The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1903-04-23

come by his unexpected news, and
touched by the pathos of his confes.
sion.
"Then I began to hope again." he
went on, land by and by I fooled my
self into f%ancying you had changed,
and one day l came to you as I had
come before. -. And you sent me
away as you had sent me before. If
1 came to you again in the same way
I feel that, in the same way, you
would only send me away again; SO
what am 1 to do?"
She did not answer him.
II thought to myself, 1 must die out
of my old life and begin a new one.
When you're past hope, the wisest
thing is to give up hoping; then
you're past despair. Once L might
have been happy; now I shall have to
be satisfied if I am not miserable. I
can never leave off loving you, Meta,
but I shall not make myself a nui-
sance to you"
"You have-you have never made
yourself "a"
Her voice fluttered in her throat,
and she discreetly let it die there,
sooner than it should falter and die
on her lips, and SO betray her heart
to him.
"You will forget me, no doubt, but
L shall remember you always" He
glanced toward her. She was not
looking at him, but an indefnable
something in her subdued expression,
in her very attitude, thrilled him
through with an e~cstatic conscious
ness and assurance that brought him
instantly to his feet with a tremulous
cry of Metal"
She rose, startled, made a confused
little movement, as if she would have
evaded him and escaped from his
sight before her self-restraint was
broken down altogether.
But there was no escape for her.
He caught her impulsively in his arms
and drew her, after a faint, futile
resistance, close and closer to him.
'Only tell me ] have misunderstood
you," he pleaded; II have been too
impatient"
"No; it is too late" she faltered,
ashamed of her strange weakness and
clasping her hands over her face to
hide it from him, since she could not
free herself from his OBTAINING en-
brace.
ut isn't too late, Netta," he in
sisted, drawing her head down on his
breast so that her face was hidden
there. VI love you more than ever,
and if you love me only ever SO lit
tie, how can it be too late?"
"How can you tell-her-"
II have told her!" he laughed, ex-
citedly: eff you are not angry with
me, she won't be. If you love me,
she will love me. If you will marry
me-
Meta waited.
Il shall marry her!"
deceit.
"Don't look up, DEAR" he said, keep
ing one arm resolutely about her,
and laying a hand lightly on the cur
ly brown head against his breast.
II am ashamed of myself for such
trickery. But I had no idea of behav-
ing SO meanly when I came this aft
ernoon. I had not planned it at all.
1t really was not my fault"
$40 you mean it was mine?"
He was not sure from her voice
whether she was laughing or crying.
"No, no-not yours. It was all
through the dear old vicar. 1t was en-
tirely his fault. While you were tell
ing me his notion that you could be
led but not driven, and what he said
about more ways than one, it struck
me suddenly that I had tried one way
| twice, and I wondered whether it was
any good trying again, and trying a
different way. :. Will you forgive
me, Meta, and let's blame the dear
old vicar? 49,. Don't look up, dear,
till you can "forgive mel don't want
to see you looking angry with me,
now"
But she did look up, at last, and she
didn't look angry; for though there
were tears in her eyes, there was a
wistful light shining through them
that made them sweeter and happier
than any laughter.-Black and White.