San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-13

said with a sob.
Then, if it has been good to you,
stay in t."
mo, no,-I cannot" she said.
You mean that you tDiH not?p
Il mean that dare not" she said,
less than half aloud.
"Tell me what you are afraid of? If
we stand by you what have you to fear?.",
81 cannot do what know is wrong"
II would not ask you to do it if it
was wrong"
She made no answer. and there were
two or three moments silence, and then
he spoke again.
ESTHER, will you stay as my wife?"
She gave something that was almost
a shudder, and, even, before she an
swered, she tore her hand away from
him.
"Oh, no-oh, mol" she cried; and then
a moment after she was standing with
both hands wei her bent down face
| sobbing with a sort of desolate passion
as if her heart would break. He said
nothing more till she wa calmer. He
stood looking at her, but without NOV
| ing, till, with a great effort, she regain
ed her self-possessi0n, and then, as mis-
cradle and ashamed, she half lifted up
her face ono more, he went on speak
ing.
"You must say more than only that
one word to me-" he said, for as yet |
do not know how much it means, and |
love YOU too dearly to resign you easily.
| Are you calm enough to speak to me
now? Keep quiet for a little longer if
| you are not. Do you think | want to
startle you? DO you not think l want
| to be tender to your"
He was standing facing her, leaning
on the mantelpiece, with his head rest
ing on his hand. She had shrunk back
from him, and he had not gone "a to
| her again, nor touched her. As they
stood apart so, she began after a mo-
| ment or two to say something family.
"You must not think that | am not
g~rateful-oh, you must not think thatl
If l had any way of showing you"
she began.
But before she had got further than
this he interrupted her.
Il don't want to hear about your
gratitude" he said. 81 want you to
love me, not to be grateful to me. |
love you with all my heart and soul, and
l say to you again-will you be my
wife,"
.'Oh 1 cannot! Do not ask mel" she
| said, hardly above her breath.
l. 4 INV Ion Wv IL yoo oIAiob INV
me, but | must know first plainly
! whether you refuse me for that reason
! or not. If you tell m that you do, of
course you close my lips;"-he paused
| here and looked at her. but she bent
down her face, and could not answer
him: 'but if you say No to me from
any other reason-if / may believe that
you could love me, and you yet try to
| separate yourself from me- tell you,
| as / live you shall notdo It'll Twill MAIN
| tain my claim to you, and dispute your
| right to doit, to the last hour breathe!"
He was standing erect now, with the
| color in his face, and the light in his
eyes. He was as much stronger than
she was as a strong man fighting for
what he has, closest at heart must be
| stronger than a woman with all her
heart enlisted against her. He knew
this too, probably enough; and con-
scious las he could scarcely help being)
| that she loved him, he could hardly also
| fail to know even already that the bat
| tie was too unequal a one for her to
| conquer in it. But yet, though he might
have known this, he did not fight for
| her with less than his whole might.
She did not answer him when he
| paused, and then after a little silence
| he SalQ TO ner again..
Speak to me now. Have l not at
| least a right to ask you to speak to me?
| If | have been wrong in thinking that L
could make you care for me, it need not
| be a hard thing to you to tell me that.
If you will not tell me so, you leave me
to the other supposition, you know
| little pause. ''Then that other is the
true s~upposition, and you can love me?"
She had never looked into his face
from the first moment till now, because
| she had not dared; but now that he was
pressing her so closely, and doing-what
| perhaps he meant to do-making her
| desperate, all at once when he waited
for an answer, she lifted up her face,
and
"What has my loving you to do with
it?" she said to him suddenly and pas
| sionately. "You may know that l love
you, if you like,-but that has nothing
to do with it. You asked me to be your
wife, and it was, to that that l answer
ed No. And l say No to that again
now; you cannot get any other answer
out of me. Oh, l wish l had never come
| here!'' she suddenly broke out with a
| piteous sob. 81 wish you had never
seen mel l would give my life for you,
and instead of that, look what l am
doing!-look what l am bringing upon
you!n she cried through her tears.
you have brought the best thing to
me that was ever given into my hand"
he answered quickly. IF you have
brought your love to me, assuredly you
have done that. Never mind all the
| rest. Trust me that / am strong enough
to bear it; trust me that you are dear
enough to me to make it easy to bear.
Esther, give me your hand; | eCiU not
| have you stand like this apart from mel"
Ha want RI bar opd fooE har hand