The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-15

''Then fear must be singularly In
I visible at the present moment" he
! said. Possibly II you were to look
less fixedly into the fire you might per-
ceiye me-"
He moved his chair slightly so as to
come between her and the freight.
She raised her eyes to his face.
''If you do love me-" he asked her,
"why will you not marry mey
| Because If l had been married to
you for a year should have come to
my senses and seen that your hands
+, and your voice are like the hands and
the voice of any other man. cannot
quite see that now. But 1t Is all mad
ness. You call into activity one part Of
my nature. There is a higher part that
/ you know nothing of, that you never
touch. If married you, afterward it
would arise. and assert itself, and l
should hate you always. as l do now
sometimes" "
~ like you when you grow meta
physical and analytical" he said, lean
ing his face upon his hand. go lit
| tie further in your analysis. Say. 4
love you with the right ventricle Of my
heart, but not the left, and with the
left auricle Of my heart, but not the
right. and, this being the case, my af-
| lection for you Is not Of duly elevat-
ed, intellectual and spiritual nature ]
like you when you get philosophical"
| She looked quietly at him. He was
trying to turn her own weapons against
her.
You are acting foolishly, Lyndan,"
he said. suddenly changing his manner
and speaking earnestly, most foolish
ly. You are acting like little child. !
am surprised at you. 1t is all very well
| to have ideals and theories, but you
know as well as any one can that they
| must not be carried into the practical
| world. love you. | do not pretend
that it is in any high, superhuman
tense. do not say that l should like
| you as well if you were ugly and de-
formed. or that i should continue to
me might be, or to love you though you
were a spirit without any body at all.
That is sentimentality for beardless
boys. Every one not mere child land
| you are not child, except in years.
knows what love between a man and.a
| woman means. | love you with that
| love. l should not have believed it pos
sible that l could have brought myself
twice to ask of any woman to be my
wife. more especially one without
wealth. without position and who
"Yes; go on. Do not grow sorry for
me. Say what you were going to-
| who has put herself into my power
| and who has lost the right Of meeting
me on equal terms Say what you
think. At least we two may speak
the truth to one another"
Then she added, after pause:
81 believe you do love me, as much as
you possibly csAld love anything, and
l believe that when you ask me to
| marry you you are performing the
| most generous act you ever have per-
| formed in the course of your life or
| ever will, but, at the same time, If
had required your generosity, it would
not have been shown me. If, when l
got your letter a month ago, limiting 1t
your willingness to marry me, l had at
once written, imploring you to come,
you would have read the letter. Poor
little devil! you would have said and
tore it up. The next week you would
have sailed for Europe and have sent
| me a check for ESQ, which l would
have thrown in the fire, and l would
have heard no more of you" The
stranger smiled. But because l de-
clined your proposal, and wrote that in
three weeks l should be married to an
other, then what you call love woke
up. Your mans love is a child's love
for butterflies. You follow till you
have the thing and break it. If you
have broken one wing and the thing
flies still, then you love it more than
ever and follow till you break both.
Then you are satisfied when it lies
still on the ground" 49,. .
"You are profoundly wise in the
ways of the world You have seen far
into life," he said
He might as wen have sneered at the
freight.
81 have seen enough to tell me that
you love me because you cannot bear
to be resisted and want to master me.
You liked me at first because / treated
you and all men with Indifference. You
resolved to have me because l seemed
unattainable. That is all your love
means"
He felt a strong inclination to stoop
down and kiss the little lips that defied
him. but he restrained himself. He
said quietly, ''And you loved me-
Because you are strong. You are
the first man l ever was afraid of.
And"-a dreamy look came into her
face-'because like to experience,
like to try. You don't understand
, that"
He smiled. .n
"Well, since you will not marry me.
may l inquire what your intentions
are. the plan you wrote Of? You asked
me to come and hear it, and have
come" 49,. --ua
81 said, Come If you wish If you
| agree to It. well: IL not, ! marry on