Hutchinson gazette., 1900-06-28

lUhl HOllN pWl' I l'Nl 0Nl' Nh"N p''
saw me coming and went away pur'
posely. Last night II was the same
thing; hut chance has been good 10
me this time: | missed my train this
morning and so have caught youi
you had no opportunity to avoid me-
The girl made no answer,
lie went on; Last summer you
gave me Saint hope that in time you
would listen to me. What have you
to say to me now; have You not
thought Of me all these long months"
She turned around to him, her eyes
full OF tears,
81 was wrong to let you think You
might hope, Laurence, for | can't d
might hope, Laurence for can't do
ms You wish, Don't you understand"
1t seems wrong for me to listen TO
you. rhinl,,I belong to Allen; ! was to
have been his wife, He was always
talking of Cousin Laurence; you
seemed Cousin Laurence to me, too,
Don't you see? ! belong to Allen, !
can not marry yon'
"But Allen Is not
She Interrupted him quickly.
"llush; we don't know; he must be
living
"AIonica," he said with great gentle
ness Of voice, "thinli 1t is four years.
he was to have returned in ten
months"
81 must be faithful to him"
ttfIl,t., L..
Monlcu," he said half Nngrily, "lf Al
len is living" he went on, "why have
we not heard from him all these yeors2
Ave YOU going to waste your life In
hislittleyillage aud give up all chance
of happiness for n funciful idea of be-
ing bound to him? And think Of me;
have loved you SO long, Come to
me. | shall love YOU SO much that you
must love me in return; and ! swear
THAT you shall never regret 1t, Moni'
ca"
81 can't, Laurence
"Will you spoil both of our lives"
81 must not listen, Laurence. | wish
you did not care for me-
81 can't help caring for you. ! think
have loved you since the first day !
saw you, and now you ore free"
"l am not free"
"Nlonica, listen"
She stood up. 81 mdst not Laurence,
Try to forget me, am going home;
do not come"
And before he could stop her she
had darted away.
She went along swiftly until she
knew that she was ont of view from
the cove Her thoughts were in n
whrl. Why should she net yield? She
knew that her happiness would be Sc
cure with this strong, tender man,
How lietIp he guessed her struggle to
resist his pleading. lie thought she
did not care, In the old days she had
compared Allen with him, and always
to the formers disadvantage, For af'
ter the glamour Of their engagement
she had seen the shallowness and sell
hshncss Of Aliens nature, and in the
close relations into which, through
her engagement she was brought
with Aliens cousin Laurence, she had
recognized the strong and noble char
meter Of the latter,
And these last years, how the ten
dcrncss of his nature had shown out.
Whnt care he had given to Aliens des-
oInte neither. He had almost filled
the place of her son, Still, at first,
her feeling for him had been only Il
strong admiration. In spite of her
recognition of Aliens weak nature,
the fascination Of his glance and soft
voice held her captive. But now, When
Allen had gone West on the prospect
ing tour which was to occupy 10
months, she had promised to be rendy
to marry him upon his return. But
the ten months had passed, and other
months had grown into years, and he
had not returned. They had had no
news of him after that last letter,
written seven months from his de-
parturc. Laurence had employed
every means at his command to find
some trace Of him, but in vain. He
appeared to have vanished utterly
The only reasonable solution of the
| mystery WIS llul llC WIS uVHN' iilN
mother believed 1t, but Monica did
not. She could not, She had prom
sed to wait for him; she dared not
break that promise. Allen had loved
her-shc must, she would be faithful
She would not yield to Laurence.
Dare did not again see Monica, al
though Mt each visit he made his aunt
during the spring he called at the par.
sonage, But Monica had always been
out. The minister and his wife re.
ccved him most cordially. They
would gladly have seen their daughter
his wife.
One day in June Monica was re-
turning home from walk down to
the cove. Her way was in the neigh
borhood of Aliens mother. As it was
still early in the afternoon she decided
to go ard pay her a call She had not
gone to see her often of late, through
The fear of meeting Laurence