Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-04-19

and by the moonlight, he saw a grave,
sad shadow ON her face.
"Are you tired of me?" she said,
trying to resume her tone of banter,
"that you are trying to get a new
place by good reference, or-oh,
Frank, how could your" and
she fairly broke down in passionate
fit of sobbing.
He was in love himself, land he gave
the affection of fond brother to
Susy. What wonder, then, that he
read her heart in the change of face
and tone, and his pitying tenderness
was all aroused?
"Susy, Susy, never dreamed of
this.
And The listener above softly closed
the window and crept silently to bed.
But below, on the porch, Frank held
his little sister in his strong arms till
she lay there quiet. Not one word
was spoken for long time: then as
he bent over her and pressed a kiss
upon her forehead, she whispered
softly:
"1ou will keep my secret, Frank?n
"As would my honor" he answer.
ed, and she slipped away from him
and past the room where Rodney
listened Tor her light steps to gain
her own room and chide her heart
for its weakness. Memory was busy,
too. From her early childhood her
home had been in this quiet country
seat, where but few visitors broke
the regular routine that do
mestic love kept from monotony.
And in this life came the visit of Rod.
ney Edmunds, man whose high in
telleet, gracefulcourtesy and free face
were but the outward signs of q
noble, true heart, a keen, sensitive
honor, and christian mind.
And the simple little girl, while she
felt that his attentions were sweet.
his presence dear to her, never awoke
to the knowledge of her own love till
the calling suspicion that she was
being forced upon his notice told her
how precious his own freely offered
love would have been to her. The
next day the friends were in the city,
and in the demure little figure that
stood upon the steps to wave them
adleu there was little trace of the
wounded woman's heart that had
passed the night in the agony OF I'M
requited love.
Rodney Edmonds was a silent
companion on the journey cityward, |
and Frank gave up trying to coax
him into his old merry self again. |
He was thinking of the lonely home
that awaited him, the long life of
longing Tor companionship, the gifts !
OF domestic love that all his wealth /
can never buy; and in contrast he !
pictured the home he had left, the
ialrylike beauty, whose hand shed
its peculiar charm on every spot;
whose voice made music in every
room; whose loving heart was brok-
en- by her adopted brothers love, for
so, IN his blindness, he interpreted
the scene of the night before, and his
Indignation was strong sometimes,
as he thought that her happiness lay
so near the hand that had crushedit.
Two long years to Susy passed be-
lore she saw Rodney Edmouds.
Frank was married and living in the
:lty, and came but seldom to Cliff
Wharton. When he did, his compan-
on was Meta. Many times they had
urged her to come to their city home,
put she, pleading her mothers lonIi-
ness, had refused, and Frank. know.
ng her secret, let her have her
way. He had tried many times to
win Rodney home with him, but with
out success. A thousand pleas OF
business, prior engagements and
What not stood always in the way.
But in good time thesummons came.
Thus ran her brothers letter:
''SUsY, DEAR; have strange sad news for
-ou. and you must come to us. Meta is ill.,
lot dang erously SO, trust, but confined to
Ter room, and have another invalid. Rod.
icy Edmonds was on the train at the time
u the collision Of the 18th and badly hurt.
had him brought here, for I cannot trust J
i'm to hired nurses Come, little sister, and
inrse Meta, that my hands may be free for
iodneys wants. FRANZ"
And she obeyed the call. Strictly
he held him to the words of his let
er. She was Metals nurse, he Rod
iey's.
1t was a day when the early sum-
ner is just whispering of coming glo-
les that Rodney Edmunds left his I
Dom for the first time. Susy was in
he sitting-room when she heard his E
dice in the entry and Frank CHEEKY
lords of encouragement. There was =
10 chance to run away, so she turn
d the large arm chair to the corner q
nd crouched down till she could
teal out in the coming twilight I'M I
erceived. And there, after much
lie chat, when the gathering shad- .
WIS made confidence secret, she heard
iodney's error. She knew then how ,
he thought that she loved another
ad kept him from Cliff Wharton; !
ow he had neverlet his heart stray :
'om its love for her, hoping that
ime would erase Franks image, 4
nd he begged as a man begs for his !,
fe, that Frank would treat him can
idly and tell him if the old dream II
as dead and her heart free for on >,
theirs seeking.