Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-05-13

hin the UOltO SCtlt0.
CHAPTER xXIv.-"I CANNOT MARRY YOU"
"She is false and fickle-not worthy any
mans second thought said Louis Char
teris 10 himself, rs he turned away from
the railing near the Magazine. II will moi
see her tomorrow" And he went back tc
the office and wrote a letter to Valerie full
OF bitter reproaches, which he tore up as
soon as it was finished. Hope was not SO
dead within him as he had imagined; and
he woke up on Thursday morning with the
resolve to 90 and see Valerie. Surely she
could not intend to throw him over for 9
fellow like Lawford, rich though the latter
was.
The young man knew not whether he
hoped most or feared most when he took
his way to Upper Brook Street, but he
rallied himself as he drew near the house.
and was able TO ask calmly for Miss Her
bert.
The footman. who had his orders, con.
Quoted the young man at once to the
d~rawing-room, and, opening the door, an
nounced:
"Mr. Charteris."
For n moment Louis only saw, as II
through n mist, a tall, slender form stand.
ing at the other side Of the room, n CLEAN
OF golden hair, a flow of white draperies:
but as the figure moved forward slowly.
the mist rolled away, and he beheld Va
lerie clearly, her face as white rs her robes,
her large eyes fixed on his with q strange
mingling OF fear and appeal, and all the
power Of her rare aad pathetic beauty re.
asserted itself and held him in its spell.
He sprang forward; he would have clasped
the girl in his arms, but she stopped short,
and with a wild gesture, with almost a cry,
checked the impulse. He reeled back.
"Nalerie!' he gasped, half dizzy with the
sudden revulsion.
"Not that!' said the girl, hoarsely, her
lips, every limb quivering-"that can rever
be againl Louis, bear with me. Oh! what
can | say to you-how shall l tell your"
But Louis only stood and looked at her,
the flush on his cheek fading slowly away
and leaving intense paleness. He seemed
incapable of speech.
Valerie went on, desperately:
at was a mistake from the beginning
on my part. But how should l know It
then? | loved you only as l had always
loved you, and as l love you now. l can
not marry you, Louis-I cannot cannot!"
"Stayw said the young man, hoarsely.
He moved a step nearer to her. Have
they taught you to be pntruthful as well
as mercenary and worldly? You loved me
until you learned to love wealth, and adj
miration, and position more. Ay, you may
shrink from me"-for instinctively she had
recoiled before the accusation so false, yet
against which she dare not defend herself
but you know that what ! say Is true.
You are breaking your promise to- me for
the sake of n man you 90 not and never
will love; but he is a millionaire, and i
have nothing. He will load you with jew
els, and give you all else that you have
learned to value so much more than love.
And you will count yourself happy. Hap,
py!' he laughed, harshly. And II But
what is that to you? No matter what !
suffer, if you can be the reigning beauty
and the wife of a man whose wealth will
enable you to ~outstrip every other woman"
Not a word did Valerie utter; not by q
sign or gesture did she offer to interrupt
this TRADE, which Louis poured out, not
standing still, but walking excisedly up
and down. She only set her teeth in silent
endurance. He wronged her, but she must
pear III. beIleI d IHouSanu oinleS Ihae TIC
should believe all that he had accused hel
of than even suspect the truth. She had sc
! dreaded the charge!
at is Max. Beauregard who stands be
tween us. For his sake you are false tt
metz
She breathed more freely when told that
she was untruthful, mercenary, worldly
1t was hard to be misjudged by one she
80 dearly loved. But when Max Beaure
gard must so misjudge her, and she could
endure it. what other suffering could ovAr