The National tribune., 1891-05-07

He stops.
"oh. Belief don't you soo-don's you
/ know -
He stops again.
"No, YOU do not know But I'll tell you.
| Bele-Tll tell you why / haven't-why /
couldn't Belief"
lie leans to me eagerly.
Come here. darling; it Is you love-you
/ / love yOu, darlingi" Aud / see my Cousins
/ throat quiver and his hands shake, as he looks
/ az mo. His face is near
But l am engaged" gasp, astonished.
/ That is-what do you mean by loving me %
/ l break OF deiectivey.
Il don't know" he says lamely; "I can't
\ help il. Forgive me, Beauty. / see you don't
/ love me, and that is enough" He attempts to
rise, but pull him back.
| But-the young damsel Of the church,"
say, still nightly IN the dark, but not so down
/ hearted.
| "Eourself-you-oulyy you, my sweet cousin, I"
I taking up my hand and kissing it as he has
/ never kissed il before.
Love. romance and mystery; but the
! greatest Of these is mystery" I parody.
Hugh Carter you are a goose. You don't
/ expect me 70 believe such nonsense, do yOu
\ What do you mean2 Has this sanity maiden
/ turned your brain?" / lean away from him
and laugh.
| BE serious, Belle I know it seems silly to
/ you-Perhap5 it was silly-but you were en-
/ gagged to Barton. and had no right 10 let YOU
see my love- That's why had to give up being
| with YOU so much. i was afraid Of betraying
| myself And" nc looks at me. "And that is
/ why i followed you 10 church whenever YOU
went; just so / might look az you at a distance
and in a crowd, where you could not see all the
love in my eyes. Belief"
1T is strange / never saw you nor met you,
going and returning from-fronI-your love
| Tilgrimages, is it not2"
Not so very strange. I was careful that
| you should not see me. A hard thing to effect
at times, | confess; especially when those blue
eyes Of yours began TO rove about and -
Make men do as they p!ease?'" l put in,
wickedly.
"'Ani make men do as they please" he
repeats, taking my hand. &" Belle, DO you love
me"
"Why, Of course love you-havs loved you
all my life" make hasty and fippant an
| swer.
Yes. know-but not that way. Do you
| love me as-as"-
- love Mr. Bartonr Really. Hugh, you
are forgetting Mr. Barton" 1 withdrew my
hand severely.
Don't triie with me. Belle" Hugh's voice
/ isstern! 81 have seen Barton; he told me you
had dismissed him. You are terrible coquet.
I But oh his voice changes again, " what q
sweet onoi" lie pinches my hand lovingly.
/ u never knew just how / cared for you until
] found you engaged to Claude Barton Why
| did you do that, BELIEF And why have you
/ broken that engagement-don't you love him
\ eitheT?"
" thought did" say bit remorsefully.
But he worried nc he was always crying
/ out, 'Oh, Miss Belle do try to love me as I
l love yOu' reminding one so fOrcibly Of the ele-
/ CANT nursery classic in which the knife that
/ cuts not plays such a prominent part, that I
\ began 10 laugh at him. and-and-I don't love
/ him-that's ALL" / end.
cob, Belle, Belle, Belle :" half laughs, halt
| weeps my cousin" how can q man help loving
/ yOu." And he puts such soft, soft kiss on
my neck that il thrills me strangely.
viii you love me. Belle?
| "I-I-dOn't know"
"Are you sure you don't love Barton?"
! "Quite."
"Iou are very positive this time, coquet ?"
/ 81 have reason TO be. I-I-haVe had
/ proof" i say with emphasis.
How is that?" inquiries be, with curiosity.
Welt pause. " You will laugh at me-"
"Never!"
"Wel"- begin again, putting my head
1 down on his shoulder, well, when a woman
I no longer cares whether the man she is en-
/ gagged to thinks she ha8-thinks her-hcr-feet
4 are pretty or not, it IS proof positive and GER
/ tain that she no longer cares for him, and -
/ Hugh broke his promise