Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-04-08
turning round, laying her book down ant
saving cOldly.

II
turning round, laying her book down and
saying coldly:
Il have made up my mind to leave this
house tomorrow. Under the circum-
stances it will he much the hest thing 1
can do. l feel that l have already tres
passed too long upon the hospitality of
Mi. and Mrs. Ellcsmerc."
Miss June, who has such n love of jus
ticc. can be a trifie unjust herself under
the influence of anger. June in n tenn
per is quite Il new spectacle to Tom; he
is positively dauntcd by the manner of
this slim young girl. He springs from
his chair in a moment, crying:
What do YOU mean. my darling?"
II am not your darling returns June,
waving him off as she sees. with her
quick woman's instinct, that she is going
to get the best of it. 81 shall never be
anything to YOU now. As for your pre-
tending to care for me. it was n farce
A farce! For IL moment Tom is speech
less. Then he cries:
Don't Talk like that! Don't be angry
with me, darling. 1t was such an awful
blow"
June's eyes blaze; the blood mounts to
her cheeks.
why need 1 ever have told you?" she
exclaims. II have humbled myself in the
DUST" and here she begins to cry, half
from pride, half from shame, "just be-
cause l thought it was right and honora-
bic. and you treat me like this"
Tom feels himself the most utter brute
on earth, as men do the first time they
make the woman they love madly. cry.
He essays to take her hand, but she
snatches it from him; she turns her back
upon him: she refuses to accept the ex-
preston of his penitence.
AUNT Mary will be glad to have me-"
sobs Miss June: "she will not find me n
trouble; she will not want to get rid of
me-"
This shaft. MS we can well understand,
is intended for Mrs. Ellesmere, but Tom
feels it and the truth of it most keenly.
He cannot find words with which to
answer it, therefore he tries once more
to put his arm round June. To avoid him
she jumps up and runs to the fireplace.
"You need not come and see me there.'
she adds. But this is too much for Tom.
He approaches her with resolution, he
takes both her hands in me of his and
puts his other arm about her; she may
tSS1SS J. suC kIiG2tSeS, Out IL 10 VI ITO avail
against his strength.
June does not hurt herself by strug-
Cling: she has a more potent weapon than
Toms strength in that sharp little sword
which Providence has given her not only
to defend herself with, but to wound her
adversary.
"Of course / am no match for you il
you Use violence" she says, coldly.
Hut orn t1,sv n ,,,,$ dOno mt rs. IT..
to relax his hold.
you" he says, in IL voice that is not quite
steady. MY one idea of happiness ia to
have you for my wife: my one idea Of ut
you. But and here his emotion is al
most too much for him, II would rather
lose you ten times over than that YOU
should find you had made a mistake
that after you married me you should feel
you might have cared for some one more.
You only saw Dull a few times, and
yet"
Don't speak OF him. cried June, ve-
hemently. II hate the very sound of his
name!'
But if you saw him again"
Never. never! l despise him. Oh,
Tom," and the girl looks up in his face
with eloquent eyes. "you need not fear
| him or any one else row.. When l-when
/ thought I fancied him. it was because I
did not care for you. l did not know you
then. dear, dear Tom, nor how kind and
good you were. / may tell you frankly
I never believed l could love you then;
but now I dol do with all my heart"
"Arc you quite sure you love me?:" he
cries. ~passionately.
"Quite sure" she answers, softly.
After that there is no more talk of
doubt; indeed, there is very little talk at
all. But yet neither Of them has ever
been so happy before.