The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-07-08
CHAPrER "

motives and ut watchtul hatred. tome.
Let Us 20 back
CHAPTER ".
She kept her room for two days Her
first instinct had been for precipitate flight,
for she was terrified Her only reason for
dismissiug the idea was the assurance that
Bridges would follow. He loved her, of
course; but she was no queen to him; he
was too hard and practical, too selt-centred
aud ambitious To spend his life on the steps
of a throne. She resented this atittade with
all the accumulated arrogance Of long
years Of easy conquests Then she re
tlected that by all the laws Of romance,
she should be madly in love with this mas
terful being. whom she could not dominate
who had not even taken the trouble TO
propose TO her, and who doomed before her
six feet one and A. sure as fate. But she
was woman Of high and rather romantic
ideas He did not appeal TO her imasina
,ion in the least.
She kept her room because she wished
TO consider the question in all rs aspects
and arrive at 4 deGuinite conclusion before
She met him again. At the close Of the
second day she Wrote rs follows in the lit
tie volume which bore his name
II am sure now that it Is a pure ques-
ton Of personal magnetism. His Intiu-
eucc on my mind invariably recedes with
the accumulation of hours between Is.
That means that have no sentiment fol
him. for if | had should love him more
when we were parted have now decid
Cd once Tor all | will not marry him.
| have = prcmonition that the wrench
will be harder than | anticipate al
present my brain feels worn out Just
now-and that shall be on the point
Of sending for him again aud again.
II | doH love him | ana closer TO love
than I've been before because he ha,
awakened fully two-thirds Of me Blu,
should be- worse than a fool if deliber
atelv put out the Gsh, that has steady
grown in my brain and which have 81
carefully tended Ii wait long enough
| shall find everything, or if do not, bet
ter a thousand times TO live alone with
one ideals
There was ball that night and she wa
engaged for every dance, 1t would be
cowardlv to excuse herself further, although
she would have been glad 10 20 TO bed.
The house where the ball was to be was OF
cliff some distance from her aunt ; house,
and during the drive there she managed Il
ascertain that Maynard Bridges was still
in Bar Harbor
She was surrounded as soon as she en-
tered the room, but Bridges was not pres
eut, nor did he appear later. The ball
room overlooked the water, and she could
hear the roar Of the ocean high above the
music
Toward midnight the room became in
sufferably hot and her head was dizzy with
fatigue. She commanded her partner o
the moment to take her to the dressing
room, then slipped out to the balcony
The rain had ceased, the moon was out
the Atlantic seemed hurling itself over the
figures behind the windows and deterlnineC
to remain there until it was time to q
home, or until Maynard Bridges found her
As she stood under lantern she faceC
a man who lay in long chair just beyonc
the next pillar He rose in a moment aut
came forward.
You are very pale, he said.
Il have been thinking for two days, anC
have decided once for all. | shall not
marry you
Her voice. her manner were convincing
Very well, - he said politely.
She stole a swift glance through hel
eyelashes. He had his hands in hi
pockets aud was gazing out upon the toss
Ing bay. He looked as if he, too, hac
been thinking and was tired of it
Il wish you d take me out in Il boat,
she said abruptly,
Are you quite mad?'
If am not afraid | do not know why
YOU should be. You are as strong as 8
lion, and you can manage anything Oh
the water.
Very well Come along"
She followed him down the steps Of the
cliff to the boat-house
'.Win you punt?' he asked dryly.
..Or do you think a sail would be safer
Il want the row boat, of course, she
said, thrilling with the widest sense OF
freedom she had ever known, for the great
wind was in her hair and lungs.
He launched the boat without difficulty
in the sheltered little cove, and rowed with
swift, long strokes out to sea.
ssOf course | did not mean to leave the
bay, she cried
4 am going out, he replied shortly.
She shrugged her shoulders. Ten min
utes later she went through the various
stages of terror, resignation and exaltation.
The huge waves seemed climbing over each
other in their efforts to engulf the boat.
At times it struggled between the crushing
wall Of the great canyons Of the sea, only
to climb up to the dizzy eminence of a
wave, whose height in that roaring moon
lit darkness recalled the terrible tidal waves
that have done such good service in letters
then shot down once more into the void.
More than once the boat was twisted about
q :. Ii loa,~ - n Il l,,4