Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-03-17
and sees Lance stapleton's sy,lpathcr,c

and sees Lance Stapleton's sytApathcric
c%ountcnance bending Over her.
LANCE" she says. in faint surprise,
and gives him her little thin hand in
greeting.
ut is good Of you TO como so soos." she
q y gently. And I am al! alone just
now. vi and llnid are our."
II KNOW" he returns quietly. Are you
getting battcr!: DO you feel stronger"
"Oh, yes!' she lang;i,ily. II
suppose you SEQ u gyea: c!,anse ia me.
Lance" she says. cHcitcdly. ii must tell
you Eow. | have never tcli ANY o:c he
fore. l saw Observation-Disclosures"
Slowly and fa!tering tl.s words leave
her white lips. Slowly and distinctly thc5
reach her listeners eau.
fIc turns and ga2cs n. .':, as Il re
doubted her sanity.
You saw Charters or ;:,s: day. IL.
cNclaiims. ".Ana sou have ssii :o;hins sll
this time! OH. Ycian.le.."
What wouii i:ayc been thc usc:." size
cries, passionatc:... -. ae Ito dead. a.
they say, it cou!.i have proved ::o,ilins.
If he lives, WHY, should j give myself the
shame. the misery, OF rvoclaiming my
own mistake to those who care nothing
for the suffering 1 bcar:"
"YOiande"-:nd Lancc's voice crows
stern, while his face is colorlcss ard cold
as n marble mask-'wEat is it you mean?
What has been let'vcem you and-anl
Charters? Why have you concealed i. all
this time::"
Because I was a coward" nswcr the
girl in Il sad. shaken voice. Because |
put my own feelings before his; because
l dared not let all the world know my
poor pitifulU revenge on him! Aud now
oh. heaven, he is dead and lost to mo for
ever"
For Il moment there is a strange, sud-
den silence; and then
You loved him." c:ics a fierce. hoarse
voice. ".All this time you cared for him.
And Lance falls by her side. with his
head on the folds of her soft white dress
and his hands c~linclcd in agony above
his bright brown curls.
Yolande looks at him in lis bitter suf-
fering. and her heart goes ont to him in
pity. Does she not know. only too well.
too painfully, what i. is to bear torture
like this!"
II have loved you all this time" he
goes on, in II voice so strange that Yo-
lan!c can scarcely recognize it-'lovcd
YOU and thought of You only. And |
never for one moment imagined that-that
there was amy one else"
Ibid l hide it so wcli:" she asks, with
Il despair that echoes his own.
He is silent; only II trcmor shakes the
strong young arm. and the sound of q
choking sob escapes his lips. Yolande
bends over the prostratc figure: her tears
fall like rain upon the short. crisp culls.
"l.ancc," She says-"oh. Lance. don't
g%ricvc. IL am not worth it. You don't
know what Il wicked girl l am"
III Won were the vileSt woman i'll the
world. it could make no difference to me"
he nswcrs hoarscly. Il have loved YOU
all my life. Can l change now: Love is
not in any mans control. loved You he
cause l could not help it; and you-you
did the same to him.
YES" she says. simply. ".And yet
sent him from me with bitter words-I re-
fused his lovc!'
"Yo!undc!.'
"You see" She goes on. trying to speak
steadily despite the piteous culver of the
poor pale lips-"you see. Lance. l was
angry because he had offended me once
and l vowed to bring him to my feet and
repay him to the uttermost farthins. ]
did it ut last: but Mt what Il cost only
heaven and my own heart know! Lance
we hear the same burden. you and 1!
don't know which is the heavier; mine is
l think, for. when l remember how l sem
him away that afternoon with such bit
ter. scornful words, l could not know tina
that act would bring mo Il life's relnorsc
Oh, Lance. to think that lie is %dead-dcad
and lost forever! that never in all III,
years to come can l see his face or hea,
his voice. or know he has forgiven! Whe1
l think OF the future-of all the long blanl
!, Years when. in summer or winter, by da,
or night. l shall never meet him, watcl
, how l may-when, in vain rcmorsc. il
hcartbroken agony. l shall hold out III.
arms, despairing. waiting. and only shad
ows can ill thcln-when l call and cal
r and there comes no answcr-oh. Lance
how can l bear it? Why did not HEAVIER
, let me die when death was so near:"
The poor young lover hears these pas
%sionate plants. and his heart grows fain
within him. He has lost her so utterl,
RON: lost her as though indeed the dealt
for which she Graves had folded her il
: icy arms which no power on earth coul,
i ever unloosc again!
(To be c%ontinucd.)
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