Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-26


Did not kno,r ,chcn Cynthia crcpt array.
and Ronny's loves fallen to bits in saw
dust before her. Lesley's sacrifice had
been made in vain, and now her turn
had come should she finch from it?
Slowly she lifted her head. The life
seemed to be going out of her in great
throbs as she said:
lyon gave him up to me, Lesley"
and took Ronny's slack arm from her
shoulders, and twined it, oh, how will
ingly, round the girls neck, land now
! give him back to you
lam sure that in that moment of pure
ecstasy the two saw only one another,
did not know when Cynthia crept
away; the world stood still and
only they were in it as folding both
arms about his beloved. Ronny strained
her to his breast and kissed her, kissed
her as man can but once in his life,
when having lost and half died for his
love, he walens from his long night Of
anguish to find her warm heart beating
against his. as only loyal, pure heart
can beat.
And Lesley took his gaunt face in
her hands and kissed him, brow and
lips and chin, no niggard in her bounty,
drinking deep in the one supreme JOY
that life cannot deny us, and perhaps
they might be standing there till this
moment, lost in one another, had not
Charville, keeping discreetly behind the
door he opened by inches, announced
that her ladyship was worrying for Miss
Lesley, and would Mr.. Ronny come
too?
When Ronny had put her hat quite
straight, then made it very crooked
again and busted speck or two of dust
from her blue linen gown with its
bands Of white embroidery, he remem-
bered Cynthia. and asked little stern
ly, though the sternness was not for
her, what she had meant.
"We both, SIR" said Lesley, making
him an audacious courtesy, ''had the
bad taste to fall in love with you, and
We drew lots, aud you fell to Cynthia.
Oh, poor, poor Cynthia! And now she
has behaved splendidly and given yon
back to me-
"'Pon my SOUL" said Ronny in as
toaASASo ~ stcuS Il CLdp
can't belong to himself at all! So that
was why you ran away? And I never
once thought it was Cynthia-she SEEM
cd SO good and always praised you-and
I never will forgive her, for, oh, my
dear sweet lips, we have wasted two
whole monthsV' And then, that there
might be no further waste of time, he
stopped his slow progress down the room
to kiss her again and again.
Poor Roger p he said, but, being q
man. not in the least as she had said
Poor Cynthia!" just now.
"He is all right, said Lesley hard
heartedly. Don't our two heads make
a nice contrast?'' she cried out sudden
~ as they came to mirror, and lean
ing their cheeks together, looked in each
others eyes.
"Oh, Ronny," she said, rubbing her
little face against his pale one, 81 new
er thought to see thisl You must come
to Malincourt, and I'll nurse you up,
and You shall be as strong as ever you
were in :hree monthsr'
Charv1lle overheard the last words
as, with subordinate, he waited with
the invalid chair to carry Ronny up
stairs, and he beamed upon the insen-
safely happy pair. when they came out,
his aristocratic looks
Decency forbade Ronny's taking her
hand as she frolicked up the stairs be-
side him. all her buoyant youth miracu.
lousy restored, but outside his mothers
door he found her support absolutely
necessary, SO they entered with a good
deal of help from one another, and Jane
'Appuldurcombe chad the good news al
ready flown through the air to her?)
held out her arms as they drew near
and without word kissed them both.
Il have been very wicked woman,
my DEAR" she said presently, her ele.
gance, like her apartment, quite unim.
paired by her remorse, when Ronny
had been made comfortable in an easv
chair, dosed with % drops" and general
~ taken care of. 81 think if You had
not come-and forgiven mel should
have died, And I think Ronny would
have died too"
Presently mother and SON were alone
together. for after kissing Ronny open
~. shamelessly. Lesley had stolen away.
''She has gone to Cynthia, !" said Lady
Apptldurcombe softly.
but, thank God, said Ronny, "she
is coming back to me.'
THE FyD