Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-04-02
DO B BIN"

----
"They do not seem long" said Hespie.
Yes, they are long, of courser'
Silence again.
You are going away soon, | SUPPOSE"
said Dobbin.
mot until | go back to Cambridge in
October" answered Hespie, almost apol-
ogetically. II have SO few relatives
only unc!es who are not married, AMI
some very distant cousins. II is good Of
the Herberts to take pity on me and be
troubled with me for so long"
Conversation did not progress. This
time the silence lasted for many minutes.
Il think that | shall go away" said
poor Dobbin ruefully, at last. "Iapplied
for extension Of leave, you know; but
but | sha'nt get 1t, 1 expect. | think
I've had enough Of the country shall
run up to town for a bit
He was looking hard at a little leaf on
The ground by his foot. Hespie did not
dare to raise her eyes. She was over
whelmed with a sense Of deepest. bitter
est humiliation. He was trying to cure
her of her love-to set her misconceptions
right-to tell her clearly, though he must
of courtesy tell her in roundabout fash
ion, that he was Indifferent TO her. that
he was sorry for her, that he would go
away out of kindness, to nelp her TO for
get. He was bungling n little over his
task-that was like him.
The country is a little dull taken in
long doses" said Dobbin, ~valiantly.
Hespie remembered that London would
not be exactly gay in August; and Dob.
bins purpose in going was clearer than
ever to her.
ayes, country life is dull" she acqui-
esced.
you find it dull after Cambridgey'
asked Dobbin gloomily.
Cambridge life-the life we leads
quiet too said Hespie. She was speak
ing in a dream; the words were not hers;
she was thinking of other things-of her
confession of an hour ago-of his going
away.
But pleasanty'-"Yes, pleasant"
And YOU read political economy
"Yes-and logic
~ wish" said Dobbin--he had never
had the wish before--'I often wish that
| had been q political economist"
Ia her amazement Hespie forgot her
troubles for a moment.
Why she sail, looking up.
But Dobbin did not explain why; for
at that m old Mrs. Herbert appear.
ed in the doorway of the sittipg-room.
THE hair il coming of Milo's ear, she
said. Come in and look at it, Hespie.
And, Captain Dewar. will you be good
enough 10 find those girls and bring them
in to tear
The next few days dragged away very
slowly. Hespie, the girls declared, was
i'll. She was not like herself, she was
dull, absent-minded. low-spirited, lgt-
less. She had been so full of interests in
life. 40 brisk and busy, and light-hearted,
that sudden listlessness must mean illness
unless she had quarreled with Dobbin;
and that, the girls agreed, wa unlikely.
They insisted that she had q headache,
and left her alone in cool shaded rooms
to rest and be quiet. She had not the
spirit To resist; yet she dreaded her own
thoughts. which haunted her whenever
she was alone, and made her blush and
grow hot and cold with shame, confus-
ion and wretchedness. How could she
have felt so sure of his love for her: And
all thu time he had been Indifferent
kind, Notwithstanding more! She had
baen mistaken-her own love had led her
into error.
Three days passed. and Dobbin did not
come: then Amy and Flo began to won.
der a little.
You did not quarrel with Dobbin,
Hespie!' inquired Amy. with some con-
Germ.
''Oh. no." said Hespie, Eve did not
| quarrel! ! Think think Captain De-
war has gone away. We were mistaken,
girls. 1t is all a mistake, Captain Dewar
isis not-is not in love with me. We
imagined it. | wanted 10 tell you"
Bat the girls found such amusemeltin
her confession that Hespie found further
confidence impossible, and became silent.
"You will tell Us next, said Flo, that
you are not in love with him.'
IL would rather not talk any more
about that, said iiespie; and the girls
laughed again at her respondent tone,
and ran away and fetched eau-de-C Cologne,
and bathe1 her head, and insisted on
treating her n an invalid.
Dobbin had gone away! Hespie felt
sure of it, and tried To feel sur. that she
was glad. Yet, when. on the fourth day,
old Colonel Dewar. Dobbin's father, came
10 call on Mrs. Herbert, and mentioned
casually that he had been beating his son
at billiards that morning, Hespie was
startled at the swift keen throb ef Joy
| Will MIllNh WIG itttint lildl iC was VIII
Mt home. She might see him again then.
Ii was moi until "A day or two later that
Dobbin came. The girls were in the
garden, sitting on the grass beneath the
trees. Amy and Flo doing nothing grace
fully, Hespie turning the pages Of a book
now and then, when she remembered to
turn them. Dobbin came doubtfully
across the grass, and seemed to I've won
| lar,nr a ltttln xxrlx, ha hal ANNA
Time drags at home with nothing to
do" he said alphabetically.
THAT is not q reason for this visit, l
hope?' said Flo, with a laugh.
mo: | was passing, he explained land
$3.50 | came in,'
Il do not think that we will receive
such a visitor" said Amy. Twill we,
Hespie:"
Hespie raised her head for a moment,
and looked straight at Dobbin; then she
suddenly let her eyes droop. She blushed.
She felt almost angry with him. Why
did he look so miserable, so i'll at ease, 50
anxious at once to be gone, 81 sorrowful?
Why could he not pretend to forget, make
believe a little. so that she might make
believe too TO forget her humiliation?
For half an hour he stayed; and, in
spite of Amy and Flo, who were in good
spirits and laxative conversation tagged.
Ii was going to be tine, said Dobbin. 1t
looked like rain, he said. Aud, although
the remarks were contradictory, Hespie
agreed with each. AT last he moved to
60.
II shall say goodbye" he said hastily.
"rm going awav-fos good, you know"
They will not grant you longer leave:'
Intercepted Amy. 'Oh, how mean!
Did they refuse!'
.'No. no-not exactly. But I've had