Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-07-08

TO fade out OF Cicely's face as sh0
raised it questioningly. II don't quite
understand what you mean" she said.
Are you going away?"
Blake looked searchingly into the
girls eyes. as be nodded his head. For
a moment Cicely sat flushing and pal
ing. Then an ungovernable sob broke
from her lips. and her fair young head
sank on the artists breast. In an in |
slant his arm was around her. &s1
his kisses were raining on her lips and
cheek.
The young mans a. of passion spent
itself in moment. and he started up
with an exclamation of vexation and
alarm. Amos DoXey. Cicelys prom
ised husband. stood towering above the
pair But there was no lightning in
his eyes-only a dun. hopeless. smol- +.
dering pain. To Blake he spoke never
a word: but his glance of whitening
contempt was worse a thousand times.
than the most singing blow. Bend ,
ing over the now PROSTATE and sobbing !
girl he said. in a firm. yet trembling
voice: You must go along with him.
Cicely. and you must give me back the
ring. II wouldn't be right no other
way
Poor Cicely. with her face bending
almost TO the ground. and her dishevel-
hiding il. tugged. sobbing. at the cheap
moonstone pledge. till il slipped off
and fell in the grass. Then she search
ed for it in a pitiful. blind. cropping
way. and tucked 1t into Amos big
brown hand. letting her fingers lie for
a moment with timid beseeching in his
rough palm. But Amos did not close
his hand upon them. He lifted him
self up with such sigh as the
80
has been felled by the hammer in the
shambles. and moved slowly away out
of the grove. And as his footsteps died
away, Cicely flung herself face down
ward in the grass. shaking with her
sobs.
For some moments young Blake,
dazed, disconnected and ashamed, suf-
fered Cicely to grovel at his feet. Then,
with half-angry Impotence, he seized
her hand and raised her to a sitting
posture. Come. come, Cicelyi" he
said. It's bad business, know, and
we've both made fools of ourselves. But
let's consider the best way out Of it. l
can't marry you, that's certain-Iil
never marry any one. But I'll tell you
what I'll do. I'll take you 10 New
York with me, and get you a good
place to work. where you can earn your
living and Something more, and I'll be-
friend you in other ways. and help you
all can. l have several artist friends,
who will be glad to have you pose for
them as model, l am sure, and shall
want you more or less for the same
purpose myself. What do you say?
VIII you go with me?" -
In reply, Cicely snatched her hand
from the young mans grasp, leaped
to her feet, and confronted him with
blazing eyes. ado you think would go
with you to live such a life?" she de-
manded, fiercely, through her sobs. Il
would kill myself frst-I would drown
myself in that riveri"
How inconsistent you are" sneered
the young man. after you have been
/ prating for weeks Of the Joy Of giving
yourself up to art, Of being an art
lists ideal!'"
"Oh. II wasn't that: 1t wasn't that. T"
sobbed Cicely. - see it all now. 1t
was because | was fascinated blind
ed. bewitched by you. And you
must have known il all the time.
and led me on just for your own
| amusement, since you say you could
never care for me to marry me. OH L
hate you now; but don't hate you half
as much as hate myself wish l was
| dead-oh, now / wish l was de3di"
The poor girl covered her face with
her hands, and shrank away from the
man who. she believed. had deliberate
ly played upon her affections. Wheth-
er or not she wronged him In this.
Blake pitied her now from the bottom
of his heart. He realized what a diff
ferent creature was this unsophisticat-
ed, artless, trusting country maiden
from other girls with whom he had
fiirted. or tried to hirt.
They went up separately to the farm
house after it had grown dark. Cicely
would not let Blake walk with her, but
he followed afar off. compassionately
watchful. He was really anxious lest
the girl might do herself some harm.
But, to Blake's surprise and relief,
nothing startling happened. During
the next few days the three parties IL
this heart tragedy moved about their
accustomed duties like automatic The
faces OF Cicely and Amos were set and
sphinxlike, and the feeble watery
CLEAN OF Cicely's moon-stone ring was
gone. But beyond that one might noi
have suspected that anything nnusua,
had happened. And on the day which
he had set with Mr.. Judson the artist
was driven to the station by his host
with all his luggage including the
sketches and finished studies of Cicely
Amos had gone off to search for some
stray cattle that afternoon, and a.
: Cicely did not come out to say good
by. no one thought it worth while t.
speak to her.
J Fifteen years later Cyril Blake, VIII,
had in the meantime made fame an,
J fortune with his brush, was moved
partly by curiosity and partly DYSON,
! lingering urgency of conscience. I,
make a summer pilgrimage to the littl
country village where he had met. s,
) long ago. the fair original OF his ia
? nous MAUD Muller" AS there wa
now a ''hotel" in the village, he chos
to go there, as the place where he wa.
least likely to have attention called /.
! himself
) The first man he NET on entering tn
n hotel Office was Amos Doxey, grow
s ample in proportions and comfortable
Z in appearance.
tfNVo1 I Gam II Tsd Gao