The Red Cloud chief., 1884-08-08
Ma LuTz il, ~e understand.
% ia'sd a brick building aep..<

bear YOUR cross-andr - must j..
And that is the oniy word / am 10
receive. after having struggled 40 bard
for you. and having left al my work.
and cares. and property. that ] might
come home. aud catch just one glance
of your eye. Can you not say TO ne q
word OF kindress that ] may carry back
with me?'
Not a word. II you will think Of
IL. you ought not 10 ask me for a word
Of kindness What does n kind word
mean-a kind word coming from me ~
you? There was a time when wan;ed
a kind word, but 1 did not ask for H.
At that time it did not suit. Nor does
il suit now. Put yourself in Mr.. Whit
t~lesiafi : case; would you wish the girl
TO whom you were engaged 10 say Kind
words behind your back to some other
man? IL you heard them. would you
not think that she was a traitorf He
has chosen % trust mc-against my al
vice. indeed; bat he has trusted me.
and ! know myself Z be trustworthy.
There shall be no kind word spoken"
MARY" said be. ''when did all this
happen?"
1t has been happening. l suppose.
from the first day that | ann into his
house
but when was il settled? When did
he ask you to be his wife? Or when,
rather, did you make him the promise?"
John Gordon fancied that since be had
been at Cookers Hall he had seen signs,
Indicating that the engagement had not
teen of a long date. And in every word
| she had uttered To him he had heard
whispered an assurance Of her perfect
love for himself. He had 3een sure OF
her love when he left the house at
Norwich, in which he had been tod
that he had been lingering there to no
good purpose; but he had never been
more certain than he was IT this mo
ment. And now, in her mock anger
and indignant words, with the purpose
of her mind written so clearly on her
brow, she was to him more lovable and
more beautiful than ever. Could it he
fair to him as n man that he should lose
the prize which was to him OF such in
cstimable value, merely for n word
of cold assent given to this old man,
and given quite lately? His devotion to
her was assured. Nothing could be
more assured than his love. And he.
too. was somewhat proud that he had
c~ndeavored Il entsngle her by no prom
: Use till he had secured the means Of
maintaining her. He had gone and had
come back with hopes which he hal
felt must be sub Get Ia disappointment,
because he knew himself 10 be a rcti-
cent, se.f-restraincd and because
he had been aware that 1.-The world as
she hal said, lis full of hard things
which have TO be borne
But if, as he believed, the engage
ment WAS Of recent date, there would
be n hardship in it. which he could not
bear paticntly-a hardship. the endur-
ance IF which must be intolerab!e 10 her.
Ii il were so, the man could hardly be
SO close listed, so hard-hearted, 50
sruel-minded. as To hold tine girl 10 her
purpose. when did you promise to be
his wife?' he said, repeating his ques-
ton. Now there came over Mary's
face n look the opposite TO the strength
she had displayed when she had babe
him not ask her for a word of kindness.
To her the promise was rs strong, even
! though male but that morning, As
though months had interviewed. But
she ielt that to him there woulu be- an
apparent weakness in the promise OF
her engagement, if she told him that 1t
was made only on that morning.
What is it, Mary"
at matters nothing" she said.
But it does mattcr-to me-
Then a sense of what was fitting told
her that it was incumbent IN her to tell
him the truth. Sooner or later he would
assuredly know, and it was well that he
should know the entire truth from her
lips. She could not tolerate the
feeling that he should 90 away deceived
in any degree by herself.
ut was this morning. she said.
This very morning."
alt was on this morning that | gave
my word to Mr.. Whittiestaf, and prom
ised TO become his WIFE"
And had | been here yesterday !
should not have been too late:9"
She looked up imploringly into his
face. She could not answer that ques-
ton. nor ought he 10 press for an an
swer. And the words were NJ o
out of his mouth than he felt that it
was so. 1t was not to her that he must
| dtulCSS IL SoNh ihC -
that. This morning. he repeated.
.'only this morning.
But he did not know, no. could she
tell him. that she had pleaded her love
for him when Mr.. Whittlestaf had
asked her. She could not tell him of
that second meeting. at which she had
asked Mr.. WhittlcStstf taat even yet he
should let her 60. 1t seemed TO her, as
she had thought Of it, that Mr..
Whittlestaff had behaved well. had in
tended to do a good thing 10 her, and
had ignored the other a who had
vanished from the scene of their joint
lives, because he had become one who
ought not to be allowed to interest her
anV further. She had ~endeavored to
to think of il with stern justice, ac-
cusing herself of absurd romance, and
giving Mr.. WhittleStaff credit for all
goodness. This lad been before John
Gordon had appeared; and now she
struggled not TO be less just TO Mr..
Whittlestaff then before. She knew
him well enough to be aware that he
could not easily be brought to abandon
the thing on which he had set his mind.
1t all passed through her mind as
she prepared her answer for John Cor
don. at a make no difference"
she said. "A promise is a promise.
though it be but IN hour old"
: THAT is TO be my answer"
..Yes. that is 10 be Your answer. Ask
yourself. and you will know that there
is no other answer that l can honestly
make YOU"
slow is your own heart in the af-
fair??'
There she was weak. and knew tina,
she was weak. at matters not at al -
she said.
lit matters not at alp" he repeated
after her. IL can understand that nv