Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-05-13

uaIly since his struggle in the dip crumbled into dismal ruin. He strode away into the orchard cursing him. self for his mad presumption. Yet hope died hard, and by the time the sound of the supper bell rang out he made up his mind that the presence of this unexpected arrival should not deter him from pleading his cause. Curiously, in all his thoughts of Miss Densmore the probability that her affections were engaged was not 3 thing that had received from him much consideration. Now he won dered why. l The evening meal was earlier than | usual, that those of the pickers who desired might catch the train at Him, tonville. After he had eaten Rossiter again sought the orchard. He had 1 decided that he would wait and watch to see when MT. Wolfe took his de- parture, and then perhaps the oppor- | tunity he sought would offer itself. Eagerly he marked the shadows gatAer, and saw the evening star be- gin to glisten beyond the purple out l line of the distant hills. He was just upon the point of returning to the proximity of the house when he caught the faint murmur of voices. He had found seat upon 8 wide rail in corner of the snake fence where ] tall elderberry-b bushes formed par tial screen, and fancying it was some of the pickers wandering by the path, half dozen yards away, to the edge l of the orchard, he concluded he would let them pass before making move. He sat there inattentive and passive until suddenly he was conscious that one of those speaking was Miss Dens- more. Without looking he knew who her companion must be, What should he do? As yet he had heard no word of their conversation, and he had no desire to play the unwilling caves dropper. As noiselessly as possible he tried to shift his position so that he might slip into the. bushes on the other side of the fence and thus steal away unnoticed. He had half accom- plished his purpose when what Wolfe was saying became clear to him.
 ''It isn't matter of one hour in the day, Sylvia, but of every hour" his words ran. Indeed, it seems to me that you are never absent from my thoughts. I can't put you away from me. Why, up therein the woods IT heard your name in the song of \ every bird, in every breeze that cried in the pine-tops, in every brook mur- muring over the rocks. Your face l was always before me, even when woke in the great darkness of the forest night
 Rossiter could not know that it was the third time this young man had declared his love to Miss Densmore;
 that he was now breaking his promise I not to speak of it to her again; that a moment before, when he had ven- tured on forbidden ground, she had endeavored to silence him. To the tortured man it seemed like a first declaration, and to all appearances the girl was willing listener. Tn his agony of mind his caution was forgotten, and he allowed one of the
 branches which he had bent back to slip from his hand and strike against the fence. Miss Densmore glanced towards him, recognized his disap- l bearing figure. and gave little, sup pressed cry. He supposed it to be enc of fright ,gand, hastily parting the .I bushes among which he now found 1 himself, sped, crushed at heart, swift
 ly away in the thickening shades.
 (To be continued)