Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-10-10

a halfstartled glance into ms. Dut
he never needed.
LAYING her hat and cloak on side
table she motioned the doctor 70 a
scat and went Ito turn up the mod
orator lamp.
Standing in the fun light, her face
turned TO 1t, her arm bare to the ell
bow. where the white sleeves fell
AWAY from 1t, DIR. Leonard saw her
clearly for the first time that day, and
the terrible change in her shocked MIN.
10 most men she would have seemed
simply plain at that moment; the
haavy masses Of her thick hair
braided away from her face tightly,
| with the heedessness Of one who did
not care how she looked-the somoer
folds OF her black dress falling heay-
/ ily and duly round her, showing in
| powerful coLtrast the pallor OF her
/ snnken cheeks and the feyerish bright
ness OF her large eyes; her arm, too,
SO wan and shrunken, with no orna-
ment, either Of gold or Jet to relieve
its painful wilderness.
But in dis eyes she never could be
plain. She was dearer to him In her
pain and sorrow than any other
woman he had ever known. not ex-
ceptlng the brilliant Pauline, and his
heart stirred with unspeakable ten
derness as he saw how changed and
worn she was, how weary-stirred,
too, with sharper pain than pity-a
terrible fear that racked him, making
his eyes burn and his face whiten,
sending the blood with rush to his
heart, till Its pulses throbbed madly,
and the breath seemed to stop in his
throat
"What il The chain had worn in too
long. What II the delicate frame could
not bear the inward fever, and that
he had come too late to save her from
the gulf Of his own arm, strong in It's
pride. had pushed her intoY
what IL he had come too 1ate,'
The passionate pain in his eyes
frightened Lefty. as she turned and
saw II, and the earnest gaze that went
from the trailing folds of her dress
up to the bands of her hair, devoid of
ornament, harsh, and unbecoming as
she knew them TO be, brought the
hot blood singing to her face.
Perhaps, for she has spirit, she will
seorn me for my tardiness," he was
thinking, Il was terribly selfish In
my pride"
,.,+,- eoattn, harsolf In n Low, oho IL
opposite to rim, across the hearth, as
much in the shade as possible, lest
the rising glow of the fire should
show how changed she was, clasped
her hands fast together, and tried TO
talk calmly and naturally to him. as
she would have talked to any other
gentleman She tried, but she failed.
How could she help 1t, with her heart
throbbing stornlily, and her breath
coming thick and fast under his
chances?
All creation may say what 1t likes,
but men are selfish a cat playing
daintily with mouse, sure and safe
under Its paw, would be no bad en-
blem for their shields. IL they wolld
only be true enough to wear IT.
DR.. Leonard loved Lefty with all his
heart; he had come to tell her So; and
yet there he SAT, watching her chang
Ing face. her qui .kened breathing, her
restless hands. and drinking In deep
draughts Of subtleSt pleasure from
these evidences of his power.
His strange silence oppressed her;
he would not talk. she could not very
much longer, she felt and the terror
of the coming pause made her awk-
ward and nervous.
lie saw it all. He read her love in
her restless fingers, and the flushing
pulses Of red and white that came into
her face under his glance. 1t was
plain in the unwonted dropping of her
frank gray eyes. and in the low,
broken tones Of her voice, that tried
to ring brayely for pride's sake, but
could not, simply because love Is
stronger than pride; and She poof
child, was loving him just then with
all her soul.
For few moments he sat Still Ill
his chair, and drunk the sweet pic
ture In greedly; then he bent forward.
and took the tiny hot hands in to his,
and told the tale he had come to tell,
ana sued humbly for pardon In that
he had not told /; before, and saved
her all the pain OF doubling him. the
pain and tn sorrow that had so
changed her.
~ was for my father" Lefty be-
gan. lowing her head lower still, and
hiiing her hot face against the tan
gles OF black beard that bent over her,
One of the rare. sweet smiles that
80 seldom lighted up the doctors grave
face flashed across II now, as, loosen
ing his arm, as though to put her from
him, ne asked, softly: "And was none
or 1t for mey'
There was i moments silence, and
then the old frank spirit flashed out,