Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-08

scheme as his sense of the gentlemanly
IN making this offer with proper urging of
its advantage; it was obviously su perez
| ogatory to desire her acceptance. If he
consented to set a knife dangling above
his head he could not be expected to long
that it should fall.
As Constance sat observing the young
moon, when she had ceased speaking
this figure, as expressing a young mans
sense of her affirmative answer to an offer
OF marriage, might certainly have appear
ed curieusly harsh. Her fine head, which
was family turned from him, made a
charming effect in curves, and the per-
feet outline of her face was az prettily
cut against the meagre light as if she ad
posed 1t tor the purpose.
But, as he had said, and now treasured
himself, he was not in love with her; and
this Is a thing which is so clearly a mat
ter of taste that no one should think of
disputing about it.
He said nothing in answer to her, aud
it was Constance who finally commented
lightly:
isn't it absurd?7
NProbably,n answered March, laughing.
s.what?"
"Why, that we should be sitting here in
this prOsaic, unembarrassed way. l can't
imagine how it has happened"
To March the frankness of this seemed
self-consciOusness from the world and eX
lied slyness, while at the same moment
it delicately instructed the observant
listener that both Punishment and exile
were swiftly reyOcable.
some would think we didn't understand
the proprieties OF such an occasion. It's
a very embarrassing one, Miss Van Cleef,
is il nOt?' he asked, smiling.
Not if we don't make it So" answered
Constance, critically.
"Ah, that's it! AS say, it's all in the
view"
The reader, who occasionally finds
something not wholly congruous in the
attitude of this pair toward serious facts,
is begged to cOndOne their foible; their
view Of life was at bottom incOrrigibly
humorous. With March, at least, his
untailingly cheerful outlook was a kind
OF creed; one would have said that he
kept supply of buoyency in such pOrta-
bic watts as those in which Gulliver's pro-
fessOr proposed to bottle sunshine and
charged himself, if one might call it 80,
at frequent intervals.
ITS a very nice view, | think" said
Constance. with thoughtful smile. Then
suddenly: "HOw dare me make light Of
it, Is it because it is too dreadful to talk
Of?-do we crinye before it because we
are afraid of it?'
"Mlss Van CleeG" said March, indi-
eating with his stick, Ibid you ever see
grass as green as that? Or possibly it's
oats; haven't an agricultural eye"
Don't, pleaseI' be- ged the girl. ''Why
should | care? 1t makes no difference.
Nothing, think, will ever make a differ
ence again."
"Oh, yes It will" cried March, with
dauntless serenity. "The dtferepce be-
tween two and tour is interchangeable, You
know, and there will always be a differ
ence OF at least million between one and
nothing. You are an entire unit yet,
Miss Van Cleet," he assured her, cheeri-
ly, drawing his tobacco pouch from his
pocket. May smoke: Thanks! Moth
ing can deprive you OF that until you
have Joined the ranks out under the trees
there.'
Constance kept her face aYerted while he
rolled bis cigarette.
You are SO good, Mr.. March 1t is
very kind 10 help me look at ii checriully.
But you can't give me a new disposition,
can you ?" inquired She, suddenly turning
toward him with half smile as he took
his cigarette between his lips. "No, /
think not. / have tried to take it your
way, you know. But can't. I'm afraid
it must make difference to others than
US. Nothing, / suppose, affects only
those apparently concerned. We live in
so large world and touch it at so many
points. Why. a crack in the ice-it ra-
dates in all directions, but it might start
with one's foot. Even when one is only
suspected OF wrong,o pursued she,
less calmly, reddening family, land is
quite, quite in the right. the consequences
are more than one could think. 1t is
right for men TO talk so. They must be-
lieve it, and it is pleasant way TO see it.
But it's not woman's way. and it can't
he. You don't know what you ask"
II think | do-n0w," returned March,
earnestly, "Pll even agree with you up to
a certain point. One t0rgets easily
enough that he is really talking to a mil
lion years or so of tradition when he talks
with a woman, and tel into the error"
he said, quizzicaay. ''But you are com
mitted alreauV as to our own fortunate
| attitude, and [ warn y0u that shall hold
you to it.. Having found the beautiful
bravery to make nothing at all Of this
which might eXcusably have been made
so much OF, you can't recede. l shan't al
low it, bliss Van Cleef."
"Miss Million Years." corrected she,
lightly. but her lips trembled little.
He gave a light laugh.
'Yuu have dreadful way of applying
things personality he said.
she had been absentlV twisting her
handkerchief about her fingers. Tighten
ing its lines with a ceI taia emphasis she
rose hastily.
Isn't that arhuiusE" she asked, and
one might have thought that it genuinely
concerned her; mt looks like the leaf"
She crossed the broad way along which
the bench was placed and stopped in one of
the lat raj pat s.
March cast away his cigarette and fol-
lowed her.
sit wasn't" she announced, as he came
up, "but there is usually greal deal
about here. | don't think l ever hunted
tor it by moonlight. Let us try"
She was not accurate since the suns
light had not entirely faded yet 1t was
evidently not daylight.
They turned aside from the path and
walked together among the thinly-ranked
trees.
This part Of the cemetery was not
used for interment. Their feet seemed to
make great noise in the dead leaves
and as neither SPOKE Constance presently
found an inartlculate relief in causing
those over which she passed to rustic
louder. She often went down in the fad
ing light to bend a green TUT that rose
frem the desert Of brown with a skillful
motion.
From time to time she unearthed tiny
sprigs of the flower and eXultantly took
the two or three bells of pink with their
characteristic background of decay and
freshest green to her nOstrils.
They came in a moment upon a clearer
space dotted with mounds of leaves
which had fallen after the last autumn
raking and had now been neatly gathered
bv the brethren. All the remaining light
awaited here, and with the growing radi-
ance of the moon shouG upon field from
which the tender pink Of tho arbutus half
yelled by its leaves looked Shy ly up at
them. Constance tell upon it with a rap
tured exclamation and plucked greedily
for a few moments in silence. March
stood watching her. She rose al length
and picked her way carefully through the
gemmed bed to one of the heaps on the 9th
er side the clearing. AS she seated her
self on the Welding pile March made
move to follow her, but she cried:
please, don't! You will step on
them!'
He arrested himself ON tip-toe and
looked toward her.
''D0 you want them? You can hardly
pick them all.'
"You viii hurt them
March laughed.
That's true" he said, and turning he
walked around the bed and seated himself
on one of the heaps near her.
1t was not chilly in the glade, though
the unpositiye warmth of the day had
left nothing that gave distinct impress
sion Of heat. The spring reached March's
sense as he sat idly flirting the arbutus
with his stick and turtively observing
Constance through a nameless and novel
zest in the air, which he found charm