The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-06-27
CHATTER XIv-Continued.

mine, and, thought, fell before them.
In moment we heard the door slam
behind him, and Louise sank sobbing
into chair. 1t took all Birley's efforts
and mine to calm her. think | must
have become very much engrossed with
my own efforts, for when at length
LoHise sat composed and turned to
Birley, Birley was gone.
"You will not leave me-" she said.
laying her hand on mine, "till he
comes back?"
That touch precipitated feeling in
me, and the confession which ! had not
intended / should make for some time
yet. Considering the highly wrought
condition OF the nerves Of both OF us, |
do not think it is surprising that We
should then have opened our hearts to
each other.
81 WISH" said, that / need never
leave your side again."
On an impulse of shyness she tried
to withdraw her hand, butI kept it and
she let it stay.
LOUISE / said, edo you know
what that man meant when he accused
me of seeking to marry an heiress2"
eyes," said she, with hanging head
(the beautiful head), 81 think ! do.
He said something Of the same to me
at Blackpool. "
"And do you think, urged, that
if told that heiress how | loved her,
how had loved her and thought Of her
from the first moment had seen her,
before guessed that she might be an
heiress--do you think If | said that, it
would only be because expected she
would be rich one day2"
"Oh, do not think that at ALL
But" she said, looking up with a
bright, uncertain smile. (Which was SO
winning!-so ravishingD "but l am
not an heiress. =
"You guess, then, it is you l would
say this to?--that it is you love and
have ever thought OFF,
She trembled violently (dear auttered
hearth but still held her hand.
81 did not guess" she murmured.
"until he made me think Of it at Black
pool. Then understood why you had
been so very good to me, and | ="
"What, Louise? What, dear?" /
urged.
{" hen I'll think" she faltered, II
began to- Do not make me say it!
ITO love me ilttlef" ! asked.
"Do, do say it,"
eyes" she whispered. Her face
was hid against my shoulder, and my
arms were about her before she added
--"but not little--very much!"
II was some moments before either
OF us spoke again.
"Do you think" she said at length,
1T is right that we should have said
these things at such time?-when we
do not yet know anything certain about
my dear, dear father?"
"Louise," answered, darling,
would, you know, save you the small
est pang Of pain. But | think / ought
to say at once, dear, that you must give
up the hope that you have clung to, !
know, in secret, that you might after
all find your father alive. He does
not live, am sure now-indeed may
say as good as know where he lies
buried, though l must not tell you
more at present. All we can hope to
do then, darling, is to give him de-
cent resting place. Then We shall go
away out OF this terrible region of
money grubbing, of horrible toiling
and moiling in smoke and steam and
poisonous vapors, where the eye cannot
rest upon one single spot of nature un.
abused--we shall go away to a place
where the people are poorer and milder,
where we may see clear skies and
pure water, and trees and flowers bright
and wholesome. Won't that be well
come cnange?--and to get away from
the constant talk of brass.
"Oh, yes" she exclaimed "that will
be sweet. Let us go-do let us go as
soon as ever all things are settled, and
we have done sonnet ing for our dear
uncle Birleyl We shall do something
for him--shall we not2'
We we're thus talking when "dear
Uncle Birley" came in. He probably
suspected the understanding we had
come to, but, like kind and discreet
old gentleman as he is, he said nothing
then.
Wondered where I've been, have
you? Well, lad, I've just walked down
to thy lodgings to tell tn old woman
she may go to bed, for thou'rt to stay
here the rest of this night-the last
night but one, very likely, that | shall
be here myself"
tear glistened in his eye, and a
lump rose into his throat; but, after a
momentary pause, lie talked on, and
these signs of emotion disappeared.
We soon went to bed, but | think no
one of the three slept much.
In the course of an intimate talk
with Louise which had that Sunday
l learned how near had been to losing
her while she was at Blackpool, where
her vigilant duenna had been hard,
faithful old German servant of Stein
hardt's. II was only gradually that |
got to know all the anxiety, and even
terror, of those days of detention and
surveillance, but that day l heard to
my horror that the poor girl had been
so wrought upon by Steinhardt's repre-
sentations Of her duty to her father,
Of the heniousness of refusing to fulfil
what (Steinhardt deelaredl had been
his frequently expressed wish, that she
was on the point of accepting Frank for
q husband, when he and his father were
called away, the one home and the
other to London.