The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-04-10


quite good friends, 9 she ssid. "And 4
think he win come back to you yet.
Miss Stewart; indeed / "a almost
sure he will.'
And rising quickly she murmured q
few parting words, then touching her
cold Lips lightly to Caryl Stewards
brow, hastened from the room.
"oh, why didn't 1 tell him Yes at
once last night, when / loved him sol"
cried Rose, in anguish of heart, as she
hurried home. 'Then it would all
have been settled, and nothing could
have changed it, but now"
Her resolve was already taken; and
when Wilbur called that night she gave
him his answer promptly enough. It
was "No,"
You cannot mean, Rose, that you
have deliberately intended to deceive
me?" he cried. Surely no woman unr
der heaven could have 8 heart 50 hard
and false as thatI Do not trihe this
time, Rose. Whatever your answer is
now, it must be your final one"
st is final.' she answered, steadily.
81 shall regret the loss of your friends
ship, but / can never be your wife, Mr..
Severance. That is my deliberate final
answer"
"And / hurled back the lie in tho
teeth of all those who tried to warn me
against you for what you area soul
less coquette," he said, with a bitter
laugh. ST might have saved my happi-
ness, but / would not, and-well, Ide-
serve my fate for being such a fool"
he turned on his heel to go, but Rose
stepped quietly before him.
She held a small basket of fruit and
flowers in her hand.
II should like to ask you to do me
one little favor" she said, coldly. not
seeming to have noticed his bitter
words. II have a friend at the hotel,
which you will pass as you go home.
She is ill-very i'll, indeed, and / wish to
send her these. 1 promised, but as I
could not go myself, 1 must ask you to
take them for me-and this note,' she
added, Offering it. Don't refuse,
please, she will be so disappointed,
And if you will kindly take them up to
her parlor YOURSELF never trust these
things to the careless servants there,
It is the only service 1 shall ask of YOU
she added, with a half pleading little
smile as she saw him hesitate.
OF course he had no choice but to &C
cept the trifing task, and, with a cold
distant bow, he took both basket and
note from her hand and went his way
And when the door had closed behind
him, Rose sank back into her chair anC
sobbed until her heart vas ready to
burst:
81 have sent him to her, and surely
she a find some way to win him bacl
again. she moaned, as she thought o.
the desolation she had brought upor
her happiness.
How long she sat there weeping Rose
never knew. But ages after, so i
seemed, q step sounded beside her, anS
Wilbur's own voice was tenderly call
ing her name.
"Look up, my Rose, and let me tel
you what has happened" he was say
ing sadly, yet with a deep undertone o
t joy in his loving voice. II executed
your errand, and before I could leave
: Caryl, in some way, made me under
!; stand the state of her feelings toward
me. You know the whole story, Rose
so 1 need not repeat it. Then, in my
pity for her, and my bitter anger to
ward you, 1 was weak enough to ofel
to renew that old engagement. IneeC
not tell you that she eagerly accepted
and then, in her joy OF the agitation 0
the moment, she fell to coughing sc
verely, and ruptured a blood vessel
Yes" in answer to Roses horrifeC
cry-''she is dead now, my darling, bu
not before she had made me understand
the sacrifice you tried to make for her
She knew that you loved me, Rose. Ant
now l shall not ask you for that answer
dear; 1 shall take it thus" and b
kissed her quivering lips. "My love
my heroine!" he added, proudly.
Rose had never once thought of it il
that light; but no one now ever hear
from her sweet lips that old-time, fool
ish wish:
ooh, if I could be a heroine!"-Duh
lin World.
What He Did.
The author of Thoughts for the Pee
-losS ILL -.