The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1891-10-31

the river, found a comfortable nook be
hind a boat and settled down with my
back to the sea, looking right up the
broad estuary.
1t is a lovely sight there when the
sun is setting. The river stretches, a
great sheet of glory, between rich, soft
hills away to the huge, bare slopes and
rugged outline of the moor and the
greater glory of the sky.
1t is a sight which has no rival, even
in the western country.
/ had Just formulated that conclusion
when Tom appeared, apparently look
ing for some one. He caught sight of
me and came slowly toward me. He
looked pale and tired.
oh" he said, I'm glad I found you;
there's something about which l want
to talk to you"
l had seldom seen Tom in so serious
q mood, and, remembering the after
noon, l expected to find him particu-
larry gay.
waited for him to settle down be-
side me, but he stood there kicking the
pebbles
Presently he went on:
"Do you mind getting up and walk
ing about a bit? don't feel like sit
ting still and looking at sunsets. l
think | can tell you what | want to
better if we are walking"
So | got up, rather reluctantly, l
must confess. Then he suggested that
ua Shant1 ,raeS a,.a 3. tha f,rr,- anil
make our way up the hill.
We were soon across, and once in the
high-banked lane he seemed calmer
and again began to talk.
DO you know why followed Miss
Flo ashore this afternoon?'
of course ] had no idea
We'll" he said. III tell you. I in
tended to find out, once for all, whether
she really cared anything for me-"
expressed a hope that he had sue
ceeded in getting the information he
wanted.
Yes" he went on, 81 nav found
out; she talked to me with a freedom |
have often longed for, and it came
about in this way: We had been look
ing for different sorts of for
some time, when she suddenly asked
me whether | agreed with what you
had said the other night | asked her
what about. Why, about people mar
rying those who have more money than
they have themselves | said thought
you were quite right. She her asked
me whether, surprising l cared for a
girl who was richer than | was, !
should hesitate to tell her So. | did
not know what to say. You will admit,
| think. that the position was a curious
one. Then to my intense surprise she
burst into a perfect storm of anger. ]
don't know all she said, but the point
of it was hat | didn't deserve the love
of any unsclfish girl, and she hoped |
should never by any chance win it. As
you may imagine, l was taken com
pletely aback. ! had sense enough left
to see that if she herself loved me she
would never talk to me like that. Then
she changed, and as l looked up l saw
tears standing in her eyes and her lips
trembling. She could scarcely COM
mand her voice enough to beg me. al
most fiercely to beg me, that if ever I
cared for 4 girl, however poor | might
be, | would tell her so. There was no
knowing what years of happiness |
might lose if | had not courage enough
for that. | shall never cease to be
thankful hat at that moment your
voice hailed us and | was able to say
tolerably calmly, | think: Thank you,
l will bear your advice in mind So
we Joined you, and after all | had not
lost her friendship, and her love l had
never had"
After n few minutes, finding that |
not speak, he went on:
And SO, you see, | am certain that
Miss Flo really cares for some one who
is not very well off, and who is afraid
to ask her to share a lot which must be
less easy than the one to which she has
been used. She is terribly grieved that
he will not speak, for his silence may
prove fatal. The only thing is, | an
imagine who it is Can you?"
| said-and it was all | could do to
say it calmly i thought did. When I
had considered the matter 4 little more
| would tell him.
SO we turned back and made our
in silence down the lane to the
ferry.
Since that evening | have settled the
question beyond all doubt-Chicago
Z