The Red Cloud chief., 1898-11-04

ain across my eyes, with a gesture
half scared, half petulant, that irri-
tated me vaguely. Il don't like It.
dear"
II beg your pardon. Helen" I re-
sponded somewhat huflly, drawing
back. IL really was not aware you
objected SO polntedly to my looking at
YOU"
II dont-I don't!' she broke In
eagerly. How could you imagine
such a thing? 1t was the expression
OF your face, Paul, that took me back
for the moment, when l turned my
head and found you sitting there
watching me with such a critical,
searching sort OF look, almost a. II
you-you-"
las IL I what, sweetheart" I asked,
appeased by the carressing touch.
AS IL you saw something In me
you could not quite make out. and did
not like at all-at all! But l was
mistaken in that, wasn't I, Paul?"
Then, after q moments pause, as
I did not reply
Sure 1t was only foolish fancy on
my part? Say 1t was only that-ah.
say 1t was only that. love!" she whis-
pered. in the soft drawing brogue l
was learning to like.
We'll, DEAR" I answered slowly. "as
you press me SO. l must admit l was
q little surprised, after leaving you on
the lawn romping with the dogs In
the very ecstacy Of high spirits, declar-
Ing that even the twenty first Of June
was too short a day to be happy in,
to find you half an hour later sitting
here alone. to all appearance a prey
to the ~profoundest melancholy, your
eyes perfect wells of despair. looking
as II the burthen of existence was too
heavy to be borne another summers
day"
1T was ~heavy-so heavy! You are
right. l could not have borne 1t much
longer. For the last twenty minutes
IL have been your widow, Paul"
oh" l said. with a feeling Of unac-
countable relief. stroklng her tumbled
silky hair, II see! You were my
widow. madam-a very fiattering and
satisfactory explanation Of your APP
p~earance indeed! But, dear, don't you
think. all circumstances considered, 1t
Is rather premature for either Of us to
don the weeds even in spirit YETI"
She was nineteen. as fresh and as
hardy as the mountain heather she
had lived among all her life. l was
twenty-five, stood six feet one in my
stockings, and had not known an
hours illness since I had the measles
many years before.
THAT was not the kind of widow
hood l meant" Helen said, looking at
me with q touch Of pathetic %reproach
in her strange eyes. "Your death,
your mere bodily extinction, Paul.
would not grleve me for long; l should
cease to mourn you soon enough"
Mrs. Dennys," I exclaimed, in
mock indignation, explain yourself,
please! You surely would give me
the conventional year Of Grape at the
least?"
mo, I w~ouldn't-not q year, not a
week. not a day. for / would die the
same moment you did. Do you think
I could live and you dead, husband"
"And yet you say you were my
widow for full twenty minutes, true
daughter of Erin?"
THAT was because l had lost you in
O way that severed us In life as we'll
as in DEATH"
Lost me In a way that severed us
in life as we'll as In death? This Is
dreadful weather for conundrums! I
give 1t up!" l responded languidly.
"I-was widowed, Paul, because I
had lost your love-because you cared
for another woman moro than for me-"
she returned, In a low voice. looking
at me with eyes full of tragic denunci-
alton, as Rebecca might have looked
at Ivanhoe. as poor La VaIliere at
Louis when she bade him her last
good-by outside the convent gates.
laughed a little too boisterously. I
felt, and drew her to my side.
ITO be sure, to be sure" l assented
volubly, 81 never thought of that So
lution! How long is 1t since I first
learned to care for you, ma belle? That
day you and slipped down the noun
tain side through the yellow broom? p
let me see-seven. eight, why, nearly
nine months ago! A long spell Of con-
stancy-almost time l should be weary
ing for another love, isn't It? Some
men, you know. would like a change
of wife with every change of coat: but
as l happened to be of rather conserya-
tive kidney, l think l ought to be able
to wear one wife to three coats at the
least, and / believe i courted you In
the very cloth your fingers are caress-
ing now. It's getting q bit shabby,
to be sure: but"
= you may treat my words lightly"
she interrupted. leaning wei me with
half-closed eyes, q bright pink SPOT
burning on her cheeks. 81 still
stick to my opinion, something
tells mi ! shall lose you, as I say-some
dayv'
Feed your melancholy on the
fancy" I retorted, with peevish uneasi-
ness, feeling somewhat that I had
said too much. "if II pleases you. I