Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-02-18

VI know a great deal about you
there, have said it," returns De Wolfe.
81 dare say you knew what l meant all
the time. do not see how you could
helr #. l should have put it better,
p os, but hope you will not think
thai am apologizing for speaking to
you in this way, for l am not. And
am not going to urge anything on you,
and all that, but have put it all before
you clearly, if may say it, and l think
it is due to me that you be equally
frank"
The girl hcsitates moment and ap,
pears TO be thinking.
81 am very sorry you have told me
this" she says Mt length. at is not be-
cause do not love you. neither is it be-
cause l do love you. do not know
what love is. l like you very much,
but, as il seems TO me, l could like a
great many other men in the same way /
like you, and that, think, is not love;
and if it is love, it is not the right kind
of love. If were to laugh at you"
"Don you think we had better be
startinga comes voice just then. Both
OF them look around, and there is Alice
Bently. She has been gliding noiselessly
toward them, and smiles meanin9ly. at
is getting very dark-rather too dark
for skating" she adds.
De Wolfe is very mnch put out, and
remarks that it is not very dark, and ii
ie av. CO much p,ora finn to Sl-ata in tba
dark, anyhow. But Grace Bently ap.
pears rather relieved at the interruption,
and starts off quickly toward the other
side of the pond by herself, leaving De
Wolfe nothing to do but to offer to skate
over with that clever person vino caused
the interruption and broke off Grace
Bently's words at very interesting
point.
When they come up with the rest of
the party they find that preparations
have been going on rapidly for depart
ure. The party is large and there i;
great confusion in taking off skates and
starting, and so they are we'll on their
way home, and Alice Bently is deep in
conversation with very fascinating
man, when it is learned that Grace
Bently is missing.
''Tll 90 back for her, offers DeWolfe
readily in the most innocent way, he
having known she was not with them
from the start. He wants to get far
enough away SO it will be a very long
time before they catch up again. He
turns back and the people begin to
straggle on. Alice Bently makes a pre-
tense of waiting for few moments. "Oi
course | cannot go and leave Grace, u
she protests. But at the suggestion of
the man with her, who does not care to
have younger sister hanging around,
she strolls along the snow trodden path
ACROSS the fields.
When DeWolfe reaches the pond it is
quite deserted, and only a stray skater
here and there reminds him of the after.
Moons sport. lie scarcely cares to call
out for Grace, so he puts on his skates to
search the pond. He fails to find her
after clrcling about quickly, and he
calls her name IN low tone. Perhaps
she is with the party now; she might
have taken a short cut, for there was no
other place for her to go.
Was there no other place? DeWolfe's
heart leaps into his throat The outlet.
Could she have gole there? He starts
off quickly. The ice in the river near
by is cracking, and now and then loud
report like the booming OF cannon is
heard as it settles. In the distance De
Wolfe hears the whistle of locomotive,
and to his morbid fancy the barking of a
stray dog makes an impression on bis
mind. The rails on the track near at
baud begin to sing and hum. and pres
entity train rounds the curve and passes
by. A stream OF sparks flies upward
the steam Kisses from beneath, and in a
cloud OF smoke the train disappears
Lights twinkle in the houses near the
highway over the fields. The clouds are
very dark above, and wind from the
west is blowing dismaly. Near the road
some one is whistling for dog. De
Wolfe finds a small boy near the outlet.
II hain't seen no gurl." he replies in
answer to the young mans anxious
questions. Leastways, not rsound
here, The ice IN there's thin though.
Youse better look aout."
Then he gains tie outlet. How swiftly
he goes along the smooth ice How the
sound of his skates rings out in the night
air How the wind whistles by him as
he glidcs onward as il he had the wings
of bird!
Hark What is that? lie starts sud.
denly. Does nc not hear cry? He digs
a hee! into the ice quickly. An instant
ana he Is motionless, listening with bent
head, and painting. He hears the cry
again. II is Grace's voice, but how weak
and helpless it sounds,
Il am comingw he shouts. "Hold
on"
An instant more and he is beside her.
He expects to see her In the water hang
ing on the edge of broken ice; be expects
TO find her almost at the point of letting
90 and sinking; but what he sees is a
sorry heap on the surface, and dismal,
small voice calls out 10 him. He is be-
side her and bends ever her. He is so
very glad to fiud her that for a moment
he caunot say anything. He wonder:
what has happened. lie is ready to see
her start up in the old cold way, but sac
does nothing OF the sort
"Oh, | am so very glad you have
come ~ he hears frightened voice say.
There is pathetic little culver in the
tone that touches him, for it is so differ
ent from the confident, assured tone in
which she usually addresses him. al
have sprained my ANKLE don't know
exactly how, but fell and it was under
me, and it hurts awfully." She stops a
moment and something that sounds very
much like sob coNes from the heap on
the ice. "a could not move at all.
tried to crawl to the shore, but every
time | moved it hurt so. When you
went off with Alice thought would
have one more good skate before | went
home, and the ice was so smooth in here
and il was away from every o&e and