Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-05-13
What is the matter?" sho
and he replied. just as usual. askea

What Is the matterYo sbo
and he replied, just as usual. asked
Nothing, sweetheart
And they chatted together
little constrained, bat soon mu;te LIMA
again in their plans and drea,..n appy
getting what weighed on their "a
Eva would laugh brightly. and l''il0s
herself on Franks knee. and nis psseh
his mouStache. But il Bertie VIZ
something seemed ut once 10 co.a se y
tween them; a shadow which q
them. paf'ed
1t was when the friends sy,.ro .
together that they were moss ",ons
ease. Then Westhove could onlv "Is'
TO turn Van Maeren out of was
once. without the smallest naronnsnI
cause. Ike U NANCY hound. He -.
ured BERTHE, as he had seer him 49,
Ing shiyering In his wretched rs;.s1S
that snowy night. Now he was sr.s
dandy, and nothing was too rood =
him; and he was irreproachable. ho AL AZ
not even 60 of for a few dave wv
time, wandering obscurely. Ike
lie was always Interesting" win -
halo OF melancholy: and since =. ~
scene over the ~secretaryship. no off,
assumed a r~eproachful tone In ~
voice and expression when speakjn. y
Frank.
Eva. when left TO herself. was d.,
ly wretched. Chaotic doubts tortnrad
her soul. doubts which, for the my
nent, she could not set aside ana
which would force themselves an H..
rs soon as she thought Of Berries srm
pathetic smile and strange ss;as
for her. Oh! what was it? What a,s
IL? She had often meant 10 taIk !,
over with Frank. but when she wasa ~
the point of beginning the subject shs
did not know what To say. That Rr.
tie pitied here 1t could be nothing I'M,
his W pessimism which, in it's mi.
versal humanity. regarded the wo,a
rs worthy OF pity. since 1t seemed en-.
ated to be- wretched.
Should she ask Frank whether he
had any silent grief-if he had any.
hing TO trouble him? This she da
once or twice. ard the answer was al
ways the same
"Nothing. dearest"
What. then, oh, what was the hor.
ror? Alas. she could get no further.
she stood. rs Ii were, blindfold in an
enchanted circle. which she could nor
oyerstep. and her hand felt all around.
but could grasp nothing. II she resp
lutely banished such thoughts, thg
came back pcrsistently. They over.
whelmed her afresh, they re-p0ssessed
themselves of her brain. suggesting
endless doubts: ana ending. always. In
the sanle question, which was the In.
variable outcome OF these miserable
cogitations:
What can it be-is there anything
ut alig"
And never an answer.
She had once questioned Bertic; but
he had only smiled. with that terrify.
ing smile of woe, and had implored her
not to rack her brain over anything
which he might have inconsideratdy
let drop as the natural outcome Of his
melancholy temper. Otherwise be
should henccforth always be afraid Of
speaking to her with any frankness,
he must weigh his words, and their
confidential intimacy as brother and
sister would be at an end. And her
own feeling In the matter was full o
dubious half-lights. in which no out
line vas distinct. no color decsded-a
confusion Of shadowy gray tints which
dimmad the clear brightness OF her
love with increGsing gloom, fatiguins
her spirit with their indetiniteneS
their non-existence IT, actual life. and
their intangible semblance OF reality,
like a dream.