Hutchinson gazette., 1900-08-16
Dinner was 10 be al half pas. ID

hat and went out, The great heat OF
Irhe day was tempered now with q
gentle breeze. Margot meant 10 give
herself half an hour Of solitude, she
tried during thnt time to rend Ceclla
letter, and then tear II into tiny frag'
ments When the letter wNs torn up,
perhaps that tircsome sentence, "Hou
know love you 10 distraction would
cease TO haunt her,
She went down to the hnnk Of the
river, and sentIng herself under a
tree, took out the letter,
She had scarcely done so before q
manly voice shouted her name, There
was the dip of oars, and the gentle
swish of a boat being propelled rOp'
idly forward, Cecil, In boating cos
TUNE, pulled under the tree whore
Margot was sitting, In moment he
had jumped out, secured the boat and
was at her side
"Now, this Is luck" he exclaimed.
ITO think | should find you here,
and absolutely reading my letter. Oh
] say, Mprgot is it--is II all rlght"
His bron2ed face was pale as he asked
the question; his voice shook,
"No, It's all wrong" said Margot
with a sudden passion, "Oh, Robert
I'm not strong enough could moi
Withstand them oil, We are 80 fear
fully pOor--apd-Afather's debts. Rob
ert, could not help myself-someone
had to be sacrificed"
"You don't mean to tell me-" said
Cecil, lnIterTtipting her aud graspng
her arm with such force she cried out
with pain, you don't mean TO tell
me, Mnrgot, that after my letter y0u
have gone nnd-nnd given yourself ia
that fellow2"
"Yes, have" said MNrgot, bursting
into n passon OF tears, 81 have, and
he Is coming back TO dinner and must
CO."
"Lo6s at me, Morgot," said the
young man, "Hou don't love him?"
"No."
"And you do love meG'
"Yes"
"Then don't you think you're doing
q very wicked thing, very unfair
thing to Sis Peter?'
81 am marrying him because he Is
rich,' said Margot, "and to help lall
the others. When girl has a father
and brothers and sisters she must sac
riiice herself sometimes. | never told
him loved him"
"Did you tell him you loved me?"
"No."
81 repeat thnt you are doing wrong
Margot, and no good will come Of it,"
Cecil sprang down the bank once
more and jumped into the boat. Mar
got returned to the house.
In the hall she was met by Polly.
"NIargot,' she exclaimed, 81 don't
know what can be going on, but Sir
Peter arrived about quarter Of an
hour ago and he was not dressed for
dinner, and he seemed in an awful
rage about something, lie Is with
father in the study. ] was listening
at the door, and heard his voice get
ting louder and louder, and father
trying to soothe him, Oh, there, |
hear the door opening and father Is
calling you. Run, M0rgot, do run, and
find what is the matter, Oh, dear
dear" continued Polly, "your eyes are
red and your face stained with crying
Are things going to turn out wrong
after nll?"
"Margot," called her father, "come
here at once"
She obeyed him Immediately lie
took her hand and drew her into the
stHdy andlocked the door.
Sir Peter, whose face was nlarmingly
red, was standing on the hcarth-rug
He came straight up 10 Margot when
she entered the room.
"Now, young LADY, he said, "I wanl
to ask you q plain question Is that
my letter that | wrote you this morn
ing, or is 1t nGt?'
Here he held up much.chewed and
disfgured morsel Of paper.
eyes" MNrgot said looking at it
"I'm really very sorry" she exclaimed
"Gyp has been chewing it."
"You hear her!" exclaimed Sir Peter
turning to FORESTER. "You see she
confesses the whole thing Now
what excuse have you to make for such
conduct. Miss Forrester?"
"Margot could have known nothing
about it," began Mr. Forester.
eyes, / did" said Margot. 81 saw him
doing it, but the factis / was so busy
reading another letter that did not
wait to stop him. Sir Peter" she con-
tinued, II made mistake when said
yes this morning, find that don't
love you-that shall never love you
and that do love someone else"
"By jovel" exclaimed Peter; "isnf
that nice confession 10 make? | write
you a proposal of marriage and you
allow your dog to chew up my letter
You accept me in the morning and
you reject in the evening" and final
ly you tell me that you love another
man better than you do me. Don't
you think you have behaved very bad
ly?"
81 do" answered Margot. 81 have be-
haved dreadfully bad to you and the
other man."
She left the room without another
word and went up to her bedroom.
The day had begun badly, and now
it was going to end badly, Margot
did not dare to return to the bosom Of
her justly aggrieved family again that
night. She cried great deal, Final
ly she took Cecil's letter and read il
carefully over-not once, but many
fimea Than che rnicnd N m her lins