The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-03-18
REWARD OF A WOMAN.

"'Oh, gemini, II this beau? Let me
zee him again. Hal find beau Ia no
suoh ugly thing, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS."
The girl leaned both her hands on the |
little rickety, hand-painted lodging
house table, and looked up with laugh
ter and mock admiration in her eyes at |
her lover, who came and stood before
her. But the man. looked down at her
In eager pleading.
"Ursula, darling, how can you talk
in that way-now"
"How can I? Why, with pretty
grace, hope"
"Ursula," cried the man, don't have
that moodl It hurts me. 1t maddens
me to waste our minutes so. Oh, my
darling, have you no sentiment in your"
! Sentiment" she began, lightly; but
she stopped suddenly and her word
trailed off into sob. "Bertie-"
! The man caught her hands quickly.
"What, darling?"
She dropped her head on his breast
and her breath came fast.
"You have thought me unsentimental,
matter-of-fact, even hard--yes, just a
little bit hard-ever since you first
knew me; while ouwereso-so-other-
wise."
He held her tightly to him and
waited.
"But"-and it was she who spoke
passionately now-"I was only acting,
BERTHE; only showing you a surface
heart. And now-now you are going
away, and for SO long, will give up
acting. am sentimental-sillilys senti-
mental, If only you knew. did not
show it-I don't know-I was shy, I
suppose. thought you would not care
for it-that you would laugh at me-"
"Oh, Ursula, Ursula!" he exclaimed.
"I believe you would laugh now If
you only knew how ridiculous am
how much love you. And now have
broken down-you have made me break
down. can never unsay my confess
sion. have humbled myself have
laid bare my heart"
"Ursula, my own! why did you never
confess before? I laugh at you! Oh,
my darling. I have hungered to hear
you say such words"
The eyes Of the girl were love-steeped,
and her 1ashes wet, and she raised her
head and looked up at the man.
GAIL this past year you have made me
: happier than ever dared hope to be, u
she whispered, trembling-"the hap.
piest woman in the whole world,
think"
And the man bent and pressed his lips
to hers. "But want to make you still
; happier" he said, passionately. 81
want to take you from all the care an6
drudgery; to have you all to myself; te
guard you, to cherish you-never tc
part. Oh, If only had money! This
! waiting, waiting is awful; and the hopt
so small, the reward so SLOW"
Gam I really small-and slow?" sh'
asked, softly.
He laughed back at her. "Not you
D dearest, but the getting on, and the pit
tance; 1t all seems so endless. Ever
now am holding you only to part from
you-to go back to the grind. AM
}, worse than all is the knowledge tina
!, you are also drudging, and cannot pre-
vent it."
o "As there must be waiting, dear, an
y glad of the work to fill my time. And,
Q with soft blush, "I shall be saving 70
my trousseau."
1 "Don't Ursula-don't 60 hoardin
r your shillings and denying yourself
It Some day will make my pile, and yo
8 shall walk in silk attire; and wei
d leave the work, and the trouble, and tn
care, and 60 off a-wandering in Ital
q and Greece and Algiers, and every plac
e we've ever set our hearts on"
o The Understanding clock upon tn
n painted marble mantelpiece struck fiv
metallic strokes.
l give o'clock already! This is awful
g. For q whole year, or longer. Say
again, Ursula-that you love me-"
le II love you, Bertie," she said, slowl!
st and quite solemnly. II love you.
e. think I would die for you quite will
e. ingly."
r, Darling, darling, for long year
'r He caught her up to him in passiona1
sr embrace, his lips met hers again an
again; then he turned quickly, and WEI
20 toward the door.
a "There will be the letters" she SAT-
n. in q voice which strove to be steady an
7e cheerful, for his white, hopeless fa'
is hurt her heart And then he was gon
I'd
Three hours later the man sat at
:. CHEEKY little dinner in London, lit
% farewell meal with a few old colles
~ friends. After which he went on boal
~ ~ his steamer and walked the deck in II
= starlight, with pipe for consolation
-, he thought of the poor and lonely gi
hehadleft, and longed for money to briI
him his desire. And so absorbing we
70 10 these thoughts that the pipe went OF
y. and still he paced to and fro, unheedin
~ until at last, his elbow being logged a
~ cidentally, he came back to the me-
present again, and, taking the cold pi