The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-05-17
most fainting with the pain of badly

"Tom-Mr. Barclay!" she STAN
mered, fighting the faintness that
nearly overcame her, and then rally
ing enough to understand that Tom
was asking anxiously. care you
hurt?" ''My ankle is sprained," she
said, with white lips.
A crowd was gathering. A gentle
man offered his assistance, and Eliza
beth was taken to the nearest store,
while Tom called a carriage and then
accompanied her home.
In spite of the pain Miss Murray
could not help looking at the man
who was to have been her husband.
That individual met her eyes and
said:
"Well?"
Miss Murray blushed painfully,
conscious that she had been staring.
eft is so long since have seen you,
and we used to be such good friends, %
she replied gently,
''Whose fault is it that you have
not seen me for so long?" he demand
ed and, then, noting, her fading color
and pale lips, he said: "What a. brute
I am to question you so when you are
suffering such pain! I was never gen.
tie enough to win your love, Beth"
s'Did you ever try, Toni"
81 thought I did,
''Didn't you take everything for
granted that you loved me and that
cared for you, and that in the course
of human events it was natural and
proper that we should get married? ?"
"Perhaps so, he answered quietly !;
and then the carriage stopped, the
driver was at the door, and Elizabeth
was carried up to her room.
It was an obstinate, ugly sprain, and
held it's victim prisoner for six long
weeks. The party went on to Alaska,
leaving Mrs. Murray and her daughter
at the hotel, and, quite as matter of
course, Tom Barclay called often. He
was wonderfully gentle toward the
woman who had refused to be his wife.
Elizabeth did not know that he was
trying to win her love, but Mrs. Muir
ray was well aware of that fact, and
well satisfied, too. Tom was well
established in the old business in Port
land, and again on the road to wealth.
She had always liked him, and
shrewdly suspected that his presence
on this planet had something to do
with her daughters strange indiffer-
ence to certain brilliant matrimonial
chances.
AS for Elizabeth, she was utterly
Content and happy during the period
of invalidism that confined her to the
house. What cared she for the beau
ties of Alaska, of which her friends
wrote such glowing descriptions? Did
she not have long talks with Tom
every other evening? Though she
took care that he knew nothing of her
quickening heart beats and bounding
pulses whenever he approached.
Elizabeth had been able to walk for
week. Her friends were due in two
days on their return trip, and she and
her mother were to join them and
start Immediately for home.
Mr.. Barclay asked the convalescent
to take ride with him. He was thirty
one, Elizabeth twenty-five. Mrs.
Murray did not think chaperon nee
essary, neither did Tom; they went
alone.
They were far better acquainted
than in the days when they were en-
gagged. Miss Murray admired the
honest courage, the preserving indie
pendence with which her friend was
building his fortune, and Tom loved
her as he always had, and as he always
would, and had learned to show his
affection in many of the thousand
ways that delight woman's heart.
They talked of the scenery, of her
accident and then of the coming part
ing. Suddenly Tom exclaimed:
''Oh, Beth, my darling, give me
word of hope before you go! You
were mistaken in the old days. 1
always loved you, and now that we
have met again I cannot let you go out
of my life forever!"
eff you always loved me, why have
you been silent all these years?" in
quired Elizabeth.
because I was stunned that night
when I left you, realizing that by my
own stupid laundering I lost you
Then I set myself to do penance. 1
said: I will wait five years; if another
wins her [ shall know that she could
never love me; if not, perhaps will
try again to gain her love; perhaps I
shall better know her. You know the
rest. The crash came. had to come
West and begin over. am not as rich
as L was then, but there is every pros
pect that shall be. and know, Beth,
that money makes no difference. I
can give you everything you want,
even the dressmaker, and indeed,
darling, that speech of mine was only
the outcome of bad temper, and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I understand
woman's moods a little better now
than then"
There was short silence, while Mr..
Barclay, having made his plea, waited
for the verdict. At length Elizabeth
said, softly:
Perhaps I loved you then, Tom. I
could never care for anyone else. I
always compared other men with you,
to their disadvantage. If you care to
come, after some time, I will be your
wife,
Out OF an inner pocket Tom took a
tlnV morocco casa ond o9or;,, -