The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-04

tell you" she said to him. She set
down her tea-cup and leaned toward
him, with her elbows upon her knees
and her chin between her soft, pink
palms. Her eyes were locking straight
into his, and they filled his heart with
anticipation. do you think that this
IS risky game we are playing, and
that We have been playing 1t for all it
Is worth this last fortnight or SOP"
Lancaster knit his brows.
1t is not worth while to pretend YOU
don't understand. We both know
exactly what 1 mean. But I want to
be sure we both know that it is only
d game. ! am not in earnest, and you
must not be-"
He gazed at her, speeches.
Il suppose you are thinking that the
suggestion of serious intentions might
come first from YOU" she said; that
may be your way of looking at It. but
It IS not mine. l don't care to LET Won
have anything to reproach me with. 7
nave had enough OF that in the past
!! am hopeless f1irt, you know. I go
INTO the thing for the fun there is in
1t, and it is only fair to warn Won"
She leaned back in her chair and fall
10 watching the pa5sers-by upon the
street and to biting at a. cube Of sugar
meditatively. GU
IL you will accept matters that way
we can have a very good time: if Won
DON'T L have warned you: and the con-
sequences-if there are any-must DO
on your own head"
Lancaster laughed rather weakly SET
accept the TERMS he said. eft is M
derstood that this is only a. filtration I"
Whlch he explained to Dorothy at
much length, but which she would not
understand and was so unreasonab HE
about as to break her engagement
Lancaster was deeply aggrieved and
rather more deeply relieved. But II
made one fact plain to him; that he
was seriously in love with a. girl who
frankly told him that he was no more
TO her than a score had been before
than scores might be thereafter. And
1t was all in vain that he tried to
change her
Il warned you quite fairly" she re-
minded him, bending forward to stroke
the glossy neck of his black mare TT
was the mare that, Of old, Dorothy had
CONSIDERED almost her own property,
and on which she had lavished the
overflow Of her affection for Lancas-
ter. Il warned YOU" Miss Leeds re-
peated, "and nobody has suffered but
yourself, unless''-she glanced at him
with quizzical little smiIe-"unIess
there was another grip
There was another girl" he answer
ed
She shrugged her shoulders tolera Mt
~. THAT was to have been expected.
Most problems of the heart are in the
rule Of three"
He frowned angrily and his lips curv-
ed in contempt care YOU absolutely
heartless? Have you no pity for her?''
Not a great deal. If you were the
sort to desert her in a fortnight for q
J girl who made not the slightest effort
| to win you, and who told you that she
| didn't love you, I think, upon the
| whole, that she Is rather well rid Of
you"
Lancaster was biting his lips, and he
was very angry. 'She is a better
woman than you," he said.
That may be. But STILL" she laugh
am bad enough for you to be passing
judgment upon me?"
| II do: for you are doing the thing
cold-bloOdedly, and IL" he said, de-
spondently, "have lost my head"
She smiled into his eyes. "You don't
want to do that. 1t is such a hand
some head. Lose your HEARTH is not
worth nearly so much"
He turned in his saddle and faced
her. II am likely to lose more than
| that" he burst out, suddenly: IT am
likely to lose my life"
"Oh! come" she said, you are not
! contemplating falling on the point of
! your saber or drowning yourself in the
bay, or superinducing galloping con-
sumption, are you? 1 have had men
do number of things for me, but
never quite that
am not contemplating doing any
OF those. l may be g. good deal Of q