Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-05-17

fnable something in his manner which
reused her pride. She determined to
watch herself little. He came over
to the rectory two or three times after
that. They all played games together,
but he was grave and embarrassed
She Lad caught him looking at her
with troubled eyes, but he made no at.
tempt to see her alone. Then he had
come over one evening to tell them all
that he was going into the city to take
medical lectures, and that he never
expected to have any more good times.
There was nothing before him but hard
work. He had looked very sad when
he said this, and she had wanted to
tell him that she would write him
long, merry letters, and they would
have plenty of good times yet,-but he
had not said word about writing. In
her heart this had made her love him
more wildly than ever. She had an
indefinite idea that George was being
very honorable. He was poor and he
was not going to say word which
should bind her,-but with that girlish
perverseness which no amount of edu-
cation can eXpunge from the feminine
character, she wanted to be bound,-
she did not care for poverty, for hard.
ship, for anything, if he would only
love her. 1t had not occurred to her
that he could abstain from winning her
because he did not feel ready on his
own part to face difficulty of providing
for two,-of accepting the responsible.
ties of marriage, even years away.
Poor girl She had never thought of
that. She did not think of it even now.
Then, after sleepless nights and heart
breaking days, when everybody thought
that she was ill, and needed doctor.
and Georges father had given her
"blue pills." and quinine and powders
after the old fashion, she had written a
little letter to George. She could never
forget when the answer came. Not
even her sister Juliet,-she had died
while Eleanor had been absent in
Europe, but she had been her other self
throughout their whole life together
had known what was in that letter, nor
when 1t had been opened. For two
days she had carried it about on her
heart without opening it at all. She
dreaded to see what was in it,-and yet
it was from George, and inexpressibly
dear Then she had opened it, with
Suffocation at her heart which made
her little hands quiver and her breath
,ome in gasps. And what a short, con-
ventional letter it had been! 1t had
been pleasant to find that he had not
been forgetten;" she was good to
write;" he hoped she was WE'LL" he was
very busy, and so much interested
that he thought he might one day get
so be a doctor" He sent love to all the
family. He thought the books of which
she had written must be very good
reading, and he congratulated her upon
getting so much culture. There was
not word about another letter from
her. Her whole being was on fire with
rage and modification. She tore the
.etter up and burned the pieces. She
thought of all his tender looks and
words,-how he had always singled her
out first of all,-how he had told her
that no other girl in the village was so
pretty, y,-could dance so we'll, ride so
we'll, read so well, skate so well, as
she And how her heart had glowed
when he had spoken to her sol
Then the days passed on, and she
had tried to get over her love for him;
but one day it had all come back-and
she felt such a longing to see his face
and to hear his voice that she had
written another letter to him-she
turned crimson to this day whenever
she thought of it and of the heart-sick
sning days while she waited for a re-
ply. Then he had come home on lit
tie vacation at Easter time, and had
sent word when he went away that,
after seeing her and the others at
church Easter morning, he had fully |
Intended to call and pay them little
visit, but he had been so busy that he
had not been able to manage it;-and |
then General Perry had come to the |
island, and he had petted her and been
very kind to her. and her sore little |
neart had found refuge in his fatherly
owe. They had travelled, and in the |
excitement and change she had tried to
be happy After she had been married |
eour short years her husband had died. |
And now here she was four years a |
widow-free, rich, more beautiful than
overland George Dover, established in |
his profession, handsome, cold, polished,
and with that air of exclusiveness
which made his attentions precious,
had come back to her. She did not |
know why he had treated her so in the |
Did days. Her only theory was that he
had not loved her-that she had been |
only like lesser sister to him-that he
had seen she was getting too fond of |
him, and had taken the only honorable
way to check her unwomanly emotion
and yet, in her soul, she felt that he
had loved her, and had wondered at the
mystery of it all. How ought she to
treat him? She did not believe that
her money had anything to do with
this new attraction which he had con.
ceved for her-and she-she loved him
Just as she had loved him in those old
days. She was willing to wait until he
could explain the past. But he had
asked her if he might come again-per-
hans m affairs might vet ba adiuStad ba