The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-05-08
A Woman WAY.

4
''Thou art clever man and wit, Sir
/ Giles" And she looked at me from un-
| der her long lashes.
| I bowed low, True, l was not aware
| of it before, but then conceit was never
one of my besetting sins. soldier has
| more TO think of than the cut Of his
| coat or Of his brains.
You have come for your reward"
! continued she. after a little pause, see
| ing I awaited an explanation of her
| speech.
'-There is but one reward I could &C
| cept," replied I, slowly.
She drew nearer and her face flushed
| pink and white like the May blossoms on
a spring morning.
1T is yours"
She spoke under her breath. My heart
beat like triphamrner and mist rose
before my eyes What did she mean?
Was the prize at last within my grasp?
You mean that you will marry me?"
said I, bluntly, 1t is true, but man
chooses not his words when his life is at
stake
She smiled her answer, and I. kneeling
at her feet, kissed her hand, and vowed
that never fair lady should have so true
knight.
Tell me-" said I, gazing hungrily into
truth and light, why thou called me
man OF wit and brains. I always
thought my sword, not my pen, my bet
ter portion"
She drew from her bodice a delcately
scented note and held 1T before my eyes.
You know this?" she asked, archly.
I shook my head. 1 wrote not a womans
hand like a court fop nor scented my
notes with all the sweetness Of the ORR
ent
'Dost remember" continued she, my
reply to certain question of thine, that
when you wrote a sonnet or turned a set
OF verses as neatly as .,the kings poet
himself. then l would answer your ques-
ton, as thou didst wish7 I have here
the sonnet, and you the laurel wreath.
Art content Sir Knight"
With a great fear in my heart I snatch
ed from her the letter and opening II,
read with rage and despair the dainty
verses therein, which compared her to
Venus for beauty, TO Minerva in wis
dom, and to Helen Of Troy for the havoc
she worked among the hearts of men.
As I read on half blindly, my brain
buzzed so that I could hardly grasp the
meaning Of the words. Then 1 should
surely lose her. If I told her not. i
should keep her, but lose mine honor;
my sword would be a disgrace TO me and
the bones of my ancestors would turn in
their graves.
I lifted my head proudly and looked in
the face. She started back as sne saw
the look of love and despair on my ga
lures.
Madam" said I, coldy, though y-ss
like a raging fire within, 'if 1 were not
a soldier and a gentleman, 1 might per-
haps be tempted to claim these verses
as mine own. Now 1 give thee back thy
word, worth but little. for none shall say
to Giles de Bohun that he sold his honor
for a set of rhymes and forfeited his
right to a stainless name for a woman"
1 bowed low and moved toward the
door. My lady stood cold and still
against the dark red curtain which COW
cred the window. I opened the door
slowly, thinking she would call me.
When once 1 reached the stairs it would
be too late, for though 1 would do much
to win my love, still I was not the man
that loves to be scorned.
With my heart broken, my future
blank, and my faith in woman destroyed
forever, I passed through the door and
closed it after me. Suddenly I heard
a rushing sound, the door behind me
the threshold, her head in the air, a
gleam in her eyes and q flush on her
cheek.
Perhaps" she said gently but oh, 30
proudly. perhaps Sir Giles de Bohun
will not refuse a woman who would rath- /
er be the wife Of a brave man than the /
bride of the greatest wit in the land, or |
the lordliest cavalier in the courtAof the /
king"