Arizona silver belt., 1894-03-03


 And sou wouldn'tf' ho says in |
 low voice Yet it would have been (
 good match. wonder whyf"
 Wcll-no; wouldn't" she say.
 slowly, looking at the point of her slip l per. Then she looks up, laughs little
 and ends her laugh with small sigh.
 Why, did you sayY Who knows: Perhaps liked somebody else better somebody who hadn't asked me to marry him. !"
 A wild hope flashes through his brain. Was it-was he-somebody nearerg" he stammers-" cousin, for instance2"
 She glances quickly at him and turns away her headi all her affecta- tion of fastncss is gone, and he sees her as she ia.
 How did you guess thatY" she whis. pers. "l must have kept my secret very badly"
 He seizes her hand. Lucie," he says earnestly, tell me, do you love- anybody?"
 Her slight figure quiyers- but she will not answer.
 Tel me who it Is, he urges pas. sionatcly.
 Slowly she lets fall the words, What would you think of mo if said that it was youf"
 Ten minutes later he is still there alone with bis happiness.
 Suddenly he turns as he hears light footfall and sho is beside him again.
 What is it, dearestTt he asks.
 Have you picked up anythineY' she inqures, smiling. T dropped some thing while was sitting here "a letter '
 A newborn jealousy flares up in his eyes. 'A 4 letter? From wLomy"
 Don | laugh at me, dear she says shyly. !" It was only letter from you"
 He smiles very tenderly. The only letter be has ever written to her is one in acceptance of bis nncles invitation fortnight ago.
 From Ineg Why, you silly child. there was nothing in that worth keep ing.
 4 few days afterward the Rev. David Elliott was returning 10 his lodgings after visiting bis district. He wanted bis luncheon badly and was very tired and rather disgusted, for the old wcln. en had b5en particularly qaeralous and | troublesome and even noge than nsual- l y inclined to overgstin4ate tho value of l their attendance at the early celebra- 1 lon. He had been positively refused | admission into one cottage, through the | window of which be could have sworn | be saw the burly form and coarse lrisn features of Father Flanuigan, from St. Joseph g, His rector. foo, had been 'nappiah aad fs nearly rude as cler- gyman ever permits himself to be to brother priest But hs cou5olcd him. 'elf for these little annoyaaces by think ng how short q time he should have o endure them aGd bow different his 1csiii,'s ,sould he in few yoars-per- lal g months. He was expecting n re. 'ly' to passionate love letter which be lad written to Lucia immediately op is return, and as he put the key into ms door hc thought how pleasant jt would be, after bis hunger was gatis- led, to sit down ly the window and read be SIX or seven eheets oi which it would 70 doubt consist Immediately be ran D stairs and threw open ihe door of his itting room. Atall young man, whose 3rebead was Co suno extent sinister, rgent and brichdust and who wore a aick, yellow mEstachc, rose as he en- sted, and coming toward bim with a lvaiTy swsggeT held out bis hand. 'Ye been making myself at home. be ud Gpologctically Hope you don't oject to smoking in your quarters. ong time since we met, isn't itl Don't amemtes me Hugh Elli0ttY" David stared at his Nsitoi; he had cling thateomelhing had gone wrong. Oh, of course. he said neryously, king his cousins band and dropping directly Very glad to see you, I'm .re. r. eh--didn't know you were this part of the world. Very good you to come and look me up. You'n we some lunch, of course. Oh, thanks, tWfUlly. Iut I'm afraid z ve no time. There q train at l:30 ! ave. and l had dyyil-I mean a ! uce of job to get that No-fact l came up to see about we'll, about etter you wrote to Lucia. He hand a an envelope to David. who began 10 al rather sick. n But, bo began, with as much dig. a y as the sudden beating of his heart V owed, may ] ask-by what right ' T interfere with ''- ' Oh, for heaven sake, don | take that U e, there's good falIow," said the a igoon good humoredly. "You see, y, cia's so d-n-l mean so awf'ly . d of chaif; she'll get herself into a a ice of mess some of these days, as D
 is never 50 happy as when she's U kin a fool of some one, just as she's P n doin to you. And you must have z, n goin very badly about what's in { letter, but she seems to think bet r' of it now. and she sent for me and se s 70 mo my orders to tell you she was U , chafin you h' David had sunk into a chair and was tu v quite pale and trembling. III She told me she'd refused Sir h' irles Scudamore because she loved III v ho groaned, land that if sho ever rried anybody it would be mo and .ody else. ''
 Tho dragoon shook his head ana no ied grave. ''Too bad" he said a,, p0 "She really shouldn't, tb know. It really ism far to fel. W., WI :" w ,ayid jumped up from his chair in fn sion. And she sent you here to tb, me this, " he cried angrily. II va t believe it. No girl could be so ,ro rtless. ,n' ni' If'a frnn ennltrh u cnia unnl, v v