The Tupelo journal., 1902-10-24

naughty Indifference you appeared
to me so alluringly unassailable that
the desire grew within me to be he
who should pierce the armor of your
chilly reserve till it lay broken and
useless at your feet. 1t was be-
cause I knew your heart to be un.
touched by passion that I longed tc
stir within it thoughts of love. It
was because you were so sweet, SO
true, so pure, so innocent, that"
For your 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
1T became earnest; so desperately,
painfully earnest! 1 ought to have
drawn back, but / could not! It is so
seldom a man resists his inclinations!
And then I 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 I 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 understands; but in yours, in
mine, away, apart from everyone!"
He went on vehemently, noting the
growing pallor of her cheeks.
Il deserve every reproach from
you. L"
"But that is the worst of it," she
interrupted, coming nearer to him
and resting her cold hands half alb
sently on his breast. ST cannot re-
proach you'll 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 Ifs
altogether? And I am so fearful lest
it should be a one-sided fight-lest
the victory should lie with the one it
should not. Can't you understand?
l 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; now I know
I must be foreyer-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 that
had a sob in it, tempt me 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 for
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 she
was not gone. She was coming to-
ward him. She had not strength to
go after all, he thought, while a wild,
delirious joy, that sent the blood
rushing to his head and robbed him
of sight and hearing, took posses
sion of him.
"You have come back?" he said,
breathlessly, and held out to her
both his hands.
Dear she answered, gravely,
"don't make-another woman-suf-
fer as"
The rest of the sentence died away
in a whisper. Through the blind
tangle of his mind, the booming in
his ears, there came the slow, de-
parting rustic of her gown, the click
of the latch, the soft closing of the
door.
His face contracted painfully, and
then fell forward on his arms, flung
down in bitter, hopeless despair upon
the windowsill.-Clement Scott's Free
Lance.