The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-06-19

anu W a Dig man the lOv of a little
woman- She drew back from him
as he leaned toward her and he did
not complete the sentence. Her i'm
patience made him frown. Wont
you let me reason with your" he
asked. Wont you help me to SUP.
press all appearance of displeasure?"
1t is of no USE" she replied.
What is of no use? Reason?"
Argument"
What! Do you mean"
II mean that l am going to marry
him"
In her eye there was no appeal, no
pleading, for the look that she gave
him was hard and determined. Harsh
words flew to the Majors mind, and
he shook with the repression Of them;
but he was silent. He showed his
hands into his pockets and she heard
his keys rafting. He arose with a
deep sigh, and now, with his hands be-
hind him, walked up and down the
room. Suddenly he faced about and
stood looking down upon her, at the
rose in her hair.
Louise, n night on a steamboat
there was q rollicking dance. 1t was
a moonlight excursion. There was a
splash and a cry that a woman had
fallen overheard. l leaped into the
river, grasped her, held her head
above the stream, fighting the current.
A boat was put out and we were taken
IN board, and then by the light of a
lantern l found that I had saved the
life of my own daughter. So, upon
you, l have more than a fathers claim
the claim of g%allantry, and this you
cannot disregard, and upon it l base
my plea"
She looked up straight at him; her
lips were half open, but she said
nothing.
You don't seem to understand"
he added, seeming to stiffen his Shout
ders in resentment at the calmness
with which she regarded him. 81 tell
you that l waive the authority of a
father and appeal to your gratitude;
l remind you that 1 saved your life
leaped into the cold water and seized
you, not knowing whose life l was
striving to save at the risk of losing
my own. Isn't that worth some sort
of return? Isn't it worth ever the
sacrifice of a whim? Louise, don't
look at me that way. Is it possible
that you don't grasp" He hesitated
and turned his face toward the parlor
whence came again the cough, hollow
and distressing. The sound died away,
echoing down the hall, and a hen
clucked on the porch and a passage
door slammed.
Louise" he said, looking at her.
Eyes, sir"
do you catch"
~ catch everything, father. 1t was
noble of you to jump into the river
when you didn't know but that you
might be drowned, and recognizing
that you risked your life, and feeling
a deep gratitude, it is hard to repay
you with ~disobedience. Wait a mo-
ment, please. You must listen to me.
1t is hard to repay you with disobedi-
ence, but it cannot be helped. You
say that Mr.. Pennington is dying and
know that you speak the truth. He
knows that he is dying, and he ap-
peals to me not to let him die lone
not alone in words" she quickly add
ed, "but with something stronger than
words, his helplessness, his despair.
Other people have appeared to shun
him because he is dying, but"
Hold on" he broke in. Il deny
that. No one has Stunned him be-
cause he is dying. Everybody is sor-
ry for him, and you know that would
do anything for him"
would you? Then let him die un-
der this roof as my husband. Oh, look
how poor and thin he is, so helpless
and dying day by day, with no rela-
ives near him, with nothing In pros