The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1901-03-14
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CHAPTER XxIII.-(Continued.)


CHAPTER XXIII.-(Continued.)
She was staring at him in utter con-
s~ternation, her light-blue eyes filed
with wonder, her white brow wrinkled,
some of the color blanched from her
cheeks, and her lips parted. Il don't
quite understand, David" she said at
last.
He drew a long breath OF impotence.
LOOK here, Elsie he said, II am
young, rich, decent-looking, and not a
bad sort as fellows g But it's no use
my coming and offering you the devo-
lion of a lifetime; you wouldn't believe
me if | did-you'd know It vas a lie,
and l don't want to begin by lying to
you. But | can offer you all the rest
OF my life, and / swear I'll do my level
best to be a good husband to you'll
swear that"
Elsie fairly gasped. You are asking
me to marry you, David?" she cried.
"Of course / am" he answered.
There was a dead silence for a few
moments. David. sore and hurt, des-
perately anxious to get his future set
tied SO that looking back would be a
folly, and repining nothing short OF
a sin, stood waiting for her decision,
while Elsie turned away to the window
and looked out over the fields, a thous-
and bitter thoughts chasing each ether
through her brain. Ii was all over
with Dorothy, and Dorothy had evil
IDENTIFY chosen another; Elsie was sure
OF that, though David had not said so.
And David had turned to her in his
trouble-there was comfort in that.
But Dorothy had his love still, she was
certain of that. You could see it in
his haggard face, his nervou manner;
hear it in his defiant voice. Many and
many a time she had pictured him
coming wooing her. She had let her
hands fall idle in her lap. and her sew
ing lie neglected, while in fancy she
had seen him furning in at the gate
or coming i9SF the door. with his
mouth half smiling (as she mad seen it
for Dorothy's sakel his cold eyes light
ed up with a tenderness as dear as Ii
was rare; but in all her dreams Elsie
had never pictured him coming like
this, haggard, nervous, brusque, impa-
tient, brutally truthful and just, to ask
her to make a bargain, in which love
should be left out of the reckoning,
To offer her his body-while she knew
his heart was all Dorothy's! Oh, it
was a dreary wooing, a hard, hard
bargain for her to make or mar.
Well" said he, after a minute or
two, what do you say?"
"Ts Dorothy going to be married?'
she asked suddenly.
He WINGED at the question, but he
answered it readily enough. Dorothy
is married." he said steadily.
"Oh!" and then she gave a great sigh
and looked at him with p%iteous, yearn-
ing eyes.
"Well?" he said, II am waiting"
IL don't know what to say" she
burst out.
mo! And yet I faneied you liked
me better than the other fellows round
about"
His tone was half-bitter, half-re-
proachful, as If his last hope was leav-
Ing him. The girl was touched by it
Instantly, and turned quickly to him
with both her hands outstretched. ooh,
David" she cried in a voice of pain,
you know that | have always-always
liked you-but-but-"
but what?" he asked coldly and
without taking the outstretched hands.
Elsie let them fall to her side again.
you have not said one word about
caring for me-" she said, in a trem-
bling, timid voice.