The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-07
Chapter Ix.-Continued.

Il might have known you Wouldn't take
me seriously she said with no indignation,
only a sad wistfulness. II am we'll used to
1t. think it is because i ann not tall; people
take big girls with more gravity. Big peo-
pie are nearly always listened to- /s1 Esess,z 4
Listened to?'' he said, and felt that he
must throw himself ON his knees before her.
you oughtn't to mind being Titania, she:
was listened to, you" %&
She sprang to her feet and her eyes flashed.
DO you think persona! comment IS ever IN
good taste?' she cried iercely, and In his.
surprise he almost fell off the bench. II
there is one thing I cannot bear, it is to be
told that am small J. am not! Every one
who isn't a giantess isn't small. Il, hate
personalities! I am great deal over five
feet, a great deal more than that. -
please, please" he said, Il didn't
Don't say you are sorry she interrupted,
and in spite of his contrition he found her
angry voice delicious, it was still 50 sweet,
hot with indignation, but ringing, no :tharsh.
Don't say you didn't mean it; because you
did! You can't u1say it., you cannot alter 1t!
All" She drew in her breath with a sharp
sigh, and covering her face with her hands,
sank back upon the bench. ''I will not cry, ;"
she said, not so firmly as she thought she
did. 4'.. eI ~
my blessed child" he cried, in great dis
tress and perturbation, What have done:
H. -. ,'s .4a
Call me small all you like!" she; an
swered. Il don't care. 1t isn't that You
mustn't think mo such an imbecile.'s She
dropped her hands from her face and shook
the tears from her eyes with a mournfui
laugh. He saw that her hands We're clenched
tightly and her, lip trembled: Il will mot
cry!" she said in low voice: ?7i. 3 =:
Somebody ought to murder me; I ought
to have thought-personalities are hideous
Don't! 1t wasn't that ~ 4 =" ~.
II ought to be shot s., Z : ~
"Ah, please don't say that she said, 'shud-
dering; "please don't, not even as a Joke
after last night" T-' o.. ':>@
But ought to be for hurting you, in
deed-' .''. 80 " - ~ t..'
She laughed sadly again. 1T wasn't that.
I don't care what you call me. am small
You'll try to forgive me for being such a
| baby? I didn't mean anything | said. |
| haven't acted so badly since I was a chifd.'
| "M's my fault all of it. I've tired you
out. And I let you get into that crush at
! the circus" he was going on, remorse-
| fully. -
That" she interrupted II don't think l
| would have missed the circus" He had
| thrilling hope that she meant the tent-pole;
| she looked as If she meant that, but he dared
| not let himself believe it.
| No" he continued; II have been so mad
| ly happy in being with you that I've fairly
worn out your patience. I've haunted you
| all day, and I have
| "All that has nothing to do with it, she
! said slowly "Just after. you left this after
| noon found that I could not stay here. My
| people are going abroad, to Dresden, at once,
| and / must go with them. That's what al
most made me cry. leave tomorrow morn
| ing &c.,. g.. ...:l -. =
He felt something strike at his heart. In
| the sudden sense Of dearth he had no. as
| H>fra cJNh OF
| tation over her departure from a place she
| had known so little, and friends who GER
| tainly were not part of her life. He rose tc
| his feet, and, resting his arm against syca-
more, stood staring away from her at moth
ing. - 49, .i:..ssta 3Az.,s'-&. ID, >sTl 2.
T. She did i not move There was a LONG
silence. -'r .< - - = ~ =Za ~
He had wakened suddenly; the skies hat
been sapphire, the sward emerald, PlattVillf
a Camelot of romance; to be there, enchant
ment-and now, like meteor burned ou
| in a breath, the necromancy fell away ant
he gazed into desolate years. The thought o
the squire, his dusty office, the bleak length
of Main street, as they should appear to
| morrow, gave him faint physical sickness
To-day it had all been touched to beauty
he had felt At to live and work there thou
sand years-a fools dream, and the wakin
was to emptiness. He should die now of hun
| ger and thirst in that Sahara; he hoped tn
Fates would let it be soon-but he knew the
would not; knew that this was hysteria, tha
in his endurance he should plod on, plod
plod dustily on, through dngy, lonely years
There was rumble of thunder far out OF
the western prairie. cold breath stol
through the hot Stiffness and an arm Q
vapor reached out between the moon and tn
quiet earth. Darkness fell. The man an
the girl kept silence between them. The
might have been two sad guardians OF tn
black little stream that FLASHED unseen
their feet Now and then an echo of far
away lightning family llumined them with
green lieht Thunder rolled nearer, om1n
ously; the gods were driving their chariot
over the bridge The Chill breath passed
leaving the air again to its hot inertia
II did not want to co. she said, at last
with tears just below the surface of ne
, voice. II wanted to stay here, but he
they Wouldn't can't.
Wanted to stay here?' he said, huskll5
not turning "Here?"- = ~ 5-' T..
yes" - -
I'm Rouen, you mean?" 81
| "In Plattvile.' "
I'm Plattville?" He turned now, astoundet
"Yes: wouldn't you have taken me on tn
: Herald?" She rose and came toward him. :
could have supported myself here II 70
would-and I've studied how newspapers al
:. made; I know U could have earned q wag
We could have made 1t daily. He searche
: in vain for trace of raillery in her voic'
there was none: she seemed to intend ~
words to be taken literally. - w. ~ -
II don't understand" he said. Il don
9 know what you mean" - -. !. *,
= 81 mean that I want to stay here: that
ought to stay here; that my conscience tel
n me should--but I cant, and It makes n
/, yery unhappy That was why acted
n badly" ..1~. ~. u
.'Your conscience!" he cried.
II "Oh. / know what a. jumble and puzzle
" must seem to you. .. ". r. q. -.
e 81 only know one thing; that you are gol1
away tomorrow morning, and that shs
l. never<see YOU again.. IT,. ssaa.. 80
a The darkness had grown heavy. They cou
not see each other; but wan glimmer ga
him feeting, misty view of her; she sto
l. half-turned away from him, her hand to b
> cheek in the uncertain fashion OF his gre
moment of the afternoon; her eyes-he ST
in the flying picture that he caught-we
aderably troubled and her hand tremtled. S
= had been irresistible in her gayety; but NJ
~ that a mysterious distress assailed her., t
G. reason for which he had no guess, she was
ty divinely pathetic; and seemed such rich a
q lovely and sad and happy thing to have COZ
" into his life only to go out Of 1t; and he "
80 full OF the prophetic sense of loss of he
it seemed SO much like losing everything-tl
: L he found too much to say to be able to S
~ ANYTHING.
II, He tried to speak, and choked a little.
big drop of rain fell on his bare. head N
: Ither Of them noticed the weather or cared
ne It. They stood with the renewed blackn
" hanging like a thick drapery between them