Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-16

slowly.
"AhF' said Elizabeth, setting her teeth,
"as thought" Rising, she pursued her
path along the cliff, keeping three or four
hundred yards ahead, which she could easily
do by taking short cuts. It was long
walk, and Elizabeth, who was not fond of
walking, got very tired of it. But she was
8 woman with purpose, and, as such, hard
to beat. So she kept on steadily for nearly
an hour, till, at length, she came to the spot
known as the AmphitheateT. This Amphl-
theater, situated almost opposite the BED
Rocks, was half-ring of cliff, the sldes OF
which ran In semicircle almost down to
the waters edge, that is, at high tide. In
the center of the segment thus formed was
large fat stone, so placed that anybody IN
certain positions on the cliff above could
command a view of it, though 1t was
screened by the projecting walls OF rock
from observation from the beach. hlza-
beth elsmbered little way down the slop-
ing side of the cliff and looked; on the
stone. his back towards her, sat Owen
Davies. Slipping from stratum 10 stratum
of the broken cliff, Elizabeth drew slowly
nearer. till at length she was within 90
PAGES of the seated man. Here, ensconclng
herself behind a cleft rock, she also sat
down; it was not safe to go closer; but IN
case she should BY any chance be observed
from above, she opened the Bible on her
knee. as though she had sought this quiet
spot to study its pages.
Three or four minutes passed, and Beatrice
appeared round the projecting angle of the
smphitheater, and walked slowly across the
level sand. Owen Davies rose and stretched
out his hand to welcome her, but she did not
take it. she only bowed, and then seated
herself upon the large fiat stone. Owen also
-nE - At,-,o 4nrTE
feet away. Elizabeth thrust her white face
forward till it was almost level with the lips
of the cleft rock, and strained her ears to
listen. Alasl she could not hear a single
word.
You asked me to come here, Mr..
Davies" said Beatrice, breaking the pain
full silence. 81 have come"
aYes. he answered, 81 asked you to
come because I wanted to speak to you.
''Yes?" said Beatrice, looking up from
her occupation of digging little holes in the
sand with the point of her parssol. Her face
was calm enough, but her heart beat fast be-
meath her breast.
"I want to ask you" he said, speaking
slowly and thickly, eff you will be my
vife?"
Beatrice opened her lips to speak, then,
seeing that be had only paused because his
them again and went on digging little holes.
She wished to reply on the whole case, as
lawyer would say.
81 want to ask you," he repeated, ''to be
my wife. have wished to do so tor some
years, but 1 have never been able to bring
myself to it. 1t is great step to take, and
my happiness depends on it. Do not answer
me vet" he went on his words gathering
force as he spoke. Listen to what have
to tell you. 1 have been lonely man all
my lie. At sea l was lonely, and since 1
have come into this fortune l have been
lonelier still. Inever loved anybody or any
thing till began to love you. And then 1
loved you more and more and more: till now
have only one thought in all my lite, and
that thought is of you. While am awake
I think of you, and when 1 am asleep I
dream of you. Listen, Beatrice, hstenl-I
never loved any other woman, have
scarcely spoken to one-only you, Beatrice.
] can give you a great deal, and everything
have shall be yours. only 1 should be jeal-
Gus of you-yes, very jealous"
Here she glanced at his face. 1t was out
wardly calm, but white as death, and in the
blue eyes, generally so placid, shone a fire
that by contrast looked almost unholy.
Il think that you have said enough, Mr..
Davies" she answered. 81 am very much
for in some ways am not you: equal, but
do not love you, and cannot marry you,
and think il best to tell you SO plainly,
once and for all, =" and unconsciously she
went on digging the holes.
'fOh, do not say that" he answered, al
most in moan. "For Gods sake, don't
say thatI 1t will kill me to lose you.
think should go mad. Marry me and you
will learn to love me-"
Beatrice glanced at him again, and q
pang of pity pierced her heart She did
not know it was so bad case as this. 1t
struck Ter, too, that she was doing a foolish
thing from a worldly point of view. The
man loved her and was very eligible. He
only asked OF her what most women are
willing enough to give under circum-
stances so favorable to their well-being-
herself But she had never liked him, he
had always repelled her, and she was not
woman to marry man whom she did not
like. Also, during the last week this dis
like and repulsioD had hardened and
strengthened. Vaguely, as he pleaded with
her, Beatrice wondered why, and as she did
so her eve fell upon the pattern she was
automatically pricking in the sand. 1t had
taken the form of letters, and the letters
were G FIRE. Great heavenl Could
that be the answer? She blushed crimson
with shame at the thought, and passed her
foot across the tell-tale letters, as she be-
ieved, oblIterating them.
Owen saw the softening of her eyes and
saw the blush, and misinterpreted them.
Thinking that she was relenting, by in
stinet, rather than from any teaching of
experience, be attempted to take her hand.
With a turn OF the arm, so quick that even
Elizabeth watching with all her eyes saw
nothing of the movement, Beatrice twisted
herself free.
"Don't touch me-" she said, sharply,
''you have no right to touch me. I have
answered you, Mr.. Davies"
Owen withdrew his hand abashed, and
for a moment sat still, his chin resting on
his breast, very picture of despair. Moth
ing, indeed, could break the stolid calm of
his features, but the violence of his emotion
was evident in the quick shivering of his
limbs and his short, deep breaths.
"Can you give me no hope?" he said at
last in a slow, heavy voice. "For Gods
sake, think before you snswer-you don't
know what 1t means to me. 1t is nothing to
you-you cannot feel. I feel, and your
words cut like knife. know that am
heavy and stupid, but feel as though you
had killed me. You are heartless, quite
heartless."
Again Beatrice softened a little. She was
touched and fattered. Where is the woman
who would not have been?
"What can I say to you, Mr.. Davies?'
she answered, in kinder voice. 81 cannot
marry YOU. How can I marry you when 1
do not love you2"
"Plenty Of women marry men whom they
do not love-"
''Then they are bad women" answered
Beatrice with energy.
''The world does not think So" he said
again; ''the world calls those women bad
who love where they cannot marry, and the