Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-11
CHAPTER XXI.
For what vert thou to me?
How shall l say? The moon
That poured her midnight oon
Upon his wrecking sea;


Upon his wrecking sea;
A sail that for day
Has cheered the castaway.
1t was abominable; objectionable; but
alas! am afraid it was little natural
The words once said, Drayton would will
| ingly have seen the earth open beneath him,
and would gladly have been swallowed ont
of her sight for ever more. But the earth
does not open to order nowadays, and he
still finds himself standing on the gravelled
pathway with only her to look at.
Not that he avalls himself of the privi-
! lege. His ewes have glued themselves TO
! the ground, and it is she who is looking at
him. Not altogether amiablv either. Her
ewes are angry; there is. indeed, lightning
in them; summer lightning if you will, but
still dangerous fire.
'You-think-! begins She
Il think nothing-nothing, interrupts
he passionately, except what is'-'alto-
Cether loving, is on his tongue, but he re-
| strains himself, "kind and good of you.
! But surely you will not forbid me to say
that 1 Ieel an interest in you; that--for-
| give mel would be glad to help you,
/ if
''No one can help me" SAYS she in q
| loar tone, but with decision. 81 must help
mvself The best help you or anyone can
give me is to put me out of your thoughts
| altogether.
"Ah, that is difficult" says he slowly.
| Now ne looks vt her, and as he looks their
eyes meet. For long, long minute they
| gaze at each other and now it is Rhoda's
ewes that fall. A A.deep flush rises to her
brow, and then as suddenly recedeS. She
! grows deadly white.
''In all her face was not one drop of
blood
us it?' says she. ''It seems to me that
all nv life is difficult This is my one safe
corner, and now YOU"
She pauses. Her ewes are full of tears.
'tDou't speak to me like that, says be-
"What have done?'
''It is what you will d." returns she
mourntully, prophetically.
| Dravton makes an impatient gesture.
"What should do?" says he. "What
do YOU accuse ME of?'' He takes step
nearer to her. "Mrs Clarke, don't be angry
with me-" says he with entreaty. ''Oi
course it is impossible not 10 know that
there is some-some mystery"
.tIs it so impossible?" Her lovely face
is hardening into mask She is trembling.
She laws her hand on the arm of a garden
chair near her. So he suspects, then. Well
no doubt it is all over, and she must begin
her fight with the world againl She would
have liked to say something else to him,
but words fail her. 1t is as though nc
speech is LETT to her And after a moment
she gives in to her sad destiny and feels nc
desire for speech. Why speak?-what l.
there to say? Let things go as they will
Let her sink out of sight altogether-givt
farewell to hope.
ssYou must see that for YOURSELF" say
Dravton, in low tone, but irmly. "Could
one lock at you and, imagine Tor second
that vou were born to be a housekeeper?-
though 1 confess" with a smile, ''that yoI
are born housekeeper. You see what al
enigma you arer' He laughs here, and she
as if unconsciously, lets faint smile softer
her sad lips. ''Come," said Drayton, "whl
not trust me? am sure may be able t.
help you-in Spite of all you say-to hell
you back to the home, where" hesitating
81 am sure you are sorely missed.
He never quite forgets the look that come
into her face now. The desolation of it j
terrible.
"I am wrong" saysh he impulsively, driver
to speech by the eloquence of her silence.
"WronS, indeedp' says she coldly, miser
ably. "You can never be SO wrong again
T."
sDc not go on" quickly. "Say nothing
, / 1 have no desire that you should betra,
yourself 10 me- have had my own fancie
about you, and will tell you of them, bu
YOU shall make no answer unless it suit
YOU. l have thought that perhaps you wer
: ward, and that your guardian was unkin,
to you, and that
81 have no guardian" says she.
There is something forlorn in her man
nerg In truth, the one who should hav
been her guardian through life and to he
death has proved most cruelty unfaithful.
''Ah!" says Drayton. She has not di,
couraged him; she has shown no anger q
his words He ventures once more to CUES
the ouestion-the burning question-ths
means life or death to him. Surely he vii
know BY her face. he had been homes
when he begged her TO say nothing, to le
{ her secret lie, but now
Just TO know if she is married; and i
, being married, she is freel
81 have also thought" says he "that 20
had run away from home. Some girls do.
Romantic girls" says she. 81 am NJ
, romantic, and,'' with an effort, II am nj
| | a girl.
1t had seemed Impossible to her to d.
ceive him on this point, and besides, if !
, ! were deceived, he might-might what
r Der soul seems to die within her.
cat other times" says he, hurriedly, HI
| ewes anxiously searching hers, his face yer
| pale.s Now comes the crucial test.
nave thought"
Il told you not to think, ;" says she, pu
ting up her hand. But he persists L
) must say It.
cat other timer" saws he. deliberatel,