Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-07-23

was AAV6I0O Dy ner COnHeAleu Dreatn.
Moreover, there were wolves in the
woods, which roamed in large packs
neal the highway and sometimes attack
ed horses and travellers. 1t twas therefore
with divided mind he had listened to
her, being prevented by his anxiety for
her physical welfare from according the
full Significance to her words.
could we not continue this debate
to better advantage if you would resume
your seat at my slider" he asked with
deep solicitude.
II shall e resume my seat at
your side."
He pondered this declaration in puz.
sled distress for several minutes, but
yet failed to fathom its full meaning.
There was o deadly earnest, a passionate.
resolution In her words which startled
and vaguely frightened him, but he
was yet far from dreaming that they
portended anything more than q lovers
quarrel, a momentary rebellion.
please tell me, Hulda, wherein /
have disple ased you" he said, with an
almost touching contrition. I'm try,
dear, to make amends"
Great God!" she cried, painting with
. kind of desperate Impotence. Docs
not that remark show you how hopeless
1t is to enlighten you? 1t is not any
thing that you have done that l object
to, but it is what you are.
but you certainly knew what I was
when you engaged yourself to me. It
would be suicidal now for me to give
up my profession"
Your professioni If it were only
that, it would be comparatively easy.
But we live in different worlds, Mr..
Falck. We speak to each other across
an abyss. It is well that we have dis
covered this before it is too late"
It began to dawn upon him now that
she meant to break her engagement,
and it was not 60 much her protestation
Of incompatibility which gave him this
impression as the formal "Mr. Falck,"
which he had grown ~unaccustomed to
from her lips. Nothing had given him
an acuter sense of happiness than the
sweet familiarity implied by her calling
him ''Anthon, !" and never had his name
sounded 30 delightful before. Now the
more formal a%ppellation seemed to come
to her 90 naturally that he could not
help thinking that this apparent init
macy had masked a great amount of re-
straint. He even OWNED retrospectively
how difficult she had found it to treat
him en- carnarade, and with O pang of
jealousy he remembered how naturally
she had laughed and joked with MI.
Brun and with what instructive ease
they had lapsed into informal relations.
She had accelerated her walk and
was o moving briskly over the nov
covered road. a if with an apparent ef-
fort to get away from him. MI. Falck,
seeing how hopeless it was to persuade
her, contented himself with keeping
alongside of her. She glanced at him
now and then over her shoulder, and
his face looked strangely withered. He
seemed to have grown suddenly old. and
he shivered in spite of his furs. For
half an hour they kept thus abreast of
each other, and not q word was spoken.
Mr.. Falck felt stiff in every limb and
insidious chills were creeping " him.
All the world seemed to have been
stricken with a deadly blight, and all
sights and sounds had become trite,
dreary, meaningless. His breast was
oppressed with q sense of soreness and
vacuity, though his heart kept thump-
ing away inside of it with the mechani-
cal iteration of a steam engine.
"Hulda, dearest, do please come and
resume your seat" he said at last i'm
ploringly. What will they say at home
if we return in this way?"
1T does not matter to me what they
say" she replied coldly.
But we shall not get home until
near midnight"
lyon drive ahead. l shall not detain
you"
"What have I done that you should
treat me thus?"
"You have done nothing"
The name Of MI. Brun was on the tip
Of his tongue, for he was we'll aware,
whatever she might say to the contrary,
that that plausible youth was at the
bottom Of their trouble. He felt a sud-
den wild desire to curse him, to trample
upon him, to tear him to pieces. Never
in his life before had his un~perturbed
soul been conscious Of 80 fierce an agi-
tation. What right had that light heart
ed trife to come between him and her?
What right had he to blight his life, to
steal his happiness? 1t was the rich man
robbing the poor man Of his only lamb
-robbing him in mere wantonness for
q pastime because he had for the moment
nothing better to do. For nothing could
have persuaded Mi. Falck that his rival
had serious and honorable intentions,
though possibly he might be lacking the
courage or energy to break a relation il,
which he had thoughtlessly entangled
himself.
He was aroused from these reflections
by seeing Hulda pause at a barnliko
structure q few rods from the road and
quickly step across the fence, the top
rail OF which was emerging from the
mowbank.
"For Gods sake, what are you going
10 dor" he cried in b~reathless terror.
She did not answer, but slipping her