The record-union., 1892-04-02

Dorothy. He dreaded lest his passionate
sense of wrong should get the better of
his Judgment and OF his intense desire TO
De as gently forgivlng as possible 10 the
frail woman whom he still loved.
''Oh ~ he replied, with somewhat
! CHASTITY smile, even cornfield has a
! beauty OF ITS own. / suppose that de-
vout spirits can find God IN a potato
| patch"
Was he thinking of himself? she won
dered. And she could not help rejecting
that some men are not unlike potato
patches.
Look at this,'' he went on, breaking a
tress of yellow silk from the stalk. Let
| the sun shine on that, and you can't deny it
is beautiful. Why, my dear Dorothy, it
has almost the simmer of your own
! hair.''
! As he spoke he laid the silk against her
hair, and for moment his face softened.
! but she shrank from his touch, and
nush OF anger came into her face.
GU are much too poetical,'' she re-
! tofteu with strain of defiance in her
voice. II can't see any likeness between
my mar and that taken stuff. Please
throw it away"
1es,p he said quietly, "rll throw it
away: [ didn't suppose you would see
the likeness-or, rather''-and here he
hesitated-'my feeling about it."
Thank you for the compliment. No,
paused and bit her lips Why, she
thought angrily, is this man so different
from other men? Why was her usual
stock of bravado so ineffective when she
had to deal with John Cruger?
L fear that l am gifted with insight-of
| some Sort" he replied. Its danger
Gus gift.'
dangerous? ?" she repeated, curiously
\ es, 1t leads me to idealize things
and people,"
That is not insight The drift of
their talk was getting to be discomtorting
| to Dorothy.
Call it what you will, John answered.
VI what the world means by insight /
| nave little. | don't understand men and
| women as ought to. l take too much
Tor granted in them. That's selfish and
stupid, ISN'T it? Pm afraid | couldn't
tell true friend from false i
But that isn't quite what meant to say.
us my fault, you see, if L make mis-
Yes, 1 see," she said, holding her
Take you and me, for example," he
blurted out
why you and me?" she demanded,
though now she understood him per-
fectIy.
We'll" he said, with degree of calm
winch surprised himself although his
hands shook and every bit OF color left
MS face, Il have been thinking of-of-
our engagement, and l believe-yes,
knoW-that 1T shouldn't go on.''
shouldn't go on!'' she cried with af-
fected amaZement. abe good enough to
explain YOURSELF
This new situation had not been a part
OF her calculations. If the engagement
was TO De broken, 1t was her special right
she argued, to break it, That would be
soothing to her self-esteem, at any rate
But here was John stealing her own
words out of her mouth.
He turned and regarded her intentIy
Tor moment. She could not mistake the
expression OF his eyes. She saw there q
9epth OF love and dispair which almost
frightened her.
her lids fell before his straight. true
glance, and she shivered little. For
the second time in her life she read her.
sell honestly. She knew by the light of
thls mans soul how false and hollow her
heart was. But he had no longer tie
power to thrill that heart into something
responsive to his. Now, as she quailed
before him, she hated him.
on wish to put an end to our en-
gagement?'' she inquired, coIdly.
Il think it BEST" he said.
1T is your own wish,n she cried, still
eager to justify herself and put him in
the wrong.
And not yours 20 he asked, sadly.
NO, not mine. Why should it be?"
| She spoke with bitter heedlessness. as
sured that after all she had gained her
point, and that Joints decision was ire
vocable.
why should it be?p he repeated. not
1 without bitterness. fEe fathomed all
the trickery in her question. ''Why
should 1t be? You say that, Dorothy? Ii
your own lips had not uttered it 1 should
not believe you could put the question
l will tell you then why it should be. 1t
is because you do not love me, and worse
still. because you are not frank enough
to tell the truth-no, not even now''
GU mean, | fancy, that L am not used
to telling the truth"
Il repeat, you are not frank.n He
could say no more without brutality
Not even now! Let it be So. | will
be guided by your superior judgment.
my dear John. AS to my lack Of frank
ness, we need not quarrel over that.
lack SO many things. Indeed, L felt long
ago that | was unworthy Of youn
The sarcasm and all that it implied
/ stung John, though he controlled his
temper admirably.
| las you suggest, we need not argue
over anything. l had no intention to
argue. wanted to speak plainly.
! What it costs me to speak plainly
you cannot know; what it costs a
man like me to give up what he held
| dearest, priceless. Not only to give mn
love, but also faith-aye, faith9that is
what you can never comprehend. l pity
you because you cannot comprehend. I
do not blame you.'
Il hate your pityr' she exclaimed.
quickly and bitterly. "What are YOU
that you should presume TO pity me?
! Well. the engagement Is at an end. and.
as you said, it is best so. woman can't
beg man TO marry her, especially after
he has Tilted her."
Tilted ~ he echoed, thoroughly dis
gusted. You pretend that? My crime
has been to love you too we'll All my
life, all my happiness. has been in nv
love for you. There is no sacrifice /
would not have made for you. L am not
the vulgar, selfish thing you seem to
think me. Count my loss and then count
yours. might accuse you ONO, l will
accuse you Of nothing. 1t is enough that
| you don't love me; that the thought of
marriage with me is repulsive to you. /
! was blind, but / can see now. You will
marry Rothbury. He will crafty your
| ambition. l have simply taken myself
| FINE STATIONERY DEPARTMENT