Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-06-11

over to San Juan Smith and turned stag
driver and was killed by road agents.
Why do | tell you all this, dear? BE
cause it is heavy on my heart. BecauS
L walk the valley of humility. Becaus
L am subduing myself to permanent con
Sciousness of my unworthiness to un
loose the latchet of his shoes. Because
o dear! o dear! there's cousin o
Dumps at this hoteli | haven't SpOkel
to him. 1 never had any acquaintance
with him, but do you suppose he ha
recognized me? Do, please, give me il
your next your candid, sure enough opin
ion about it and say you don't thinE
so. Doyou think he knows about mt
already, and that is why he left me las
evening when he saw that blushed anG
trembled like fool under his eyes?-
You know l can't bribe all the newspa
pers. 1 can't go back on anybody who
was good to Gunny at RedhOrse, not il
I'm pitched out of society into the sea-
So the skeleton sometimes rattles behind
the door. l never cared much before, as
you know, but nOw-nOw it is not the
same Jack RaynorI am sure of-he
will not tell him. He seems, indeed, to
hold him in such respect as hardly to
dare to speak to him at all, and I'm a
good deal that way myself. Dearl dearl
wish had something besides mil
lion dollarsl If Jack were three inches
taller I'd marry him and go back to Red
horse and wear sackclOth again to the
end of my miserable days.
July 25.
We had splendid sunset last even
ing, and l must tell you all about it. L
ran away from aunty and everybody,
and was walking alone on the beach. L
expect you to believe, you intidel! that l
had not looked out of my window on the
seaward side of the hotel and seen
him walking alone on the beach. If you
are hot lost to every feeling of womanly
delicacy you will accept my statement
without question. l soon established
myself under my sunshade and had for
some time been gazing out dreamily
over the sea, when he approached, walk
ing close to the edge of the water-it
was ebbtide. l assure the wet sand ae-
tually frightened about his feet! AS
he approached me he lifted his hat, say
ing: "Miss Dement,, may L sit with you,
or will you walk with me?"
The possibility that neither might be
seems not to have occurred to
him. Did you ever know such assur-
ance? Assurance? My dear, it was gall
downright gall Well, L didn't find
it wormwood, and replied, with my un-
tutored Redhorse heart in my throat:
IL should be pleased to do anything"
Could words have been more stupid?
There are depths of futuity in me, friend
O. my soul, which are simply bottom
less!
He extended his hand, smiling, and |
delivered mine into it without mo-
ment's hesitation, and when his fingers
closed about it to assist me to my feet,
the consciousness that it trembled made
me blush worse than the red west. l
got up, however, and after while, OBJ
serving that he had not let go my hand,
l pulled on it a little, but unsuccessfully.
He simply held on, saying nothing, but
looking down into my face with some
kind of smile-I don't know-hOw
could whether it was affectiOnate,
derisive, or what, for did not look at
him. How beautiful he was with the
red fires of sunset burning in the dephts
of his eyes! Do you know, dear, if the
Thugs have any special kind of eyes?
All, you should have seen his superb at
titude, the godlike inclination of his
head as he stood over me after | had
got upon my feetl 1t was noble pic
ture, but soon destroyed it, for l began
at once to sink again to the earth.-
There was only one thing for him to do,
and he did it; he supported me with an
arm about my waist.
"Miss Dement,, are you ill?' he said.
It was an exclamation; there was neither
alarm nor solicitude in it. If he had
added: 81 suppose that is about what /
am expected to say" he would hardly
have expressed his sense of the situa-
lion more clearly. His manner filled |
me with shame and indignation, for
was suffering acutely. l wrenched my
hand out of his, grasped the arm sup
porting me, and pushing myself free,
fell plump into the sand and sat helpless. |
Ny hat had come off in the struggle and |
nv hair tumbled about my face and |
shoulders in the most notifying way.
"Go away from me-" cried, half chOk-
ng. "Oh, please go away, you-you
Thugl How dare you think that when
ny leg is asleep?"
/ actually said those identical wordsl
And then l broke down and sobbed.
Irene, fear blubberedl
His manner altered in an Instant
could see that much through my fingers
md hair. He dropped on one knee be-
iide me, parted the tangle of hair, and
laid in the tenderest way: "My poor girl,
Iod knows l have not intended to pain
,ou. How should III who love you
who have loved you for years"
He had pulled my wet hands away
rom my face and was covering them
With kisses. My cheeks were like two
Goals, my whole face was flaming and,
ihink, steaming. l hid it on his shoul-
ler-there was no other place. And oh,
ny dear friend, how my leg tingled and
thrilled, and how | wanted to kick!
We sat so for a long time. He had
eleased one of my hands to pass his arm
bout me again, and had possessed my
elf of my handkerchief and was drying
ny eyes and nose. L would not look up
lntil that was done; he tried in vain to
push me little away and gaze into my
ives. Presently when all was right and
t had grown a bit dark, | lifted my
read. looked him straight in the eyes
md smiled my very best.
"What do you mean," said, "by
7ears and years?"
dearest" he replied very gravely,
very earnestly, ''in the absence of the
sunken cheeks, the hollow eyes, the
ank hair, the slOuching gait, the rags,
lirt, and youth, can you not-wiH you
not understand -Gunny, Pm Dumps"
In moment was upon my feet and
he upon his. seized him by the lapels
Of his coat and peered into his hand
-o.~,D foao In 4ba 1aanapinm IarLnaSc |