The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-20
mind and stopped the circulation of his

Aftor the shuddsr came sobs; Sally was
crying.
ooh, my darling, what nave ] done, what
have ! said? IT has happened again! What
have l done to wound your s%@
She disengaged horselt from his arms,
and gave him a look OF deep reproach.
What have You dons? l will tell you
what You have done. You have nnwlttinRlv
revealed. oh. for the twentieth tinie, though
! could not believe it, would not believe it.
sham, my fathers imitation earldom, and
you have broken my heartW!
"Oh, my child, what are yon saying? J.
never dreamed or such a thingn'
"Oh, Howard. Howard, the things you
have uttered when you were forgetting to
guard your tongue have BETRAYED you"
"Things | have uttered whsn 1 was for
getting to guard my tongue? These are
hard words. When have | remembered to
guard il? Never in ono instance. It has
no office but to speak the truth. It needs
no guarding for that"
Howard, have noted your words and
weighed them, whom you were not thinking
me moro than you meant they should"
Dc you mean to say You have answered
the trust / had i'll you by using it as an am
buscade from which You could set snares
for my transporting tongue and be snfe
from detection while yon did it? You have
ACU 0OAO bAlb~bAAGA5 y0A AaVS AO AOAo
this thing. Oh, ones enemy could not do
it, 5% *5#- /"
This was m aspect OF the girls conduct
which she had not clearly perceived before.
Was it treachery2 Had she abused a trust?
The thought erimsoned her checks with
shame n rsmorse.
"Ob, forgive me- she said, II did not
know what was doing. l have been so
tortured-you will forgive me, you must; I
have suffered so much, and ! am 50 sorry
and 20 humble; you do forgive me-, don't
you-don't turn away, don't refuse me; it
ia only my love that ia at fault, and you
know | lovs you, love you with all my heart;
l couldn't bear to-oh. dear, dear, 1 am 10
miserable, and | never meant any harm,
and I didn't see where this insanity was
carrying me, and how il was wronging and
abusing tbs dearest heart in all the world
to ms-and-and-eh, take mo inyour arms
again, I have no other refuge, no other
hons and hope"
There was reconciliation again-immedi-
ate, perfect, acknowledgement with it
utter happiness. This YOU have been a
good tins to adjourn. But no, now that the
cloud breeder was revealed at last; now
that it was manifest that all the sour
weather had come from this girls dread
that Tracy was lured by her rank and not
herself, he resolved to lay that ghost i'm
mediately and permanently by furnishing
the best possible proof that he couldn't
have had back of him ut any time the sls-
pected motive. So he said:
"Let me whisper 3 little secret in your
ezra secret which I have kept shut up in
my breast all this time. Yourrank couldn't
ever nave been an enticement, I am son
and heir to an English earl.
The girl stared at him one, two, three
moments, maybe d dozen, then her lips
parted:
YOU" she said, and moved away from
him. atill UaZinp at him in a kind nf hlapL
ana2ament.
"Why-why, certainly I am. Why do
you act like this? What have / done
nowy"
What have you done? You have GER
tainly made u most strange statement. You
must SEQ That Yourself"
"Wsll," with Il timid little laugh, sitmay
be q strange enough statements: but of what
consequence ia that, if it is true?"
1T i is true? You are already retiring
from it"
''Oh, not for a moment! Yon should not
say that. | have not deserved it. I nave
spoken the truth; why do you doubt it?'
Her reuly WAS prompt.
"Simpiy because you didn't speak it ear
lie.!'
"Oh!" 1t wasn't a gronn exactly, but it
WAC All ineligible enough expression of
this fact that he saw the point and recog-
nlzed that there WAS reason in it.
You have seemed to conceal nothing
from mo TINT | ought to know concerning
yourself. and you were not privileged to
keep back such u thing az this from me II
moment aftsr-after-well. after you had
determined to pay your court to me-"
Its true, it's true, | know it! But there
were circumstances in-in the way-cir-
cumstancss which," FL
She waived the circumstances aside.
"Wcli, you sec" he said, p%leadingly. "you
seemed SO bent on our travelling the proud
path of honest labor and honorable poverty
that was terrified-that is. l was afraid
of-of-well, you know how YOU talked"
"Yes. 1 now how l talked. And [ also
know that before the talk wRs finished YOU
inquired how stood as regards nristoora-
cles. and my answer WAS calculated to re-
lieye your feers."
He WAS silent a while. Then he said in a
discouraged way:
" don't see any way out of it. 1t wns a
mistake. That is in truth all it was. just 8
mistake. No harm was meant. no harm in
the world. l didn't sec how it might some
time look. 1t is my way. don't seem to
see far"
The girl was almost disarmed for a mo-
ment. Then she tiared up again.
A earl's SON! DO earls' aons go about
working in lowly callines for their bread
and butter?"
God knows they don't. I have wished
they did,
'Do e1rIs HONS sink their degree in Il
~eountry like this, and come sober and do
cent to sus the hand of a born child of pow
erty when they can go drunk, profane. and
stepped in dishonorAble dsbt, and buy the
pick and choice of tho Millionaireg' dAugh-
tors Of America? You All oarl's son! Show
mo the signs"
II thank God / am not able-if those are
the signs. But yet | am an esrl's son and
heir. 1t IL all | can shy. wish you would
believe me, but you will not. | know no
way to persuade you."
She WAS about to soften again, but his
closing remark made her bring her foo,
down with smart ve1ation, and she cried
out:
oh. you drive all patience out OF mo
Would you have one believe that you
hayen't yonr proofs Mt hand, and yet are
what you any you arc? You do not put your
hand in your pocket now, for you have
nothing there. fon make a claim like this
aud then venture to travel without orsdsn,
tlala. These arc simply incrsdibilitlas
Don't you see that YOURSELF"
Ho cast about i'll his mind for n defense
of some kind or other, hesitated n little
aud then said with difficulty and ditildsuoo
" will toll you just tho truth, foolish Il.
it will seem to you-to anybody. 1nuppose~
but IL IN the truth. had An idenl-call il
IA dream. y folly, If you will-butI wantee
to ranouncs tho privileges and unfair nd
vantHgss enjoyed by the nobility and wrune
from the nation by force and fraud, AnC