The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-14
THE BLAZED TRAIL.
By STEWART EDWARD WHITE
(Author of the Westerners).
Copyright, 1902, by Stewart Edward White
Copyright, 1902, by Stewart Edward White.
(Author of the Westerners).

of my strength l told you this was
not so. 1 was wrong"
He stood for another instant, looking
directly at her then turned sharply,
and head erect walked from the room.
why are you going?" she asked.
Il have nothing more to say"
Nothing"
Nothing at ALL"
She laughed happily to herself.
But l have-much. Come back"
! They returned to the little morning
I room. Thorpe's caulked boots gouging
out the little trianbgular burrows in
| the hardwood floor. Neither noticed
| that
What are you going to do now?"
| she catechised, facing him in the middle
Of the room. A long tendril of her beau
| tiful cOrn-sllk hair fell across her eyes:
! her red lips parted in a faint wistful
smile: beneath the draperies of her
| loose gown the pure slender lines of
| her figure leaned toward him.
II am going back" he replied patient
| ~.
81 knew you would come" said she,
81 have been expecting you
"Oh. Harry" she breathed. with a
| sudden fash of insight you are a
man born to be much misunderstood"
He held himself rigid, but in his
veins was creeping a molten fire, and
the fire was beginning to glow DULY
in his eye. Her whole being called him.
His heart leaped, his breath came fast,
his eyes swan. He tried to steady him
self, and by an effort that left him
weak he succeeded For moment it
seemed to him that he was going to
faint.
And still she stood there before him,
saying nothing, leaning slightly to-
wards him. her red lips half parted,
her eyes fixed almost wistfully on his
face.
GO away" he whispered hoasely at
last. The voice was not his own, Go
away Go away"
Suddenly she swayed to him.
"Oh, Harry, Harry" she whispered,
must I tell you? Don't you see?"
The flood broke through him. He
seized her hungrily. He crushed her to
him until she gasped; he pressed his
lips against hers until she all but cried
out with pain of it; he ran his great
brown hands blindly through her hair
until it came down about them both
in a cloud of spun light.
Tell me-" he Whispered. "Tell me-"
"Oh! OH" she cried. please! What
is it?"
81 do not believe IT," he murmured
savagely.
She drew herself from him with gen.
tie dignity.
IT am not worthy to say it," she said
soberly, "but I love you with all my
heart and souli"
Then for the first and only time in
his life Thorpe fell to weeping, while
she, understanding, stood by and COM
forted him.
The few moments of Thorpe's tears
eased the emotional strain under which
perhaps unconsciously he had been
laboring for nearly a year past. The
tenseness of his nerves relaxed. He
savored deliberately the joy of a lux
urious couch, rich hangings, polished
floor, subdued light. warmed atmos-
phere. He watched with doul-deep
gratitude the soft girlish curves of
Hilda's body, the poise of her flower
head. the piquant, half-wistful, half
childish set of her red lips, the clear
star-llke glmmer of her dusky eyes
1t was all near to him; his.
kiss me dear" she said.
She leaned her cheeks against her
hand, and her hand against his Shout
der.
II have been reading a story lately"
said she. that has interested me very
much. 1t was about a man who re-
nounced all he held most dear to shield
a friend"
YES" said Thorpe.
''Then he renowned all his most val
| liable possessions because a poor COM
mon man needed the sacrifice"
Sounds like a medieval story" said
| he with unconscious humor.
"It happened recently" rejoined Hill
da- 81 read it in the papers,
| We'll he blazed a good TRAIL" was
| Thorpe's signing comment. Probably
he had his chance. We don't all OF
us get that Things go crooked and
get tangled up, so we have to do the
best we can. l don't believe I'd have
done it."
"Oh, you are delicious ?" she cried.
After time she said very humbly;
ct want to beg your pardon for mis-
understanding you and causing you sc
much suffering. 1 was very stupid
and din't see why you could not do al
l wanted you to-"
THAT is nothing to forgive. 1 acted
like a fool"
II have known about you" she wen
on. ut has all come out in the Tele
gram. 1t has been very exciting. Poo
boy, you look tired"
He Strengthened himself suddenly. "
have forgotten,-actually forgotten,
he cried a little bitterly. ''Why, / an
a pauper. a bankrupt, T."
Harry" she interrupted gently, bu
very firmly, you must not say wha
|
it. Money came between us before. /
must not do so again. Am not right
dear?"
She smiled at him with the lips o
a child and the eyes of a woman.
YES" he agreed after a struggle
you are right But now / must begi
all over again. 1t will be a long tim
before l shall be able to claim you
/ have my way to make"
Yes" said she automatically.
{ but youi" he cried suddenly. 9Th
l papers remind me. How about tina
Morton?"
what about him?" asked the cir
astonished. "He is very happily en-
gagged"
Thorpe's face slowly filed with blood
. "You'l break the engagement a
> once" he commanded a little harshlN
! why should I break the engage
! ment?" demanded Hilda, eying hir
with some alarm.
r "You actually don't think he's en-
e gagged to mel" she burst out finally.
e Isn't he?" asked Thorpe.
why, no. stupid! He's engaged I
j Elizabeth Carpenter. Wallaces siste