The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-16
road through to another bunch of pine
II te,

road through to another bunch of pine
1t is this or nothing"
why not nothing them"
Il want the money this will bring"
will you tell me for what you want
the money!" she asked.
The young man caught the note of
distrust. At once, instinctively, his own
confidence vanished.
THE firm needs it in the business"
said he.
Her next question countered instant
aneously.
Does the firm need the money more
than you do me?"
They stared at each other In the ST.
lence of the situation that had so sud-
denly developed. 1t had come into be-
ing without their volition, as a dust
cloud springs up on plain.
You do not mean that, Hilda," said
Thorpe quietly. 1T hardly comes to
that"
Indeed it does, "<she replied, stung
to excitement. II should be more to
you than any firm
Sometimes 1t is necessary to look
after the bread and butter" Thorue
reminded her gently, although he
knew that was not the real reason
at all
IF your firm can't supply 1t, I can"
she answered. 1T seems strange that
you won't grant my first request of
you, merely because of little money"
1T isn't little money" he object
ed, catching manlike at the practical
question. you don't realize what an
amount clump of pine like this
stands for. There's $4,000 profit in
it,"
The girl. exasperated by cold details
at such time. blazed out. II never
heard anything so ridiculous in my
life!" she cried. Either you are not
at all the man / thought you. or you
have some better reason than you have
given. Tell me, Harry: tell me at
once. You don't know what you are
doing"
THE firm needs it, Hilda," said
Thorpe, lin order to succeed. If we
do not cut this pine, we may fail"
If ! were a man." she said, and her
voice was tense, IF | were a man and
loved a woman, / would be ready TO
give up everything for her. My riches,
my pride, my life, my honor, my soul
even-they would be as nothing, as less
than nothing to me-if / loved. Harry.
don't let me think ] am mistaken. Let
this miserable firm of yours fail, If fail
1t must for lack of my poor little tenn
pie of dreams" she held out her hands
with tender gesture of appeal The
affair had gone beyond the preserya-
ton of a few trees. 1t had become the
question of an ideal. Gradually, in
spite of herself the conviction was
forcing itself upon her that the man she
had loved was no different from the
rest; that the greed Of the dollar had
corrupted him too. BY the mere yield
ing to her wishes, she wanted to prove
the suspicion wrong.
Now the strange part of the whole
situation was, that In two words Thorpe
could have cleared 1t. II he had ex-
planned that he needed the ten thousand
dollars to help pay a note given to save
from ruin foolish friend, he would
have supplied to the affair just the
higher motive the girls clear spirit-
uality demanded. The young man did
not say the two words, because in all
honesty he thought them unimportant.
II seemed to him quite natural that he
should go on Wallace Carpenters note.
Il cannot. Hilda," he answered
steadily.
"You sell me for ten thousand dollars.
l cannot believe It! Harry Harry!
Mast | put 1t TO you as a choice? Don't
you love me enough to spare me that?"
He did not reply.
DO you need the money more than
you do me? more than you do lover"
she begged, her soul in her eyes; for
she was begging also for herself.
Think, Harry; II is the last chancel"
In answer to Hilda's question he
merely inclined his head
Il have seen a vision" said she
simply, and lowered her head to con-
ceal her eyes. Then she looked at him
again. There can be nothing better
than love-" she said.
Yes, one thing" said Thorpe."-the
duty OF success"
She left him then, and did not see
him again. -Four days later the camp
ing party left.
Three weeks gone in October he re-
ceivec "a marked newspaper announcing
the engagement Of Miss Hilda Farrand
10 Mr.. IIiidreth Morton OF Chicago.
lT0 " Continued IN Next 6unA=yss
,siews.i