Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-12-10

WIFI u Slllle THAI WdS HOI 10
look genuine.
"Do you mean that we haven't shown
most of our real selves? That we have
just played a play|
"You know we have | said with an
air of frankness. at has been great
fun. l really have enjoyed it immense
ly. But 1 am not such a practical
actor as you, and / am getting a little
tired of pretending" He drew his
breath sharply. 1t occurred to me that
perhaps he really had cared a little.
81 do not understand" he said.
Surely you don't mean-you can't
mean-that you have merely been pre-
tending to be good friends with me?''
"Of course not" l said, lightly.
"We're excellent friends, I hope. But
friendship has certain limits" The
night before he had held my hand ever
SO tightly in the dusk, and when we
parted he tried to-he almost-Oh,
well, I'll tell the truth. He kissed me.
SIS it absolutely impossible for
friendship to grow" He touched my
hand, and drew it sharply away.
1T depends upon persons and cir
cumstances, of course l replied, cold
ly.
do you mean" he said, sternly,
"that you have no thought for me be-
yond mere friendship? If so, you are
the most heartless-' ! drew myself
up stifly.
REALLY" I said, frigidly, 'you carry
the way too far, Mr.. Chalmers. There
is a point at which it becomes an in
suit"
INSULT" He stood up and lowered
over me. Insult! That I love you.
That I-oh, 1 am a fool to tell you!"
"Foolishness," I said, meaningly, sis
pardonable. Some things are not. De-
ceit is one of them" He looked down
at me for a moment. Then he smiled
q wintry smile.
"Deceit," he agreed, lis one of them.
I do not think l shall ever be deceived
by a woman again."
He looked so angry hat it seemed
to me that perhaps, after all, he had
really fallen in love with me a little.
1t was wrong, wicked, i~nexcusable; but
/ was glad, glad, glad! Unjust find out,
I resolved.
TELL me honestly" I demanded, "if
you can drop pretense for once"
"You have no right to speak to me
like that" he interrupted, ~furiously.
"Have I not? Have you not known
perfectly well, all along, that you would
never, never be anything more to me
than a friend?"
IT think" he said, "that you are
the" He stopped abruptly. 81 don't
like to say hard things to a woman"
he stated, after an interval. Then we
were silent.
There was a sudden burst of con-
v~ersation when the game came to an
end.
"They will be making up another
set" said. wont you join them?"
He took a quick step to the opening
of the tent. Then he turned.
"For Gods sake, Eve" he implored,
"tell me that it isn't your real self that
is speaking this evening. If you knew
how much l cared for you, if you un-
derstood-"
81 understand" T said, quietly.
Haven't you down in the bottom of
your heart just one little bit of love
for me? When l love you so much-my
dear?"
tried to say "No," but I couldn't.
I clenched my hands fiercely and bit
my lips to keep from crying out aloud.
Oh, he should never, never know! Aft
er a few seconds, that seemed an age,
the others came to the tent.
"Ah, Miss Eve" said the colonel, 81
knew that you were hiding here, but I
wouldn't disturb you. Let me intro
duce another Nh. Robert Chalmers, the
cousin of our big friend here" 1 rose
mechanically. "He is coming to settle
down here with his wife and-Why,
what is the matter, my dear?"
"I-I-feel faint" I said, feebly. I
dropped back in a chair, and everything
grew misty. Some n ran for water,
I think, and the two Robert Chalmers
lifted me, chair and all, into the open
air.
I soon recovered. Then they lifted
me back again into the tent, out of
the cooling breeze. They insisted upon
carrying me, though | knew I could
have walked. Then began laughing
and talking, and they went off one by
one, till only Bobby Bob-was left.
He sat down IN a chair some distance
from me, and looked out through the
opening and didn't speak.
1 thought of several things to say,
but they didn't seem the right ones.
So l waited a few minutes for him to
begin, but he didn't. He looked so
hurt that l felt l couldn't wait any
longer.
sit is awkward" I remarked, feeb-
ly, that you and your cousin have the
same NAME"
ut is not unusual with cousins" he
answered, indifferently.
"No-o, but" I looked at him APP
pealingly.
II don't see why it matters"
"People might mistake n for the
other"
"Yes. Do you mean-has anyone"
"No-o. At least-Do you know your
cousins wife?"
"Of course! One of the jolliest lit
tie women in the world. He is devoted
to her"
people might thinia that you
we're"
"Eve!"
"Were married, I mean"
He stared at me for q moment, then
he jumped up. 1t was a good
thing that l was sitting right at the
side of the tent.