Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-08-23
CHAPTER III. ocontinued.,

,0ice rang a challenge. Have / not
mad a whole month for my recovery .
Women need not more than a single
hour in which to effect their GONZALES
cence. But, be this as ii may, we do
but waste words. Rise, madam, | beg
of you. Ills OF the body are less read
lily healed than those OF the heart, and
o are running very great risk from
this exposure"
But she resisted the effort which ac-
companied his speech to lift her to her
feet. Instead, she bent her head upon
the hands she held. and pressed her
lips ~passionately upon them.
Harry, Harry she pleaded. think
OF the effort 1t must nave cost me to
come TO you like this, and, oh, let one
touch OF gentleness and pity steal into
your voice. You are so cold, so stern,
tina between US rises a great barrier.
beyond which / cannot recognize you.
Listen to me, dear. In mercy, listen!
] am not the false. heartless woman
you have been led to believe me. If l
were. would / come here tonight?
Would / kneel at your feet and plead
with you as l plead MOVE"
Women are 10th to let their victims
escape. even when they cease to yield
them amusement" he interrupted, bit
terly.
Slowly she raised herself once more
to her feet, and let his hand drop from
her ~clinging touch. while she threw
back her little head haughtily.
II see" she said; land new n quiz
ct dignity had crept into her tone
marked, however, by infinite sadness.
THE new life has wiped out h old.
For TX, for me, o have rot even one
tender memory, and IL thought you
loved me SO we'll that, though a month,
a year, a lfetime had elapsed, i should
find the flame burning as brightly as
when last we parted. You see that |
vas wrong Let us speak no more,
then, of the past, except the few words
! came here to speak-the few words
which viii tell you how o have
wronged me. You thought me false to
your vows OF love You were old that
i was receiving Lieut.. Barclays atten-
tons In your absence. a man jealous
of me told you that Lieut.. Barclay
i were engaged to be married. You
came to me and made me promise not
to see him again. You said you did not
like the man, that you considered his
attentions Idle and meaningless, and
compromising to the woman who stood
TO you in the position / held; and |
promised--did I not?
well, I meant to Keep my promise.
! forgot at the time that when last 1
had seen Mr.. Barclay. he had picked
up your ring, which ! had drawn from
my finger in putting on my glove. and
slipped 1t upon his own. ] meant to
ask him for it before we parted. IT
escssoed my mind, as. with my glove
upon my hand, / did not miss 1t. 1t
was the evening of that day when !
promoised you not to see him again.
THAT same night you met him. and
recognized the ring that he still wore,
Some one present jestingly asked him
if IL had any meaning, and he an
swered, falsely. that 1t IA a pledge.
Before / slept that night 7 wrote
and begged him TO return 1t to me at
once. I told him at the same time that
there were reasons why / could not
again receive him
HE replied hat only into my w
hands wonld he restore the ring: that
my determination was too unjust and
too unkind for him to accept other
than by word of m~outh-in short, that
he must see me once more, / dared
not tell you the truth, as I SHOULD have
done. and ask you to ask him Tor the
ring. I feared your anger. So. weak
~, / consented to see him, and APP
pointed that afternoon for the inter-
view.
1T so happened that you. who had
been angrily ~brooding all day over the
scene of the evening previous. came at
the am hour to demand Of me an ex-
PLANTATION. / had given orders to be
denied to every one. Hearing this.
your suspicious were newly awakened,
and you insisted upon entering. What
was the result? You walked into the
library and saw the picture which. in
your Jealous rage, seemed confirmation
stronger that holy writ. You turned,
and, without word or glance. walked
out of the house. I called you; but. for
once. you were leaf to the sound of
my voice.
"tAnd ii Is for this man, this jealous
brute-ycu have thrown me over?' said
a mocking voice in my ear
II could not answer. Tears choked
mo. / turned my face toward the WIN
dow and forced them back. When |
again met MT. 6afCtaN > glance 4 WAS
smiling. The world. at least. should
not suspect that my heart was break
ing. I vowed. secretly.
81 nay come again?' he asked.
"And, though I hated him for all the
misery he had brought upon me, / an.
swered yes-that he might come.
Well. days went by, and each day I
thought would bring you. even as each
day the pride that upheld me grew
less, and the wound at my heart bled
more, until my weakness forced me
here to you. to earn only that my
wound is mortal-that-that another
holds my place!'
The last word ended In a long, quiv-
ering sob. She turned. as IL to leave
him, but enc stride brought him to her
side.
The Indifference had gone from his
~face-gone the cold sternness-gone the
icy disdain. The pallor, perhaps. had
d~eepened, but his eyes We're aglow
with light and his lips trembled with
feeling.
Helen. is II true-this story that you
have told me?"
Yes, IL Ia true" She answered., al