Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-10-16

you. 1t was because In your half
naughty Indifference you appeared
to me so alluringly unassailable thst
the desire grew within me to be be
who should pierce the armor of your
chilly reserve till it lay broken and
useless at your feet. 1t was be-
cause / knew your heart to be un-
touched by passion that 1 longed to
stir within it thoughts of love. 1t
was because you were so sweet, so
true, so pure, so innocent, that"
For YOU'RE sport you have laid
waste my whole life"
The words, gently spoken, shamed
him as no bitter reproach could have
done.
"At first" he admitted, the slow
color rising to and then receding
from his face, Sin wanton careless
ness I played a game so familiar to
me, only on different lines. And then
it became earnest; so desperately,
painfully earnest! l ought to have
drawn back, but ] could not! 1t is so
seldom a man ~resists his inclinations!
And then | forgot everything; at
least / shut out remembrance. For
the first time | grew ashamed of my
past. and dreamed of a future, at
your side, when ] should be raised
by the influence of your pure love
to your level-ah! not"-as she
shook her head sadly-"in the worlds
eyes, perhaps, because it never can
or will understand; but in yours, in
mine, away, apart from everyone!"
He went on ~vehemently, noting the
growing pallor of her cheeks.
81 deserve every reproach from
you. T."
"But that is the worst Of it," she
interrupted, coming nearer to him
and resting her cold hands half alb
sently on his breast. 81 cannot re-
proach you--I don't want to. Don't
you see that it is an awful battle be-
tween my love for you and my deter
mination to put you out of my life
altogether? And I am so fearful lest
it should be a one-sided fght-lest
the victory should lie with the one it
should not. Can't you understand?
I have no heart, no mind, that is not
dominated by you. There is only just
the. certainty that in that future OF
which you speak, you, forgetting
that you had dragged me down,
would learn to despise me, too!
That alone goads my spirit to right
doing. To all else I am blinded by
my love-that love which makes all
you say and do seem good in my
eyes.
81 was so proud to be no longer
myself, but only yours; o I know
1 must be forever-no ones! And ]
may i've" her voice rising to a little
unconscious wall, $50 more years!"
He pressed her face down on his
heart, that he might not see the
agony in her eyes.
"What, then, do you mean to do?'
he asked. "To--leave you now-at
once. Don't" with a light laugh thai
had a sob in it, tempt mt to stay!"
There was something in her voice
which told him argument would be
useless, and with a hopeless sigh he
let his arms fall to his sides and left
her free.
There was dead silence, save fol
the ticking of the clock, which sound
ed unusually loud. He felt, rather
than saw, that she reached the door
1t opened, then closed-and still sh'
was not gone. She was coming to
ward him. She had not strength tt
go after all, he thought, while a wild
delirious joy, that sent the blood
rushing to his head and robbed hin
of sight and hearing, took posses
sion of him.
"You have come back?" he said
breathlessly, and held out to he1
both his hands.
Dear" she answered, gravely
''don't make-another woman-suf
fer as"
The rest of the sentence died ava,
in a whisper. Through the blin'
tangle of his mind, the booming IL
his ears, there came the slow, de
parting rustic Of her gown, the clicl
of the latch, the soft closing of thu
door.
His face contracted painfully, AM
then fell forward on his arms, fun.
down in bitter, hopeless despair upol
the windowsill.-Clement Scott's Free
Lance,