Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-12-21

MG@EA@S( @'aF'~
CHAPTER IN-Continued.
Reaching the Reyn!ers' door, Roder-
Gk did not offer to enter. In truth.
he felt that the usual social evening
would b. Us impossible to him as to
Silence. In their present crisis of pain
they needed either to be quite alone
with each other or entirely apart.
Still, when he saw her next MORN
faint smile OF welcome. and sitting
iown beside him in the old way,
though he noticed, with a slight he j.
.tation, as of doing as Il duty what had
before been SO natural and sweet, Rod
1Rickis heart sunk. He waited in a
&41rchension for what she
rather he tried t o pre-
eexsenying, by. talking about
R44HAoe been writing in tho mat
M4M6lagkhall. To all OF which she
Shly by u pale smile, then
tUlS Yet, my friend, the matter
N4tdsspeak about this morning"
s$sIE edo not forget-but yesterday,
he4ISrolSe OF our MARRIAGE it seemed
6atl!Atfil not to-day, for I have been
tlktrgdt all over, and"
1anr trembling! You are i'll, my
"Oh.. no.s gently putting aside and
then yielding to his tender car IS.
Don't mind me, l am not ill: but l lay
awake the whole OF last night, and it
Is trying when the morning breaks
upon one and there is no rest, no divis-
Ton between two days-two such dread
tul days"
mean"
She took his hand and stroked it
with a gesture almost motherly.
sListen to m 1 have u good deal to
say, and you must listen. You will? 1
shall not hurt you, my R~oderick-not
very much! And that l love you-ah,
you know it-only too well, if that
were possible. But it is impossible!
selfish, 1t might harm you, and l should
be afraid; but you are none of the
three. You are Roderick, my Rode
rick! l shall never love any man in
this world but YOU"
"Of course not, it would be very
wrong" But suddenly his attempt at
a smile faded in q vague terror. why
tell me this? What do you mean?:"
Il think"-she spoke very slowly and
softly-@l think We ought to part"
For . moment Rolerick was COM
pletely stunned. Her whole manner
was so quiet that q stranger might
have imagined she felt nothing, that
She had no feelings at all. a slight
culver about the mouth. atigh or COM
preston OF tine tingers-she had taken
her hand away from his and claspel
them together on her lap-that was
all. Shallow peorle might have
wholly misiudged her: even her lover
did. a little.
"Ana-you say this quite calmly
as if you did not care
Dieu.."
Then she TUNED imploringly to Rod
erick. do not be angry with me. lido
not deserve it; only lis. en, it is for your
good speak. Yesterday | believed
you ma 10 me belicve-that it would be
the best thing in tine world for YOU to
marry mo. Nov, | doubt.
Now it IS over. l have made up my
mind-that is. so far as, being %iiancce.
j have a right to make up my mind. L
think it would be best for you to go
homo at oacc, ami tell your mother
that we have parted, that VIC thought
1t best to part"
Rodcrick sat dead silent.
"Otherwise. think what will happen.
You will be comparatively poor"
"And you are afraid of poverty:'
The moment he had said the words
he felt their mcanness. their utter UNI
trueness, and rassionately begged her
pardon.
What nced?:" Silence answered, half
sadly. "The question is not whether
e one another. but whether we do
what is right, absolute T ght. That i,
the real heart of love. If L thought a
thing right, l would do it, and help
you to do it, though it killed me-ay,
even though it killed lis both"
Il understand you," he said. with q
quietness that was n marvel even to
himself. "tut it is q very difficult
matter to decide, and we must decide,
for IL whole two lives hang in the
balance. Lot me go away and think it
out alone-luitc alone"
He TO G with q grave. sad air, and
wont to the door, then came back and
kissed her hand.
My love! my only love! Yes, I have
found you. 1t is not every mans lot SC
to find you. Whatever happens, !
thank God"
Without moro words he went away
to his fayorite eth mixing place q
quiet walk along the lake shore. Many
an hour had he spent there within the
last few months, but never such all
hour as this.
He would go hack with tho fiat OF
life or death in his hands. Byron, who
wrote SO many false things, wrote one
true one:
Mans love is of mans life Il thing apart,
Ills womnn's whole existence.
At least. this is true of most women,
and she of whom it is not true is
scarcely q oma at all. Though all
the time Sophie sat chatting beside
her Silence neither wcpt nor en-
planned, asked no sympathy. ard be.
trayed by no word thai anything was
a,niss, still, when the door opened and
she saw her lover appear. a SILVER ran
through her, which made the kind
hearted sophie. with a troubled and
anxious look, Immediately disappear.
My love" he said. II haze been
thinkirp Oyer eyervthinr frvino tn