The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-11-17
CHAPTER vII-tContinued,

gather more f1CWerS to adOrn the draw
Ing room, which was already a perfect
flower garden itself; it compelled Eer
to mount to her bedroom and hastily
don certain pink cotton dress which
she had heard admired not many DAYS
previously. Again il drove her back
to the drawing room, whittier she wan
dereG to ard 80, uutil the tinkle Of the
gate bell, reaehiAg her listening ears,
seemed to remind her of her fatigue:
for she sank down into an arm CHI -.
took VI a book and was at once en-
gt 'ssed III its perusal She did not no.
rice Shadow pass the window, nor
when the door opened did she immedi-
ately ;ook up: but as Sarah announced,
Mr.. Flight, if YOU please miss" she
started, the book fell to the floor, and
i'll that full, clear voice for which this
poor unWelcomr- visitor had yearnad
to Lear again, she exclaimed:
cob, it is ycL:
Though this greeting was not reas-
surfing, it had been Wrung from Hell
ems aStonishlr ent and the next mo-
ment she had risen with outstretched
friendly hand to meet him. In mo-
ment he saw that she had changed.
Hope whispered that the change was
to his advantage. Her manner had al
tered; the coQuettiSh defiance, varied
with cold disdain, with which she had
formerly met his advances, had gone;
q stereotyped politeneSS had usurped
its place.
Born and bred in women is the art of
fence. Never did swallow SWoop more
lightly, more swiftly, more restlessly
after his evening meal than Helen flew
from subject to subject. Her ease, her
frank friendlinesS, and her command
of topic, voice and smile might have
answered Mr.. Flights question better
than any word, if lie would have been
content to read those lucid signs, and
thus have saved them both unneceS-
Sary pain.
AT first the sound of her voice III
the sight of her beauty was bliss Suffl-
cient, but soon he grew impatient OF
the chit-chat in which he was taking a
secondary part He made several un-
successful efforts to change the Sub
lect. and then. remembering that Dr..
Abercrombie remarks that no woman
can talk more than twenty minutes
without cessation, he obstinately held
his peace and waited for the inevitable
n,,use. 1t came: he seized his oppor-
unity. and hurled his declaration into
the interval.
When, with faltering voice, Helel
declared that she could never never,
never be his wife, that neither long
wears, nor his devotion, nor his pros.
n..cts. nor the wishes Of her parents,
nCr her poverty, nor her unhapplness
could ever, by any possible chance
alter one iot or title of her neternlna-
ten. il matter little to him whether sic
nitieG or hated him. Though with her
ewes trimming with tears she gave
him her hands, and never drew them
away when his grasp clutched hef
slight fingers, though she did not re-
DrOye him when he laid his lips on
them, vet. passion-blinded as he was,
lie could not detect any sign OF felehs-
ing from her attitude.
She who, even under the suspicion OF
rerroof. had Haired into hot anger and
refort. now hung her head when his
misery wrung forth some bitter re-
nroaches from him, and murmured,
humbly: -
Il know, 1 know; am so sorry; but
7 didn't belieye-I didn't understand.
Forgive me-"
He found it difficult to credit that
such true, deep, absorbing love as ne
felt could meet with no returp-that II
had been born only to die. He felt
that he was hardly treated, and SO ne
was. But life is hard, and things go
wrong with us more often than tney
90 right; into each life the rain falls
heavily. and if we do not happen 70
see our neighbor drenched to the SKIN,
we may rest assured that he has not
escaped his share of ducking, although
he NAV be dry and trim enough WheR
we chance to meet him.
# was bad luck that induced MISS
Mitford's front gate bell to give SO
soft n tinkle that the sound escaped
Helen's sharp hearing; it was nid luch
which caused her to stand III IuIi
sight of the open window when MI,
flight held both aer hands in his ana
stooned to kiss them; it was an un-
lucky impulse that made her wrench
aawaT those hands and dart guilty q
yard or two asunder from the young
man when the drawing room door was
onened and MIR. Jones was an-
noupced:
ance AT the tableau presented to him,
his manner did not betray him. his
self-possession was admirable; ne even
covered Helen's confusion and ME-
Flights awkward preoccupatlon by a
flow of conversation, ana When tue
latter took his leave and the young
lady accompanied him, in answer TO
his earnest petition, to the front gate,
he concealed a most rancorouS lrflta-
bility under a Suayc smile.
CHAPTER VIII.
10 no with