Evening star., 1897-02-13

Don't-oh. please don't say No or Yes
now Your father is prejudiced against me.
l know; not against me personally. I think,
btt because am poor. 1t Is only another
expression of his great love for you. He
knows what poverty is and he wants 20
shield you from it. He is right, and II
am as poor two years from now, or four
years. 1 shall not ask"
Does my father know?
Yes. l told him that night-the night
You first spoke TO me. That is why he is
angry
Then that is why you-that is the rea-
son-when you were in the garden"
him find me there"
Again there was a. long silence between
them The thoughts of the girl ranged
back over her past life, from the time her
rather forbade her to come to the office
until the present moment, flashing like a
searchlight upon events hitherto risunder-
stood, making them stand out in their true
proportions. All her fathers actions, his
words. had to be reconsidered. She saw
meanings i'll former phrases that had been
hidden from her; she had now the KEY that
unlocked the room illumined by knowledge;
and altogether her heart yearned toward
her father, sympathizing with him when
confronted by an unexpected problem and
fully condoning his apparent lack of trust
In keeping her ignorant of a situation so
closely concerning herself, feeling that sine
ought to stand by him and repel the
stranger who had so daringly come between
them with his preposterous claim upon her
affection, yet from no part of her being
could she call to her aid that emotion of
just resentment against Marsten which she
knew ought to be at her command.
Il am very, very sorry" she said at last,
speaking slowly. II like you, of course-I
thlnk you are a noble, earnest man, and
that you will do good and overcome many
olfhcuities, but don't care for you in the
way you wish, and it would not be right
to be dishonest with you. l should like to
see you set on in the world, and 1 am sure
you will. Some day you will write to me
and tell me of your victories, and shall be
glad. 1t will make me happy then to know
you have forgotten-this. Now you must
go. Good-byeY
She rose, holding out her hand to him,
and he saw her eyes were wet.
''Good-bye:' he said, turning away.
Edna sat down, but did not pick up her
book. With her hands listless in her lap.
she Sazed out at the blue sky, thinking.
Presently, to her surprise, Marsten re-
turned.
You have forgotten your broom" she
SAID, with wavering smile trembling on
her lips.
Il had forgotten more than that" he
said. Il had forgotten my mission"
your mission?'
Yes; my false pretences do not stop at
climbing walls. L am really traitorous
messenger; for the device by which came
here was arranged by another who wished
me to take a letter 10 you. He is in East
bourne, and had written to you, but his
letter was returned to him. He has written
another-here 1t is.'
''Of whom are you speaking?'
Mr.. Barnard Hope"
"Ohr'
She took the letter. Marsten lifted his
broom and went away. He wanted to leave
the place and get back to London. but the
gardener had cautioned him not to return
until the sweeping was finished, while Bar
ney himself impressed upon him the neces-
sity of allowing no suspicion to arise. as 1t
might be needful to dispatch another mes
senger on a similar errand. So he kept
sweeping the debris into little heaps by the
side OF the path. The school girls d;sap-
peared into the house by twos and threes
until he found himself once more alone, and
yet he did not see Edna come from the
summer house. He moved nearer and
nearer with his work to the place where
they had met, hoping to catch a parting
glimpse of her as she walked toward the
house. At las. she came out, but instead
OF taking the direct path to the house she
came toward him, with the thin volume she
had been reading in her hand There was
slight increase of the usual color in her
cheeks. but with that exception she had
succeeded In suppressing all trace Of her
emotion. She looked at him with what
seemed. at first, all her former straightfor-
wardness, but as he met her gaze he saw
1t was not quite the same; misty shadow
OF difference veiled her honest eyes, so like
her fathers, hut SO much kindlier.
Il have brought you this book" she said.
holding it out to him. land L want you to
keep it. 1t is the story of a messenger who
was true TO the trust of the one who sent
him, and yet who failed"
But you have not read the book yo,lr-
self" he replied, taking the volume, never
theless.
"Oh. yes. 1 have. 1 was reading 1t for
the second time today"
As he hastily concealed the book under
his blouse, he looked anxously about him.
fearing they might be observed, unwilling
to compromise her in the least The craft
of man is rarely equal to that of a wo-
man. no matter how young she NAV be.
Edna smiled as she noticed his perturba-
tion.
There is no one to see u.s." she said,
land IL there were it would not matter.
They would merely think was giving i'm
proving literature and good advice to an
under r-gardener-which, indeed, is exactly
what l am doing when 1 tell him to work
hard, and-forget."
As Edna said this she opened her hand
and allowed TO flutter upon a heap at her
feet the minute fragments of letter.
which fioated down through the air like A
miniature snowfall, and she was gone he
fore he could say Goodbye" for the second
time.
Marsten stood there looking down at the
bits of torn paper scattered over the mean.
the remnants, undoubtedly of the letter he
had brought, and although he had had no
word of encouragement-which in spite of
his disclaimer, he had yearned to hear
each separate piece of white paper reflected
upward to him ray of hope.
CTo be continued)
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