The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-08

@1A 0LL4A18 - - VI I'm AAL1
wrapped around her.
Laurence Dare, coming along the
road which ran along above the beach,
saw the patch Of red and paused
THAT Is Monica he mUttered.
He stood still a few minutes. watch
ing the slender figure leaning back
against a high range Of rock, the shawl
drawn closely around her shoulders,
the little black hat pushed back on the
dark hair, her gaze fixed on the gray
water. AT sight Of her, Dare's heart
had given a great throb Of joy. 1t was
SO long. 50 long since he hal seen her.
He made a few long strides and stood
beside her.
"Esnioa," he said, softly.
Tne girl turned her head with a quick
mevegneut.
"Oh, Laurence"
d was a displeased tone In her
veace. and her br0ws came together in
q fro1n as she regarded him. He put
cut his hzEd.
Are yeu not going to shake hands
with me, Monica? 1t is so long since I
have seen yeu."
The girl gave him her hand with a
reluctant air, withdrawing it quickly
from his warm clasp and turning her
face again Seaward.
After a silence of some moments,
which Dare spent in devouring eagerly
with his eyes every line of her lovely
profile, he began:
Monica, you are cruel; you have not
let me- see you once all this long win
ter. I nave been down from h city
so often. and tried again and again to
see you, but each time that / Called
you had just gon ii I feef sure that
you saw ms coming and went away
p~urposaRy- LaSR nfGht it was the s&E16
thing. But dhanoe has been good TO
me I missed my train this mornaaS,
and Sc I have oauSht you; you had no
Opportunity TO avoid me-"
The girl made no answer.
He went on: Last summer you
gave me a faint hope that in time you
would listen to me. What have o TO
say 10 me now? Have you not thought
Of me all these long months?"
She turned around to him, her eyes
full of tears.
7 was wrong to let you think you
might hope. Laurence, for I can't do
as you wish. Don't you understand?
1t ssens WTSCsg for me to listen to you
ThIfLk, I belong 10 Allen; i was TO have
been his wife. He was always talking
of Cousin Laurence; you seemed Cousin
Laurence to me, too. Don't you see?
l belong to Allen; 1 can't marry you"
"BUt Allen is not
SHS 1H-cTIupled AtHl QuiChit.
Hush! We don't know. He must be
living"
Monica" he said, with great gentle
ness of voice, think; IL IS four years;
he was to have returned in ten
months"
Il must be faithful to him"
Dare flushed. This is ~nonsense,
Monica" he said, half angrily. IF AL
len is living he. went on, why have
! va MT hcorl f~-Cv,,. him. oil fhoea ~roor~y1
Are you goirs to waste your life in
this little village and give up all chance
of happiness for q fanciful idea of be-
ing bound to him? And think Of me;
1 have loved you 50 long. Come to me.
I shall love you SO much that you must
love ma in return. Come; I swear that
you Shall regret it, Monica"
Il can't Laurence"
win you spoil both of our nves?'
81 must net listen, Laurence. 1 wish
that you did not care for me-"
Il can't help caring for you. I think
L have loved you aimee the first day 1
saw you, and now that you are free
Il ana not free"
Monica. EsteR."
She Eseed UP. L must not, Laurence.
Try to forget me. I am going home;
And before he could stop her she had
darted awav
She went along swiftly until she
knew that she was out Of view from
the cove. Her thoughts were in a whirl.
Why should she not yield? She knew
that her happiness would be secure
with this strong, tender man. How
little ne guessed her struggle TO resist
his pleading. He thought she did not
care. In the Did days h had COM
pared Allen with him, and always to
the formers disadvantage. For after
the first glamor OF their engagement
she had seen the zhalloEne3s 2 sen-
ishneSs Of Aliens nature, ana in the
close relations into which, through hSR
engagement, she was eus WITH Al
lens cousin. Laurence b q reoeg-
nlzed the strong and noble OF
she latter.
And these last years how the tenn
derneSs Of his nature had o out
What care he had given TO Aliens Ses-
olate mother. He had almost hlod che
place Of her son. Still, at nrst, her
feeling for him had been only a strong
admiration. In spite Of her recognition
Of Aliens weak nature, the
Of his glance and soft voice had held
her captive. But now! When Allen
had gone west on the prospecting tour,
which was TO occupy ten months, she
had promised to be ready TO marry him
upon his return. But the ten months
had passed, and other months had
grown into years, and he had not re-
turned. They had had no news OF HIM
after that last letter, written seven
months from his departure Laursnce
had employed every means al his cozh-
mand to find some trace or htEl, sBt
in vain He appeared TO have van
ished utterly. The only reasonable So
luton Of the mystery was that he was
dead. His mother believed II, but Non
lea did not. Sha could o Sac had
promised to wait for him; she dared
not break that promise. Allen had loved
her-she must, she would be faithful.
She would 10 yield to Laurence.
Dare did not again see Monica, al
though at each visit he made nus aunt
during the spring he called at the par
sOnage. But Monica had always been
out. The minister n his VIE re-
ceived him most cordially. They would
gladly have seen their daughter MS
wife.
One day in June Monica was return
ing home from a walk down to the
cove. Fer way was IN the nstgheor-
hood o. ALEXIS mothsF. As ii wns
stu early IN the afternoon, she eecl&so
to 30 alsG pay her a call. She a not
gone to see her often Of late, through
fear Of meeting Laurence.
She felt that she would run no risk
Of mssting him this Afternoon, he hay-
ing visited his aunt the previous week.
On reaching the house abs found the
hall door open. She knocked lightly,
and without waiting for a response,
walked into the lttle parlor, where she