The true northerner., 1899-08-30

moment before supper.
Standing near door was a young
man whose features were drawn and
white, and whose set lips made pie
ture sadly out of place in that gay
throng His dark eyes followed slim,
graceful girl, with crown OF golden
hair and tender, violet eyes, whose
dark. long lashes lent them pathetic
look just then.
They seemed TO be seeking for some
one, but whoever they sought was not
found until the dancers had twice
made the tour of the room. Then the
two pairs of eyes met for second.
Those of the girl had a wistful, ques-
tioning look: those of the man an ex-
preston of stern REIMBURSEMENT.
The music ceased just then, and in
the little ensuing fiutter they lost sight
of each other in the crowd.
The man. with a sigh so deep as to
be almost a groan, turned away, and,
scarcely knowing how he reached
there, found himself seated in an easy
chair on the wide porch. He gave him
II must be crazy to come here to-
night. | might in time have learned
to forget her, but to see her again, so
sweet and so far off. | could not ask
her TO marry me now on little or no
thing year. She has been brought
up to wealth and luxury. 1t is part
and parcel of her daily life. and L
would be the most brutal of brutes TO
ask her to share my poverty. Poor
little Nellie. She didn't look any too
happy. either. Well. jim, If you are
not Il coward you will start now and
go-so far away that she will never
hear of you again.
Just at this stage of "Jim's" refiec-
tions. several persons came along, and
in their gay conversation jim had no
part He half rose 10 go when he
heard his own name mentioned. In
spite of the old proverb about listeners.
he remained in his chair, which was
in deep shadow.
Poor Jim Alden! Did you see him?
He stood by the door looking like the
ghost at the feast. What a pity that
he went on Wall street! He might
have known better. He seemed to be
particularly cut up when he saw Miss
Burton dancing away and never even
looking at him"
Il hear that Miss Burton's engage
ment to Lloyd Appleby is announced"
What. that old man! Well, he's roll
ing in wealth."
"She did not need to marry money"
"The ways of women are past find
ing out"
The figure in the dark corner glided
away swiftly. He had borne all he
could. He strobe on down toward the
Point. scarcely knowing where he was
going. until with n sudden sense of a
new pain he found that he was stand
ing by the rocks where he had sat only
two days before with Nellie.
Then the hot sun blazed down and
the heat pulsated from the sand and
sea below, and the rocks above, and
then. too, there was not the knowledge
that he had lost every dollar he had in
the world.
The long line of silver light laid
across the water suddenly wavered
and grew blurred and dim as his eyes
filled, and a sob was wrung from his
aching heart. He remembered the
dimpled fingers that had clasped the
parasol, the odOr of the flowers at her
breast, and the clinging against his
cheek of a few strands Of golden hair
fnGGn1 nv 40 nf Vvfn1 la
stood there, a black outline against the
mOonlit water beyond
Back at the Casino another little
drama had been enacted. Nellie had
seen more than her trained features
had shown. and she knew that unless
she acted promptly she would have
looked her last upon Jim. Suddenly Jim
was more TO her than all the world.
All the men and women in the world
were effaced from her heart and mind
as utterly as if they did not exist. She
must find Jim-she must.
Out on the wide portico she flew,
with her Aunt Elinor and Mr.. Apploby
behind her. Jim was not there. With
the presence of love she know where
she should find him, and snatching IA
white scarf from her aunt's shoulders
she said
Aunt, you and Mr.. Appleby wait for
me; am going to find jim"
"Nellie! Nellie! You will compro-
mise yourself fatally"
II don't care; love jim"
"Nelliev'
But Nellie was gone. Mr.. Appleby
smiled as, under the cover of the shad-
ow of a column, he said:
Let her go. Elinor. Nellie is right.
Jim is worthy of any good woman
But he is poor"
"That he isn't. l brought the news
to him that he had just inherited a
bigger fortune than he lost. He doesn't
know 1t yet, and, Elinor, we can all be
married together. Eh"
"O-Lloyd!'
"We've waited long enough, dear,
think"
Nellie flew like a white angel down
to the Point, her slippered feet scarce
| ly touching the ground Yes, there was
| Jim. Was he about to commit suicide