The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-01-18

work, fill you with regret, and yet all
too late-isn't that it?"
"You read me accurately. But why
touch your tones with satire?"
II believe | read you better than
you read me. l didn't mean to be
satirical. Don't you know that what
often seems irony directed to others is
in reality dealt out to ourselvesP Such
irony as was in my voice was for my
selfP"
"And why for yourself?" he asked,
quietly, his eyes full of interest. He
was cutting the end of fresh cigar.
"Was it" Che was about to strike
match, but paused suddenly "be-
cause you had thought the same
thing?"
| She looked for moment as if she
would read him through and through;
as though, in spite of all their candor,
there was some lingering uncertainty
as to his perfect raightforwardness
then, as if satisfied, she said at last:
eyes, but with difference. l have
no doubt which memory it will be.
You will not wish to be again on the
plains of Nindobar."
''And you," he said, musingly, ''you
will not wish me here?" There was
no vanity in the question. He was
wondering how little we can be sure
| of what we shall feel tomorrow from
what we feel today. Besides, he knew
] that a wise woman is wiser than a
wise man.
81 really don't think shall care par
tlcularly. Probably, if we meet again
| here, there would be some jar to our
| comradeship-I may call it that, /
suppose"
(Which is equivalent to saying that
| goodbye in most cases, and always in
| cases such as ours, is little tragical,
because we can never meet quite the
same again"
She bowed her head but did not re-
| ply. Presently she glanced up at him
| kindly. ''What would you give to
have the past back before you were
disiilusionized. Before you had
trouble?"
81 do not want it back. I am not
| really disiliusionized. l think that we
| should not take our own personal ex-
| periences and make it law unto the
world. l believe in the world in spite
of trouble. You misht have said
! trouble with a woman-I should not
have minded"
He was smoking now, and the
| clouds twisted about his face SO that
only his eyes looked through earnestly.
"a woman always makes laws from
her personal experience. She has not
the faculty of generalization-If fancy
| that's the word to use." This was her
reply.
She rose now with a little shaking
motion, one hand at her belt, and
rested a shoalder against pillar of
the veranda. He rose also at once,
and said, touching her hand respect
fully with his finger tips. ave may
be sorry one day that we didn't be-
lieve in ourselves more"
"Oh, no." she said, turning and
smiling at him. 81 think not; you
will be in Europe hard at work; here
hard at living; our interests will lie
far apart. l am certain about it all.
| We might have been what my cousin
calls 'trusty pals'-no more"
81 wish to God l felt sure of that,
Nellie Ashforth."
She held out her hand to him. 81
believe you are honest in this. 1 ex-
pect both of US have played hide and
seek with sentiment in our time, but
it would be useless for us to masque-
! rade with each other; we are of the
world, very worldly"
quite useless-here comes your
cousin! Now for the actors game
l hope don't look as disturbed as /
feel"
"You look perfectly cool, and know
/ do. What an art this living isl
That cousin of mine comes about the
boar hunt tomorrow. can see it in
his eye"
sShall you join usP".
"Of course. l can handle rifle as
well as any of you. Besides it is your
last day here"
"W no can tell what tomorrow may
bring forth?" he said.
She smiled strangely and then
| greeted her cousin.
The next day the boar hunt occurred.
| They rode several miles to little lake
and scrub of brigalow, and dis
mounting soon had exciting sport.
Miss Ashforth was a capital shot, and
was, without the loss of any womanli-
ness, thorough sportsman. To-day,
| however, there was something on her
mind, and she was not as alert and
successful as usual. Sherman kept
| WIFI u0E dS uuCu dS pOSSIUlC
more so because he saw that her
cousins, believing she was quite able
| to take care of herself, allowed her to
! her own resources. Presently, how
| ever, following an animal, he left her
short distance behind. On the edge
of little billabong she came upon a
truculent looking boar. 1t turned on
| her, but she fired on it and it fell.
Seeing another ahead she pushed on
quickly to secure it too. AS she went
she half cooked her rifle. Had her
mind been absolutely intent on the
once she heard the thud of feet behind
her. She turned swiftly and saw the
boar she had shot bearing upon her,
its long yellow tusks standing up like
daggers. A sweeping thrust from one
of them leaves little chance of life.
She dropped upon a knee, swung
her rifle to her shoulder and pulled
the trigger. The rifle would not go
off. For an instant she did not under
stand what was the trouble. But with
singular presence of mind she never
lowered her rife or took her eye of
from the beast, but remained immov-
able. 1t was all matter of seconds.
Evidently cowed, the animal, when
within a few feet of her, swerved to
the right, then made as though to
come down on her again. But mean
while she had discovered her mistake
and cooked her rife. She swiftly
trained it on the boar and fired. II
was hit, but did not fall, and came on.
Then another shot rang out from be-
hind her, and the boar fell so near her
that his tusk caught her dress.
Tom Sherman had saved her.
She was very white when she faced
him. She could not speak. That
night she spoke, however, very CRATE
fully und almost tenderly.
To something that he said gently tc
her then about memory, she replied
"Tel me now as candidly as if to youl
own soul, did you feel at the critical
moment that life would be horrible
and empty without me?"
IL L l.