The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-05-27
DOES He LOVE ME?"

The tender gray twilight of a
June evening was settling down
upon the earth as Natalie Mcintosh
spoke these words, and as she threw
a light shawl over her pretty white
shoulders, whose rounded curves
and soft flesh tintS contrasted so
we'll with the brilliant colors of the
garment, and stepped out upon the
lawn, where the star-eyed pansles
and modest pinks were rearing their
heads alongside the velvety green
of the close-trimmed grass-plOt that
stretched away to the westward,
the picture was indeed a pretty
one. Passing through the
fiower-beds and down the graveled
walk until she came to clump Of
willows, whose light branches were
just stirred by the whisper Of the
night that came from the south, the
girl paused andsstood there peering
wistfully into the cleaning. Brush
ing away with her dimpled hand
the fluffy mass of golden lair that
the slghing wind had blown over
her white forehead, Natalie drew
the shawl more closely about her
and sat down on little rustic bench,
whose cozy look made it fit place
indeed for loves tryst and vigil.
Presently George w. Simpson en-
tered the gate and was soon by her
side. For an instant no word was
spoken between them, and as they
stood there, her arms about his neck,
her head upon his shoulder, Ma
talie felt that without the love Of
this man, her life would be a staI-
less blank. Hers was deep, trust
ing, lf-the-rope- breaks-w We are-gOne
love that made her voice falter and
die away when she spoke to George
about it, and yet back Of it all there
was even nameless fear, a vague
terror, that seemed to rise like a
black pail from out the mystic
dreamland that was part of her very
nature and tinged the brightest and
happiest moments Of her life with a.
sense of melancholy.
"You love me?" she asked, look
| ing up to George with eyes in which
there shoneithe radiance of tender,
beautiful passion; 'flOve me better
than all the world beside; better
than you have ever loved any one
in your whole life?"
George did not answer, for as Ma
talie spoke there came to him a
haunting memory Of dark, splendid
eyes, a bright face, smiling and
radiant, and dimpled. and dewy,
scarlet lips that had often met his
own in sweet, clinging, don't-let-go-
| if-yOu-value-your-life- kisses. He
thought of all this as he bent ten
DERBY over Natalie. her golden hair
touching his cheek and the perfu me
from the lilies she wore mingli ng
with his breath.
The girl noticed his silence.
"Why do you not answer me?" she
said.
George did not reply, but drawing
her still closer to him would have
kissed her again.
"l want no Kisses, she exclaimed
passionately, withdrawing herself
from his arms, "from lips that are
not sacred to me alone. l have
given you all that woman can give
the love of her whole nature. NV
heart has been a lutte for you to
play upon, my whole existence a
constant striving to make my love
for you a holy, and beautiful,
and pure one. For your
sake 1 have looked renuncia-
ton in the face with fearless eyes,
have given up much that is dear to
me, and yetwhen 1 ask you if you
love me there comes no answer from
your lips, and your eyes do not look
into mine"-and drawing herself
up in the imperious whoa Emma
way that betitted her so well, she
sat down on the rustic bench with
a dull, sickening thud that told all
too plainly of broken hustle.
In an instant George was by her
side, and Natalie was sobbing as if
her heart would break. "FOrgive
me, darling" he murmured in low
bock-beer tones.
81 do" Natalie replied 'sbut tell
me, sweetheart, tell me truly, did
you ever love another?"
do not ask me that, said George.
"But l demand an answer" ex-
claimed the girl passionately, "and
again ask you if you ever loved
another"
81 did," he replied. Loved her
wildly, madly."
"Who was 1t?" she asks, her
cheeks afame with the hot flush of
anger.
Bending low over her, George
whispers into her left ear the fatal
words: Lydia Plnkham!" and with
q hollow, hooking laugh fees into
the darkneSs.-Cbic0gO Tribune.