The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-10-11
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them was the knowledge that he had for
feited the right to tell his love. Her let
tiers had been of kind of which he wear
led when he ceased to be a youth. But
anxious that his own letters should not be
as uninteresting to her as hers were to him,
he had written in boyish, semi frivolous
strain, which he thought would be pleas
ing to her as natural to herself He could
not understand how such thoughtful in
telligent girl as he knew her now to be
could have written such shallow, charac-
terless letters. He supposed that she had
not cared enough for him to write about
what she felt interested in.
Nancy grew colder and more constrained
than ever in her manner toward him, and
though every day he felt more clearly that
his love was hopeless, he found it more
and more difficult to hide it from her. He
was too proud and too manly to force his
love upon her, believing, as he did, that
she disliked him; and at last, after bitter
struggle with himself, he determined to re-
turn to India at once
He had never been to the Ness lately
without some valid reason, and this new
decision was so good an excuse for calling
that he was not slow in taking advantage
of it. He found Nancy in the garden, ar
rayed in large white sun-bonnet, busily
gathering Strawberries for tea.
''You find it rather hot work, I'm afraid"
he said looking down gravely into her
flushed face. "Let me pick some now"
Thank you," she answered, resigning
the basket; ''stooping SO much has tired
me little
He had soon filled the basket, and then,
at his suggestion they seated themselves
under an old apple tree to rest. Nancy
took off her sun-bonnet and leaned her
bare head against the gnarled trunk Ian
guidly. Jim watched her as she sat there,
thinking that he would soon have the men,
ory of her pure sweet face to bear with
him.
II came up this afternoon to say good
bye" he said, breaking the long silence alb
ruptly.
Nancy started slightly and raised her
eyes to his in wonderment
"Good-bye," she said. And where are
you going?'
II am going back to India; have had
enough of England"
ITO India At once! Oh, why?" she
asked piteously, growing very white, and
looking at him with frightened eyes,
An expression of tremulous hope began
to dawn on Jim's face as he saw how his
words had affected he1.
do you care, Nancy" he asked eager
ly. Would you rather stayed?"
my wishes have nothing to do with the
matter" she said rather bitterly.
Indeed they have" he said, very earn
estly, Nancy, tell me, would you rather
stayed?"
IF say yes, would you stay?" she ask
ed, quietly.
"Only if you loved me-" he said Il
cannot stay on and see you day after day,
and feel that you will never care for me-
May stay, Nancy"
III you ike, Sne answered Snyly.
Jim took her in his arms and kissed her
very tendery.
'There is one thing want to know" he
said presently, looking down into her eyes;
"when did you begin to love me, dear?'
"When did you begin to love me?" she
replied, blushing under his gaze.
Il don't know; l have loved you all my
life" he answered.
Il don't know either" she said; "when
l was about four or five, think"
But, my darling, you broke off our en-
gagement," he said, wonderingly.
"Yes; from your letters thought did
not love you. They were so stupid-I-I
mean
Yes they were stupid but yours were
silly, too, and l thought that was the kind
of thing you liked,' he said, ray of in
telligence dawning in his eyes.
Il thought you were terribly boyish, so
wrote very young letters, thinking they
would interest you," she said, beginning
to laugh.
I'VE both fell into the same mistake,
then" he said, laughing too, though lit
tie regretfully
"Oh, Nancy we might have had such a
good time! How | wish had the letters
you ight have wrtten!'
Eyes, it is a pity" she said. But it is
all right now, and will write the sweet
est letters to you in the future"
Indeed you will not he replied in a
calmly masterful tone. 81 never mean to
leave you again. We must look upon
those letters as part of the vast 1t might
have been