of depreciation in his face.
Why, this was love! The love dreamed !. Of q
Tor me. stood dazed, thinking.
"Have you nothing to tell me?" he asked
gently, with very little Of hope in his voice.
" You cannot say that you love me ?" standing
over me with indu,1gent, "istful eyes.
~ love you, but not as you wish. yet. don't
want to lose you; but 0, don't you think you could
get along with me as friend ? I could really
ike you better than any one else that way :"
A curious amusing smile settled on his face.
"You hardly know what you are saying, my
dear. You arc not an advanced young lady,
deeply intelligent in the wants Of her oEn na-
ture and Of ours-hoppily. Suppose let you
think awhile and find out you want me-. Wall
tomorrow do7"
40 no"
"a week then7"
'sImpossib1e-"
II shall give you \ month, and it you make
your mind up sooner you will let me know? Let
mo anyhow find q note At the st. Denis when l
come, the very first evening. cannot wait till
/ see you. Mrs. Grim may have denounced Wis.,
itors and put out the gas as sha Is doiug now in
tho hall
Iou WOULD K1ss ME?"
for unoonsciously had half upturned my lips to
his in the impulse of tho moment, answering an
equally unconscious impulse Of his DO you
think I could ever kiss your lips and forget
them? You may want me to forget, you know"
He was SO winning should like to hare given
myself to him then and there forever. But !
decided to wait.
lit nas to comfort you," owned, my cheeks
ndame.
1And you shall comfort me-" ho said to him
self, and Was held lightly, firmly, tenderiy an
instant while he kissed me- as fond mother
might, holding passion back with control that
msde me admire HIM still more. II Mrs. Grim
had seen
Halt the month is gone, and I au, undecided
whether to take the fortune which lies in my
way or fight it out to the end alone. Whether
to take advantage Of Edith Reynolds fault, md
secure the place she held 80 hghtlv-1a ono
question. Not even her husband thinks her abb
aolutely guilty as the term IL applied to wives.
She had lover, it ia true, with whom she COT
responded secretly. in the most passionate
terms, to whom she allowed an intimacy which
any jury OF husbands would pronounce sur
flcient reason for discarding her- Il convention
al;sn or the rc1nains Of principle have kept her
from the last step, ought to allow full punish
ment to be nesed to her2 She wns bad moth
or, teaching her children to dislike and insult
their father. She Was miserable wife, e1u!tlng
in her power over him through his morbid dread
Of scandal, at one timo threatening escapades
which would bring everything to light, ct anoth-
er defying him to procure release from her, She
married him hastily, and tells him that sho has
hated him ever Elnce. Yet she ia q most modest.
uantrouy woman in appearance, Tlih notMnB OF
the tiger about her,
SAFE N THOSE HOT ETEs,
that are always full Of noon light.
wish knew whether this love or affection I
have for Mr.. Reynolds would do to marry on.
l am certainly happy in his companionship. fond
of being petted and deferred to, aud not un-
grateful for it. Perhaps it 1 marry him might
grow desperately fond in time. fond enough to
FUN r to ito garden gate to meet him, to nestle
nv hand in his arm, to stroke his forehead7 o
dear no7 don't think l ever could stroke bis
ade-vhiskors as have seen wives do, nor pull
his mustache playfully. If he would only give
me- leave to keep his books for him, and be near
him the rest Of his life, on such terms as we are
now, think it would suit.
That was not the way loved once. He was
not strange to me. nor like creature Of differ
ent nature but like the other half Of my own
self. with the same tastes and wishes. It was
like being with another dear girl, bis temper was
go sunny, and frank. and weet. That WAS the
man loved, not the one who weakly forsook
me.
At that thought my heart sears over again. I
shall never love Any more. I can't love, the
passion is gone out OF mo. and may Us we'll
live with this man who wants me, and be loved
the rest Of my life to be alone, and illfavored
and uncared for. And I might make another
comfortable. and-O heavens!
HAD FORGOTTEN ALL ABOUT THAT MORTGAGE!
II there WAS any way in the world to get out
OF it beside! have tried to borrow money, and
been abashed at my own boldness, but strangers
prefer other security, and al the friends who
might help me have taken this terrible year for
me to be away in Europe. At Yosemite, or at
deaths door with wasting sickness. wonder il
the doctors would lend me money il should
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