The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-29
DECLINED WITH THANKS.
By E.. ]. BURKE

ga5 = . : ! -
with you SO very much that would like
to repeat it. I am always at home on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Her tone was so cordial that he biushed
and stammered over his THANKS. he
called himself fool a. minute aftefWard
when he found himself standing stupidly
staring at the doorway through which she
had disappeared But that did not pre-
vent his going home In a strangely ex-
cited and exhilarated mood. The glamor
Of his day dream seemed still around him.
And she, the lady of his dream-he loved
her.
He whispered to himself as he strode
across the park, half fearful that the
flickering lamps and the swaying branches
might guess his secret, but in the silence
of his room he said it, boldly and the
confident ring of the words seemed to
echo the mad beating OF his heart
It was inevitable that the next Thurs
day night should find him in the parlor
Of Miss Trayers' fat. It was equally In
evitable that he should bend all his iener-
gies to hide his, love from the smiling
eyes of this girl, who treated him with
an air of bon commarderie fatal TO sem
timent.
ment would have wfung the secret from
his lips. The first joy of loving was past
and in its place had come flood OF SELF
distrust, of self depreciation. To his tor
tured mind an unbridgeable gulf OF train
ing and traditions seemed to sweep be-
.tween them. She had been the petted
child Of rich parents, on whom had peen
lavished the gifts of college education
and years of foreign travel. This at
tempt at independence and self respect
had been treated as her latest whim and
humored accordingly. He had scrambled
from common school education into the
pitfalls that beset the path of a news
paper reporter. Every upward step naa
been bought at the price of hard work. 1t
was but a short time since the problem
of meeting his board bill had been an all
important one.
That was the first Of many calls, but
the succeeding visits, while they strength
ened his love, gave no courage for it.
declaration.
At last in his desperation a plan dawned
upon him by which he might learn his
fate and yet spare her the pain Of refusal.
She had asked him to submit a story to
the Symposium. He would send her one
embodying his love and its hopelessness
and offering two sequels for the choice OF
| the reader. In the one the lover
should boldly set aside the barriers Of
position and WOO and win his lady love.
In the other he should patiently bow to
the inevitable and devote his life to the
! uncertain happiness of literary success
He bent himself feverishly to the task.
For several weeks he had not dared to
trust himself to call upon her. She would
understand the reason why when she read
the story he addressed with a trembling
hand. .-.:
A day went by, another, week. Saund-
| ers could not work; he could not sleep.
He haunted the park and the streets
where he had sometimes met her, hope
full yet fearful of meeting her again and
reading in her face his answer.
+ 1o~r =, ton do VIC
and suspense had become almost unen-
durable, the postman left a bulky envelope
in his letter box. ..E.-,. -
It was his story, and as he unfolded II
a typewritten slip futtered to the floor. He
picked it up mechanically. 1t was the
usual rejection slip, curt and businesslike.
= without added line soften the blow
/ It might have been minutes, II Nigh,
have been hours, that he sat there staring
at the scrap of paper. Then,- with a groan,
he buried his face in his arms. as II to
shut out the words. His castle in Spain
had fallen down about his ears, and he sal
among the ruins. .-- --,.~4 =. -.
The sun was setting when he aros,
brusquely and went out into the air II
Il walk and walk in the hope that physfca
weariness might stif1e his suffering. 4Th.
GOODNESS Of night brought dogged cour
age to blot out the past, with its da.
dreams, and turn to the future.
But 1t was weary work. The END
: the week found him SO worn and haggart
his friends declared he, was overworket
) and advised rest and change. Your move
is making such success you can afford
to do it," they urged. He only smiled bit
| terly and shook his head. 1t seemed suci
cruel mockery to think that the success
OF his cherished novel should bring hin
no happiness. = 49,. s....s !. =. q
He was Hstlessly sorting him mail on
morning when his eye fell upon tin,
blue envelope which had been hidden By
the others. His heart seemed to leap int
his throat, for he, recognized the hand:
Dear Mr.. Saupders-he read-it Is so lonl
since nave seen you that am pining for one
Of our chats. To be sure, L have just come
ack from my three weeks vacation. but ther
you had not been to see for ever so long before
that. Is there anything the matter? Come ur
tonight and perhaps I can explain. Yours sin
4 cerely, Cecil TraFers.
Again Mr. Saunders sat staring at {
piece Of paper, but theis time it was thu
shock Of sudden JOY. She had never seer
his story. It had been turned down by
her deputy reader. 80 r.
Il He made most OF the explanations thai
evening, but Miss. Traversc did not seem
( to MIND ssoE @.--r -,.as>s-s,E
.... ~ 8