The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-10-18


unreasonable and selfish in me to doom
you to the dreadful loneliness feel. II
Aunt Dobree asked me to pluck cut my
right eye just now, ! could not refuse.
1t is something like that, but ! have
promised to do it. l release you from
every promise you ever made to me. Mar
tim"
"Juliar' | cried, crossing to her and
bending over her with more love and
admiration than had ever felt before;
''this is very noble, very generous"
"No," she said, bursting into tears; Il
am neither noble nor generous. | do It
because cannot help myself, with aunts
white face looking SO lmploringly at me.
do not give you up willingly to that girl
In Sark. hope / shall never see her
or you for many, many years. Aunt says
you will have no chance Of marrying her
till you are settled In a practice some
where; but you are free to ask her to be
your wife. Aunt wants you TO have
somebody to love you and care for you
after she is gone, as | should have done"
"But you are generous to consent TO
it" said again.
"No," she answered, wiping her eyes
and lifting up her head; Il thought | was
generous; | thought | was a Christian,
bat 1t is not easy to be Christian when
one Is mortified, and humbled, and
wounded. am great disappointment
to myself; quite as great as you are to
me. fancied myself very superior to
what | am. hope you may not be dis
appointed in that girl In Sark."
Her hand was lying on her lap, and |
stopped down and kissed II, seeing on 1t
still the ring | had given her when we
were first engaged She did not look at
me or, bid me goodbye, and ! went out
Of the house, my veins tingling with
shame and gladness. met Captain Carey
coming up the street, with basket Of
| fine grapes in his hand. He appeared
very much amazed.
"Why, Martini he exclaimed. "can
you have been to see Julial"
"Yes," l answered.
"Reconciled?" ?" he said, arching his eye
brows, which were stu dark and bushy,
though his hair was grizzled.
mot exactly" | replied, with stiff
smile exceedingly difficult to force; moth
ing Of the sort indeed Captain, when
will you take me across to Sark2"
"Come, comei none OF that Martin,
he said; you're on honor, you know.
You are pledged to poor Julia not to visit
Sark again
"She has just set me Free" answered;
| and out Of the fullness Of my heart told
| him all that had just passed between u.s.
| His eyes glistened, though film came
across them which he had to Wipe away
'She Is a noble girl" he calculated; "a
fine, generous, noble girl. | really thought
she'd break her heart over you at first
but she will come round again now. We
will have run over to Sark tomorrow" "
| felt myself lifted into a third HEAVIER
of delight all that evening. My mother
and talked Of no one but Olivia. The
present rapture so completely eclipsed the
coming sorrow that forgot how soon II
would be upon me. remember now that
my mother neither by word nor sign suf
fered me, to be reminded Of her Illness
She listened to my rhapsodles, smiling
with her divine. pathetic smile. There
Is no love, no love at all, like that of Q
| motherl
Swiftly we ran across the next day
with a soft wind drifting over the sci
and playing upon our faces, and a ionl
furrow lying in the wake of our boat
It was almost low tide when we reached
the island. | found Tardifs house eom
pletely deserted. The only sign Of lif'
was family Of hens clucking about thu
fold.
The door was not fastened, and en-
tered, but there was nobody there.
stood In the middle Of the kitchen AM
called, but there was no answer. Olivia
door was ajar, and / pushed it littl'
more open. There lay books had len
her on the table, and her velvet slipper
were on the floor, as If they had onl!
Just been taken off. Very worn and brown
were the little slippers, but they reas
sured me she had been wearing them
short time ago.
/ returned through the fold. All tn
place seemed left to itself Tardif'
sheep were browsing along the cliffs, an
his cows were tethered here and there
At last | caught sight Of head risinl
from behind crag, the rough shoci
head of boy. and shouted to him
making trumpet with my hands.
"Where is nelghbor Tardif7' | called
"Down below there!" he shouted bac
again, pointing downwards to the Havr
GosselIn. did not wait for any furthe
information, but darted-off down the long
steep gulley to the little strand, wher
the pebbles were being tapped lazily b
the ripple of the lowering tide. Tardif'
boat was within stones throw, and
saw Olivia sitting in the stern of it.
shouted again with a vehemence whic
made them both start.
} "Come back, Tardif," | cried, "an
take me with your
! The boat was too far off for me to Sc
how my sudden appearance affecte
, Olivia. Did she turn white or red at tn
} sound of my voice? BY the time 1t neare
the shore and plunged in knee-deep
meet it, her face was bright with smilei
; and her hands were stretched out to hel
: me over the boats side.
IL Tardlf had not been there shoul
} have kissed them boih As il was,
} tucked up my wet feet out of reach of he
dress and took an oar. unable to utter
word of the gladness felt
"Whe-e are you going TOT" asked, az
: dressing neither of them in particular.
"Tardif was going to row me past th
: entrance to the Gouliot Caves" answere
Olivia, "but we will put 1t Of now. "
will return to the shore and hear all yot
J adventures, DIR. Martin. You come upo
| a.. Nba +, hant,rn and take an 0ar
ghostly silence. Are you really, trul
there"
CTo be continued)