The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-01-08


first, then she will hate you, and your
cousin will catch her at the rebound"
Dallas sits down and buries his face in
his hands.
you are awfully hard on me-" he says,
presently-"on me and her, too"
'You used to have faith in me-" OBJ
serves Mrs. Trevanion, quietly.
$50 l have now, implicit faith. But l
cannot see that l ought not to write to
her."
"Yet you have given your word to Mr..
Ellesmere. And, if tell you that it is
for her good, cannot you make a little
sacrifice for once?"
"a little sacrifce?" groans Dallas. ITO
act in a way to make the dearest, sweet
est girl in the world, whom love with all
my heart, think me mean hound!'
"My dear, she will only think of you
as a gay young Guardsman, given to the
pastime of breaking hearts. She will
probably be much more angry with her
self for having been deceived by your Sc
ductive ways than with you. l expect she
has heard your character before this.
Indeed, if, as you say, you devoted your
self at first to Mrs. Fetherston, she would
probably have a pretty good idea of your
capacity for Irritation"
Dallas throws her glance Of deepest
reproach.
"As if my feelings for those two could
be named in the same BREATH
''To return to this poor girl, for whom
/ am dreadfully sorry" said Mrs. Ire
vanion. "You must promise me not to
write one word to her."
1t, however, took at least another half
hour, during which she brought every
possible argument to bear, before he
could be persuaded; but ultimately, Mrs.
Trevanion got her own way, and Dallas,
looking very mOurnful and with some
thing like tears in his blue eyes, gave her
his word of honor and his hand on it not
to write to June.
Once he had made up his mind that the
case was hopeless, and talked it over
again and again with his friend, he be-
gan gradually to recover his spirits, and
was able to re-embark on his Irritation
with Lady Dangerfield. At the end of a
fortnight, having been much in her lady
ships society at Goodwood and COwes,
he had come to the conclusion that to mar
ry at his age and under his circumstances
would be to tie milestone round his neck
and drown himself in the depths of the
social sea. But he still thought that, if
he did marry, he would like to marry
June.
Meantime, Mrs. Trevanion's prophecy
with regard to June had been absolutely
verified. Her despair had given way to
sense of singing shame and anger.
Pride, of which she had no small share,
came to her rescue; she resolved to pluck
Dallas from her bleeding heart, ay,
though it bled to death.
, Although June smiled and dissembled
before others, the anguish she suffered in
secret told upon her, and, with mothers
quick instinct. Mrs. Rivers saw that
something was not well with her darling
| She never dreamed of Dallas being the
cause of June's altered looks; she was
convinced that Tom was responsible for
the change. Did June really care for
him, and was she piqued because he had
! suddenly gone off on yachting trip, or
/ had they Quarreled, and was that the
reason of Toms abrupt departure?
She could not bear the thought of her
child having a secret from her; she could
not even realize such a possibility.
AS for June, what would she not have
given to fling her arms round her moth
| eT ueCk anu SUD out III the agony OF
her wounded spirit on that dear breast?
If it had been anything but shame-dead-
ly, disgraceful shame as she, poor child,
regarded 1.-THE task would have been
easy enough But this dreadful secret
she could never, never confide.
Mrs. Rivers turned over in her head
fifty ways of broaching to June the sub
ject of her altered looks. She had so
delicate and sensitive a mind that she
could not ask a blunt question even of
her own child. At last she summoned up
resolution to say one evening, as she and
June sat in the twilight:
my darling, ]. do not think you are
looking quite yourself. Does anything
vex or trouble you?'
The dim light kindly hid the burning
blush which covered June's face.
mo, mamma, dear" she answered, try
ing to speak naturally.
you and Tom have not been quarrel
ing, have you?"
"Oh, no; indeed we have not"
"Are you yexed with him for going
away?"
mot in the least"
Then silence fell on the pair. Mrs. Riv-
ers was conscious of sense of disap-
pointment She felt certain that some
thing was amiss with her child, and it
was bitter to know that June was con-
cealing it from her.
CHAPTER Y.