The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-04-22

~ understand that she is to make "a good
Match II is quite willing to sell her
beauty i'll exchange for wealth, il one Is to
Judge by the encouragement she gives AS.
ton Lawford; and all the time she consid.
ers herself engaged to Mr.. Charteris, who
is only a clerk in the Foreign Office
For a moment Colonel Beauregard was
silent; for u moment the strong self-cum-
mand which habit had made second nature
almost failed him; the deeper pnlenessthat
spread over features always pale was a
sign too slight to be noticed; but he felt
that If in that moment he had spoken, his
voice might have betrayed too much: in the
next he was master of himself again, and
said. quietly:
WHO told you, Nellie. OF her engage
ment to young Charterisy"
Mrs. Langley. OF course she does not
recognize threats the whole thing rs q
boy and girl affair; but she is wise enough
not to forbid the two meeting sometimes.
Time and altered circumstances would do
their work with Valerie, she argued; and
it looks as If the girl was growing tired Of
love for loves sake. Lawford is her bond
slave, and though she flirts all round, she
certainly gives him encouragement. She
Is gong on the boX-seat of his drag to the
meet of the Four-in-hnnd!"
Gerald i%nterposed here, sparing Colonel
Beauregard the necessity of reply.
I'm u worldly point of view the match
would be a splendid one; but 1 call it cruel
to throw away such a perfect creature as
Valerie Herbert on Aston Lawford. Hcis
more than twenty years her senior, and a
matter-of-fact. prosaic fellow into the bar
gain"
But" said Lady Elinor, Struggling her
shoulders, The has, Heaven knows how
many thousands a year! And you know,
Gerald, Valerie will have nothing. Mrs.
Langley has only a life interestint the prop
erty. When she dies everything goes to
her husbands nephew"
Was all this true? Max Beauregard was
asking himself in agony, while he seemed
to give a half-careless attention to what he
heard. Was Valerie his Valerie-the
p~ure-hearted child he had left-so changed,
SO corrupted? Oh, it could not bel He
must see her soon-he could not long en-
dure this torture-and learn the truth
learn If he would be welcomed back with
the old sweet gladness, or made to see that
the belle of the London season was far
wiser than country-bred Valerie had been,
and could clearly distinguish between an
elder and a younger son.
Lady Elinor rose as she spoke the last
words, and Max rose to open the door for
her. Turning back to the table, he said to
his brother:
II must call on Mrs. Langley in a day CT
two. Tomorrow / shall be at the War
Office a good deal"
MY dear boy, Lady Stonend gives a ball
tomorrow, and Mrs. Langley and Valerie
will be there. Nellie and I are going.
Come with us!'
To meet Valerie in a crowded ballroom!
Well, perhaps better SO; he would be more
sure of himself than If he saw her alone;
or with only one or two people by.
Thanks" he said, after a pause, ''IIl
go with you"
You'll be the lion of the evening"" said
Gerald. "Shall we join Nellie nows All
the wine you drink in a year, Max. would
not serve even Il moderate man for q
month";"
Beauregard smiled, and rose, and the
brothers went to the drawing-room.
CHAPTER xX.-TIIE TURN OF THE TIDE.
~ am ut the office again to-day. When
can l see you, Valerie? You have written
to me so seldom and SO coldly, and SONS
of the fellows here tell me your aunt wants
you to marry Aston Luwford. l can't be-
lieve you would treat me like thatl Tell
me when | may call.'a
So wrote Louis Charteris; and Valerie
Herbert, on the morning of Lady Stonend's
ball, paced her boudoir distractedly, with
the letter in her hands. How was she to
meet Louis? How tell him the cruel truth
that she could never be his wife, Had
she not dallied too long already7 Had not
he justly accused her of writing seldom
and colby? And now, when they had
been parted so long, she must meet him
only to crush his hopes-to tell him they
must never meet again until it could be as
dearest friends, but no more. She might
have written; Tut it never occurred to Va
lerie to seek the towards refuge Of n letter.
Face to face, she must tell her lover the
truth; and yet not all the truth. No, bet
ter ten thousand times that he should be.
ieve the worst of her than be able tc say,
1t Is Max Beauregard who stands between
us!n
He will reproach me bitterly-bittcrlyi"
the girl said to herself, "and he will be
just, thinking as he must needs think.
Louis, my old playmate, my brother"
She broke down in passionate weeping,
but,quickly checking herself, tried to collect
her thoughts.
l cannot see him to-day" she said, ''nor
tomorrow, and Wednesday is the meet"
she shuddered, and put her hands before
her eyes. st must be Thursday.n
She sat down and wrote:
DEAR LOUIS:
Please forgive a hurried note. l have
not a moment before Thursday. I am not
my own mistress. VIII YOU call on Thurs.
day after five, and I can see your
Yours ever, VALERIE"
"Auntie will be out, y the girl snid, as she
sealed the letter, land ] will tell her ]
must see Louis. She will call me sensible
to give up n lover who has no Money or
position. ! am young" she added, dreari-
ly, ito begin living a liep'
And Max Beaurcgard was ut home now.
Lady Elinor had told them he was expect
ed last night, and the morning papers told
them of his arrival i'll London.
"What can he think of met" thought the
poor child. maybe he will not trouble
himself muchabout me. Why should hel"
The lu~ncheon-bcll rang, and she went
downstairs. Aunt end niece We're not Of
ten without other company at luncheon;
but they were today. Mrs. Langley look
ed up from n note as the girl entered the
dining-room.
"Vnlerie.'' she said, II have just had this
from Lady Elinor. Colonel B.nuregard Is
coming with them tonight to Lady Ston-
ends"
The blood rushed to the girls face; but
she was prepared ia hear of Max Beuure-
gard Mt any minute-that lie was going to
call, or she would meet him at this house or
that; so that, though her heart stood still
and she held her breath, she was not
startled out of all self-control; she had not,
too, lived in vain In the beau. monde, SO
that she was able to answer, smiling:
"Oh, | am SO glad! Does Lady Elinor
say any more about him?"
No, my dear; you can read the notes"