Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-10-04

smile. ooh. 1 know all about her! Lord
Carruthers-you know him?-told me
he knew her people,"
II don't know what you mean," he
said holly. "There is but one woman
in the world for me, and She"
He broke off. A couple were passing
their retreat, talking in light, laughing
tones.
"Rhoda Sargent? oh. she will. end
by marrying Carruthers, of course. She
is. only playing her usual little game
with that nice boy, Dawnay. She
might spare such a youngster. That
sort of a woman has no mercy"
The voice trailed into silence
"You heard that" said Dawnay in
hoarse accents. But 1t is not true! 1t
can't be true that you haveSbeen play
ing with me all these weeks!"
The woman looked at him for a mo-
ment. Some good angel. a rare enough
visitor to her, urged her to tell the
truth for once. She did so with a curl
Gus feeling of pity. The boy was in
such earnest.
at is quite true"
Dawnay staggered to his feet.
"Then heaven help the man who
loves you," he said, and turned and left
her.
Terence Dawnay sat in his quarters
with his head buried in his arms. The
| nnnv dn yvvn QNart ~, {1Nvo,,~I, <1,~ ~~,s.
dows on the motionless figure. For
hours after his return from the ball he
had not moved.
Presently he raised his head and
looked about him with haggard eyes.
He got up stifly and drew a long
breath.
His i%nfatuation was dead. He had
called 1t love in his youthful ignorance.
but the bewildering light of truth had
dispelled that idea forever. What a
fool he had been! He stood for a mo-
ment looking out on the still. gray
morning. and with a sudden flood Of
remorse remembered the letter to
which there had been no answer-the
letter which in a moment Of his blind
infatuation he had written to his dear
little girl. He loved her-loved her.
Dear heaven. had he thrown away the
substance only to find himself striving
to grasp a shadow?
Why had she never written to him?
Had she given him up without a word
without even n struggle?
The thought paralyzed him.
Truly he was to be sorely punished
for his madness.
Then. with an exclamation, he seized
a letter which was stuck up on the
mantelshelf. possibly put there by his
servant on the previous evening.
Ii WAS a letter from his dear little
girl. after all! For n minute or two he
hardly dared open 1t. Then he tore IT.
open and read it's short contents with
eager eyes.
Il should have written to you before
now, my dearcst-for you are ALWAYS
that-only l have been very ill and am
only now up OH the sofa and can only
write you these few lines to say that |
love you. dear. 1 love you so much thar
| l must do what seems to Inc the only
thing for me to do, and that is to give
you your freedom. l don't blame Won.
dear. l shall never think badly of YOU.
Always believe that I love you better
than anything OH earth. l sign myself
for the last time, Your Dear Little
Girl"
Twice he read the little h%eartbroken
letter. A knock at his door awoke him
from his miserable thoughts with a
start.
Eight o'clock, SIR" said his servants
voice.
Come in, stevens!" he shouted as a
sudden idea flashed upon him. "Put
some things up in my bag. 1 may be
away a day o + two. And just get my
serge out, will youy'
Obtaining three days leave, he was
able to catch the night mail from
Kingstown to Holyhead, and the next
afternoon saw his arrival at the little
house where his dear little girl had
struggled back to all the pain of life,
which at present seemed shorn of all
its gladness.
He walked straight in. There was>no
one to be seen, and, opening the door
gently, he stole into the room where
his dear little girl was lying looking out
ut the distant blue sea with such sad.
tired eyes.
She looked around as she heard the
door shut, and a cry burst from her
lipsea cry which brought Terence to
her side, and the next minute he was
down on his knees. holding her to his
heart and kissing the cheeks which had
grown SO thin and white.
my sweet" he cried. "Only tell me
that you forgive me! oh, darling, I
have been nearly mad since l wrote
that letter to you! Can you ever forget
it and take me back? You shall know
all, dearest. Only tell me that you love
me first"
"That is such a very stale story"
she whispered family, with a smile
which told him that the gates of Eden
had opened to him once again.-Wom-
op,c Tito