Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-04-08
CHAPTER NJ.

already screnading their ladies'; primroses
and crocuses were springing to meet the
first smile of their god. And June was
decidedly growing less wan and white.
her step was more elastic. Grief was still
her master passion; but, already, Time
was doing for her what he does for the
young. and indeed for the old, too. only
more slowly, And Tom had bravcly aided
Time.
SHOULD YOU he very angry if I We're to
say something to you:' lie asked June
II day.
NO." answers juno. placidly. with n
tolerably good intuition of his meaning.
II have been afraid to say q word yet"
he uttcrs. still much perturbed i'll his
mind. "But-but-oll, my darling, will
you some day come and live here for good
and all?-do you care enough for ME to
marry meg
June does not answer in words. but she
gives a little pressure to the hand which
holds hers.
After that. what could my maj do
under the circumstances, especially a man
madly in love, but snatch his darling to
his breast and cover her face with kisses?
June trembles violently: this time it is not
from horror or disgust, but because the
sudden remembrance of Dallas kiss
smites her, and with it the awful neces-
sity of cOnfcssing her shame to Tom. In
a moment she tears herself from his arms,
and, starting up, rushes over to the fire.
place. He darcs not pursue her: already
he is accusing himself of indelicacy to
her grief; the moment of delight is being
punished by remorsc-too frequent Sc
quence!
At last. making n tremendous effort
over herself, June goes back to the sofa
md sits down at a little distance from
him.
II have something to tell you" she says,
in n trembling voice. "No. do not come
near me. do not touch me. until you have
heard it; perhaps, aftcrward, you will not
want to-"
A feeling of stupefaction comes over
Tom. What can she mean?
Then June turns her face from him and
begins to cry piteously.
"Oh." she sobs, 'how can I-how ran
I tell yong
what do you mean?' cries Tom. at
his wits end. unable to believe n breath
against her, but unutterably panied and
mystiied by her words and her agitation.
"Do you remember" she says ut last.
"~when-when our cousin was here in
the summcr?"
Dial! Whit is this? Tom feels liter
ally turning to stone. He cannot speak.
you went away for a day or two, and
and / saw a good deal of him, and I
fancied"-oh. poor. poor June. the agony
of this confession.-'that l was in love
with him and lie with me. and"-snddenly
checking herself, and speaking in a strain
eed. unnatural voice-'he kissed me-"
Tom is dumb; il any one had plunged
the knife UP to the hilt in his heart, he
does not think the agony could be dead
licr. June, this model of purity, on whose
spotlcssncss he would have staked his
soul, kissed by Dallas!
She has buried her face in the sofa
cushions and is waiting with a beating
heart for TOMS answer There is a huge.
long silence, and then a voice, distorted
ont of all likeness to Toms, says:
"And-you-let him."
Silence, utter silence.
1t is enough. She does not deny it.
And. after giving her a full minute in
which to reply he gets up and walks
away, and June hears the door close upon
him.
She has lost him. lost the trucst, brav-
est. kindest heart that ever beat. She is
quite sure nov that she loves him, that
she would ioyfully have been his wife.
that she has lost the chance of immense
happiness. md that a blank, lonely life
spreads itself out before her.
She trembles ut the bare thought of
meeting him again. How will she look
him in the face after this?
Mrs. Fllcsmerc is not surprised ut din
ner to remark that Junc's eyes are red
from crying-that is not al i%nfrequent
cvent-but she is surprised. very much
surprised Mt the change in TOMS man.
ner toward his beloved one. The ex-
IRENE tenderness which has characterized
it ever since June became an inmate of
the Hall is gone, and is replaced by /,
careful md studied politencss. TOMS
mother hopes and believes that June has
been refusing to give him any definite
hope or to discuss the subject of mar.
riage. The change in TOMS manner has
in one way n beneficial effect on June:
it makes her angry. She feels that he
is unjust, and she rcsents injustice more
than anything else in the world. She has
told him this shameful secret of her own
free will. He is welcome to give her up
il he chooses, hut lie has no right to treat
her in a way to arouse the suspicious OF
others. Junc's conscience being guilty,
she fancics that the impression his be.
havior may give is that it is he. not she,
/ who has broken the tie between them.
Eut poor Tom has no idea of giving he,
up: he is suffering mortal agony and try.
ing with NIL his might to conceal it.
June takes u book after dinner. She
will not bestow one look upon Tom. He
tries to read the paper, but glances Gov
Gritty Mt her from behind it and wonders
II this awful thing she has told him car
be true-wonders why she should be an,
cry, which she evidently is, and, most OF
all, longs to take her in his arms and say
he forgives her, and to hear from her tina,
she really and truly consents to be his.
Mrs. Ellesmere, waking from her dose
goes OF to her boudoir to write some let
tiers. Tom sits for about ten minutes
: : thinking how he shall approach his lady
' iove, when she saves him the touhle "a