Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-10-29

forth her faults. She unveiled every
bad trait she bad She was quick
tempered and a scold (, She was enyious
and coquettish; she was slupidand ig-
norant She sat and reckoncd herself
up in a serious voice; she spoke frank
| " and She honestly wished to be be-
lieyed Bn; the smile did not leave
his lips, nor did he take his eyes from
her face AT each new confession he
simply repeated:
YES, | knew that before
Finally the blood rushed to her
head 1t annoyed her TO find she
could not convince him He sat there
in the secure belief that she wished
only to humble herself because of her
great happiness. Could he not COM
prGhend at all that he had done
wrong in surprising her as he had,
and that person cannot be sure of a
love SO loosely rooted?
She knew of way to make him un-
derstand, but her tongue seemed tied
when she tried to speak. She sat 81
lent for few minutes, struggling be-
tween fright and the desire to have it
out Finally the desire triumphed.
mo, you do not know me-" said
she; "wlreu | answered you as / did
this morning it was because I.
well, not wholly because but
perhaps partly because be-
cause of hardships at home"
There was a cracking Of twigs He
had turned on his arm and was gaz-
ing at her without word, but the
color was gone from his face. She
need worry no longer about his not
understanding.
There came over her feeling of
unspeakable regret. With few
words she had destroyed something
she never could get back again. And
this something,now it was lost, seemed
dearer to her than all else in the
world. She did not know him well;
she had not succeeded in getting an
answer to the question, what it was
she liked in him, but the power that
first drew her to him rose now in re-
doubled might. The divine, incom-
prehensible mystery she had tried to
explain, but only succeeded in silenc-
ing, awolte to life within her again.
And now it was too late What could
have the power to efface her words?
"Ah! you are afraid of hardships!"
His voice sounded heavy and his
eyes looked far away over the broad
meadows visible through the open
ing in the trees. "Then it would be
best for you to reconsider" he con-
tinued. 81 am a business man, and
my position is not firmly secured one
day there may be money, another
debts. And upon one kind of hard
ship Others follow"
The messy stone stood empty. She
had slipped down on the heather be-
side him. And she took his hand and
hid her eyes in it,
lit makes no difference to me, no
difference atall, if I have to bear hard
ships with YOU" she said softly.
His eyes came back from the far
fields; it was only cloud that had
passed over the sun.
He understood now that the little
bird he had wished to charm for him
self had been frightened only by a
too sudden approach, but that it now
came of its own accord, and that all
he had to do was to open his arms.
And she, she knew she must
love him whether she could tell why
or not, whether it led to joy or sor-
row.
In little while they went back the
way they had came, but this time they
did not pass the garden gate; they
opened it, and went into the house,
to her parents.-International Maya
| zine