The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1896-12-03
By BEATRICE WHITLEY.
CHAPTER yIU-cContinucd


"llelen, | I'm going. | believe | was
rude just now. | hardly knew what |
said; | was cut up, don't you know. |
suppose it isn't your fault that YOU
don't fancy me-; upon my word. | don't
know what you should see in me, after
all. 1t is rough luck. though; | shall
nc~er see your face nor hear your
voice again. | have been thinking we
should spend Il whole lives together.
That thought had taken root deep;
how nm | to get rid Of IT."
Those were his last words. Before
Helen had time t. think what they
meant he had gone; she heard him
talking 10 Miss Milford in the garden,
then she heard his quick step on the
gravel, then the click Of the gate and
the rumble of wheels, loud at first. but
soon lesseninG until they died into ST.
lenCc.
Yes. he had gone, but he would come
back; he had said he could not live
without her. Surely, surely he would
try again. What had she said? Her
wretChed pride. her suicidal vanity had
made her wound him. He must know,
he must guess that she was only Il
woman after all. and therefore to be
won. The remembrance Of Lady Lucy
Frecmantle ran n leadcn thought
through her brain.
The recollection Of Miss Jones hint.
her o~veTbearing manner, the sins (Of
OMISSION of the Jones prOgenitGrS. all
these things which had combined in
prompting her recent action were now
rcplaccd by a new and Sickcning dread,
which she. unused to and FESTIVE un-
der mental strain. StrOVc with all the
strength Of ncr strong vii! to Danish
and failed.
MY love. we shall miss Mr.. Jones"
said her aunt as they sat together UNI
der the tulip tree drinking their tea.
Men make Il house lively. and he had
such a pleasant. CHEEKY way about
him. ! declare he reminded me none
OF my poor Thomas
Pertains he will come Tomorrow
Helen was sitting, or rather lounging
back in n deck-chair. her large white
hat was on the grass at her feet, her
hands were clasped behind her head,
her eyes, soft and dewy, were fixed on
her companions face.
NAY. my love, he babe me n last
good-by: he is going tonight on bust
ness to London. | understood him to
say and then he goes to PaXfOrd, l be-
lieve. Helen, your tea is getting cold.
Dear. dear. there is a poor fly In it,
Helen carefully eXtricated the fly
with q leaf and placed it on her knee
to dry and recover itself, but 1t was
past cure: the tea had been Of fatal
heat, and it was dead. She looked at
It.: how easily il had come to grief; a
false hutter, n fall and n painful death
as punishment for n small mistake.
To and fro in the sunshine myriadS OF
gnatS and flies We're darting.
On the last day of her SOjourn at
NOelcombe she had zone for her usual
evening ramble on the beach. and II
had walked for so long and so far that
she felt very tired rs she tOiled up the
steep ascent hOmeward. Fatigue was
a new sensation, but it's
"Your merry heart ces al the day,
Your sad one tires in Il mile"
as Shakespeare and several other pco-
pie have hitherto observed.
When she reached CarnatiOn cottage
she saw Miss Elizabeth, with chintz
skirt pinned up high, and BetSey'S pat
tens protecting her feet from the damp
grass, spudd.hg up daisy roots on the
lawn. On seeing Helen she left her
work and hurried toward her.
MY dear" she cried. Il thought you
We're never coming. Mrs. MajoribankS
has been here; she waited an hour on
purpose to wish you a gOOd-by.'
Il should have liked very much
to have wished her good-by,' SAID
Helen with IL miscellaneous glelm
in her eyes. Elm ewig Lebewold is
not always a wrench
she had w for us, Helen; II
had been calling at the jones; the en-
gagemeGt is announced
Helen was oyertired; her knees were
trembling. her voice was rather harsh,
She had raised 1t high. She turned to-
ward the sweet bvicr. then changed
her mind and faced the elder lady.
Whose c~ngagemeat:' she asked.
Sir Edwin shutter and Miss Patricia
Jones. Mrs. Maioribanks is so vcNed;
She says that her son deliberately flung
away his chance"
A beautiful smile crept over Helen's
face, the dimples played in her cheeks;
She laughed Il little joyous ,contented
laugh to herself.
81 hope they will he as happy-as
happy as the queen she SAID. return
Ing 10 The bash Of sweet Gri2r.
"ROth engagements on
the same day! \ curious coincidence,
Helen. Patricia's will take place hrst.
Lady Lucy Freemantie and II MI.
Jones will not be married until Christ
mas. Lord Freemantle will not return
from America before then, and ne
wishes to be present. The engage
ment gives universal satisfaction.
But the engagement a in truth,
not nearly so unprecedented as MISS
Elizabeth Milford declared.