Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-11

ar Freeman, I hardly
lhought-you have always seemed IN
oase 50 little about anything didn',
suspect You Of sompch sentiment
! am like other men,, he returned
WIN a sigh MY affections are not
given unfortunately; but when they
are given,-you understand, -I-r
oh' understand pray don't think
II necessary to explain. I'm sure Pm
very far from wishing to listen to con.
hdences about another,
Yes but like to talk about H." in.
tterposed Freeman, earnestly. al
invent had chance TO open my heart
you know, for at least six months. And
though you and haven't known each
other long, | believe You to he CAPABLE
OF approaching what man feels when
he is on his way to meet some Que
who"
THANH you'll You are most consid.
erstel But shall be additionally
Obliged If Won will tell me in what re.
speet ! can have so far forgotten myself
as TO lead you to think me likely to ap-
Preciate anything Of the kind. as
sure you, Mr.. Freeman, have never
cared for anyone; and nothing Ihave
seen since left home makes it prob
able that ! shall begin now"
81 am sorry TO hear that" said FREQ.
man. slowly drawing another cigarette
out Of his bundle, and beginning to re-.
roll it with u detected air.
Indeed"
Yes the fact is, had hoped that
you had begun to have little friendly
feeling for me. / am more than ready
to rociproeatc"
81 hope you will spare me any insults,
sir have no one 70 protect me, but
u
81 assure you, | mean no insult. You
cannot help knowing that think you
as beautiful and fascinating a woman
as l have ever met; but of course you
can't help being beautiful and fusainat-
ing. Do insult you 10y having eyes9
II SO, am sorry, but you win have to
make the best Of IL.
With this, he turned in his seat, and
calmly confronted her Beautiful she
certainly was, at that moment; but it
was the beauty Of an angry serpent
She had pencil in her hand, with
which, a little while before, she had
been slSetchiug some Of the heads Of the
Passengers in her little notebook. She
was now handling this inoffensivc OBJ
jet in such a way as to justify the
fancy that, had IL been charged with
q deadly poison in its point instead Of
with bit of plumbago Of the
HH quality, she would have driven it
into Frecman's heart then and there
"ls it no insult" said she, in sibi-
liant voice, ITO talk TO me rs you are
doing, when you have just told me that
you love another woman and are going
to meet her2"
Freeman's brows gradually knitted
themselves in frown Of apparent per-
plexity. ~ must say ! don't under
stand YOU he observed at length. 81
am quite sure | have said nothing Of
the sort How could I?'
"If you wish TO bubble about words,
perhaps not But was not that your
mo, 1t wasn't. You are the only
woman who has been IN my thoughts
to-day"
"Mr. PREGNANT
"Well2"
you have inHmated very clearly
that you are engaged--married, for
aught | know--to woman whom you
are now on your way to meet"
At this point she stopped. Freeman
had interrupted her with shout of
laughter.
She had been very pale. She now
flushed all over her face, and jumped
to aer feet
$50. ~" he said, laying a hand
on her dress, and aided by lurch OF
the VESSEL pulling her into her scat
again, land listen 10 me. And then
shall insist upon an apology This is
too much"
~ shall ask the captain"
'You win not, promise you. Look
herel When | was in Panama, I met
there fellow used 70 know in New
York. He told me that he had re-
Gently crossed the continent with Prof,
Meschiucs, who used TO teach geology
and botany at Yale college, when he
and were students there. The pro-
lessor had come over partly for the
fun of the thing, and partly to look
for specimens in the line Of his pro-
fession. My friend parted from me ct
San Francisco; the professor was 60
ing fertilizer south"
"What has all this TO do with the
woman who"
1T has this to do with it,-that the
professor is the womsnl He is over
sixty years old, and has always been
a good friend Of mine; but ! am not |
going to marry him. ! am not engaged |
TO him, he is not beautiful, nor even
faseinating, except in the way Of nm
elderly man Of science. And he is the |
only human being. besides yourself
that l know or have ever heard Of on
the Pacific coast Now for your aPol'
ogyr
Grace emitted long breath and
sank back in her seat with her hands
elasped in her lap. She raised her
hands and covered her face with them
She removed them, sat erect, and bent
an open,cyed intent gaze upon her
companion.