Little Falls herald., 1901-06-07

e.
But they will kill you," -, =" p"
'''Undoubtedly-;f they can" az q
"But-but--i.'s too horriblew1" !.
1T Is horrible. but what are we to
do? Don't you see with Kung and
Wooching slive We can never enjoy
one moment free from alarm. It was
not without some hesitation that my
uncle and l accepted the inevitable. It
Is to be battle to the death. and we
do not shut orr eyes to the fact that
there aresfrightful odds against US. but
it is possible that the society also has
many enemies, and help may come
from some unexpected quarter. ad-
NIT that our arrangements are ex.
tremely vague and from the practical
point Of view most unsatisfactory. but
we shall not be altogether cropping in
the dark. In Hongkong, according to
my fathers statement, we must find q
carpenter by the name of Koon-Si.
From him we shall learn the latest In.
telligence, and with him we shall lay
our plans" r.: :. .- '..: r..:y" ..
"You are very daring" she said, Ito
take such an awful step in the dark.
fear you underrate your task" -
mo; not In the least. n anything,
we have overrated it all along. We
have waited and hoped that peace
would come, but am convinced tha
it canaot be gained without war. War,
then, It must be, for now," and here I
think my voice took somewhat softer
tone. "peace is more necessary to me
than it ever was before"
She did not answer for a moment,
and then, mingling with the sound of
the sea. came soft "Why?"
because it will insure your peace,
and that to me has grown dearer than
my own"
'There can be no peace for me-" she
answered In q low tone, a tone which
the sea and the night rendered ineffa-
bly, sad. If it were not wicked. l
could almost wish that you had let me
drown that night"
flush! You must not talk like that.
Do you know, even in our darkest
hour. when you lay unconscious on my
arm. when the sea hissed and tore
about us and l thought every moment
would be our last, I was almost hap
py."
Happy"
Eyes, becau ie through the gloom and
the spray saw a future, a future
which was hlessed with your love-
with you"
1T is very late," she said, her voice
trembling with emotion. my mother
will wonder what has become of me.'
But she did not go just then, not for
some time after, for had much to tell,
though to other ears it might have
seemed but a wearisome repetition Of
the same old story. But the stars look
ed down and smiled, and the great dia-
monds of the cross beamed with ten
fold radiance; and the air. tempered,
SO 1t seemed to me, by the breezes from
the land which lay to our north, was
full of the sweetness of life and hope.
1t was new delight to me, this Won
derful thing called love, and for some
time l was too timid to avail myself
Of the prerogatives Of the lover Even
when held her face up to mine and
pressed my lips to hers marveled that
she did not resent the liberty. -
There was. very little, sleep. for: me
that night, and long after she had, gone.
below 1 paced the deck. burning pipe
after pipe of tobacco, thinking dream
ing, hoping. Now more than ever II
was necessary that should settle &C.
counts with the society, now more than
ever was life precious. the future a
thing to be fought for and secured. L
had always hated the task that was
allotted me. I hated it more than ever
now. But had grown to regard mis-:
fortune as part of my heritage, and
a fatalistic Indifference, born of too
close an intimacy with despair, had
robbed it of much of its terror. T., -:
The next day sought out Mrs. Hill.
bury, told her Of my love for her
daughter, Of my hopes and fears, but
I promised that l would not bind my
sweetheart to any hard and fast en-
gagement. had work to do, and i:
meant to accomplish It. II came back
and Cecil still thought of me kindly L
would strive to prove by my devotion
the depth of my affection; IL, on, the
contrary, she had changed her mind, as
girls will. I would go away knowing
that she could live in peace. +. ...N*%
Once we had entered Australian wa
ters the days hew with inconceivable
rapidity, and I thought with regret of
the quick ending of my too brief holi-
day. It had been happy time, the
happiest had ever spent, gleam Of
sunshine in the dreary fog of my exist
ence. Every revolution, of, the screw
drove us. SO much nearer the goal. and.
leaning over the side, ! watched the
water, bubble BY, regretful, grudgipg;
the mighty vessel her awful speed.
Like the condemned criminal, j watch:
ed sthe days come and 60, and the fatal.
morrow atlength arrived, and: wessafe.
yly made the: port Of Me- bourne. Then
there. e., were many meetings, hearty
zhandshakes, emb braces and tears OF JOY
and the sullen stupor Of the stranger
who has left al he loves behind, who
feels 10 welcoming handshake, who
enters tie. new land alone, q imelan-ss
cholY Il gllre.E Y. as4485 d IS s%s3& :s #