Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1897-03-04
REWARD OF A. WOMAN.

zee ulu dEdu. I'D! Is = uuu u Oeau Is no
4 such ugly thing, neither. Sheridan
The girl leaned both her hands on the
little rickety, hand-palnted lodging
house table, and looked up with laugh
ter and mock admiration in her eyes at
her lover, who came and stood before
Ler. But the man looked down al her
in eager pleading. .3 It,.
Ursula, darling, how can you talk
in that way-now?" 5&t..
How can I? Why, with pretty
grace, I hope" .a' ~
Ursula" cried the man, "don't have
that mood! 1t hurts me. It maddens
me to waste our minutes so. oh, my
darling, have you no sentiment in you ?"
"Sentiment," she began, lightly; but
she stopped suddenly and her word
trailed off into a sob. ''Bertie-''''e sl.yA
The man caught her hands quickly.
what, darling?"
She dropped her head, on his breast
and her breath came fast. - tsfs"'@ f."
You have thought me unsentimerta tai,
matter-of-fact, even hard-yes, just a
little bit hard-ever since you first
knew me; while you were so-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. l am sentimental-sillilys enti-
mental, if only you knew. did not
show tt don't know-I was shy, 1
suppose. I thought you would not care
for it-that you would laugh at me-.
"Oh. Ursula, Ursula!" he exclaimed.
Il believe you would laugh now if
you only knew how ridiculous l am
how much love you. And now l have
broken down-you have made me break
down. ] can never unsay my confess
sion. have humbled myself have
laid bare my heart .as
Ursula, my own! why did you never
confess before? laugh at you! oh,
my darling. have hungered to hear
you say such words"
The eyes of the girl were love-steeped,
and her lashes wet, and she raised her
head and looked up at the man.
"All this past year you have made me
happier than I ever dared hope to be-"
she whispered, trembling-"the hap.
piest woman in the whole world. I
think" " 81
And the man bent and pressed his lips
TO hers. but want to make you still
happier" he said, passionately. II
want to take you from all the care and
drudgery; to have you all to myself; to
guard you, to cherish you-never to
part. Oh, it only I had money! This
waiting, waiting is awful; and the hope
SO small, the reward so slow"
"Am I really swaziland slow?" she
asked, softly.
He laughed back at her. "Not YOU.
dearest, but the getting on, and the pit
lance; it all seems so endless Even.
now am holding you only to part from
you-to go back to the grind. And
worse than all is the knowledge that
You are also drudging, and cannot pre-
vent it, - =
"As there must be waiting, dear. am
glad OF the work to fill my time. And"
with soft blush, II shall be saving for
my rousseau -',,,.s
Don't Ursula-don't go boarding
your shillings. and denying yourself.
Some day l will make my pile, and YOU
shall walk in silk attire: and we'll
leave the work, and the trouble. and the
care, and go off a-wandering in Italy
and Greece and Algiers, and every place
we've ever set our hearts on" -.=e.
The hollow-sounding clock upon the
painted marble mantelpiece struck five
metallic strokes. Ivy, Ia. f4sas -:
Five O'Clock already! This is awful!
For whole year, or longer. Say it
again, Ursula-that you love me-"
II love you, Bertie," she said, slowly.
and quite solemnly. II love you'll
think Iwould die for you quite will
ingly."
Darling, darling, for long year..
lie caught her up to him in passionate
embrace, his lips met hers again and
again; then he turned quickly, and went
toward the door. IT,
"There will be the letters" she said.
in voice which strove to be steady and
cheerful, for his white, hopeless face
j hurt her heart. And then. heswas gone.
Three hours later the man sat at a
CHEEKY little dinner in London, 4 q little.
I farewell meal with g few old college
friends. After which he VENT on board.
lis steamer and walked the deck in the
starlight, with a pipe for consolation as
he thought of the poor and lionel girl
ne had left, and longed for money to bring
b him his desire. And SO absorbing were