The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-26

Suddenly she found her voice. do
not misunderstood me-" she said, rap
| idly. II have done. the little that I
| have done out of gratitude" She faced
him now but without meeting his eyes.
II told you, remember. that you would
1 understand some day what I meant by
that, and the day has come. / owed
you more gratitude than woman ever
! owed man before, / think, and 1
| would have died to pay part of it.
! set every gossip's tongue in Rouen
claeking at the very start, in the mer-
est amateurish preparation for the
work Mr.. Macauley gave me. That
was nothing. And the rest has been
the happiest time in my life. l have
only pleased myself, after all!'
/ What gratitude did you owe me?"
What gratitude? For what you did
for my father"
81 have only seen your father once
in my life-at your table at the dane
supper, that night"
Listen. My father is a gentle old
man with white hair and kind eyes.
, You saw my uncle, that night; he has
been as good to me as a father, since
was years old, and he gave me
his name by law and 1 lived with him.
| My father came to see me once a, year.
never came to see him. He always
| told me everything was we'll with him.
| that his life was happy. Once he lost
the little he had left to him in the
| world, his only way of making his liv-
ing. He had no friends; he was. hum
| cry and desperate, and he wandered.
| was dancing and going about wear
ing Jewels-only-I did not know. All
the time the brave heart wrote Inc
| happy letters. 1 should have known,
for there was one who did. and who
saved him. When at last / came to
see my father. he told me- He had
written of his idol before; but it was
not till / came that he told it all to
me. Do you know what l felt? While
his daughter was dancing cotillions a
f, stranger had taken his hand-and----"
| A sob rose in her throat and checked
her utterance for a moment; but she
threw up her head and met his eyes
proudly. Gratitude. Mr. Harkless!"
she cried. II am James Fisbee's daugh-
ter"
He fell back from the bench with a
sharp exclamation, and stared at her
through the gray twilight. She went
| on hurriedly, again not looking at him:
When you showed me that you car
ed for me-when you told me that you
| did-I-do you think l wanted to care
for you? / wanted to do something to
show you that / could be ashamed Of
my vile neglect of him-something to
show you his daughter could be CRATE
full. If / had loved you, what l did
would have been for that-and l could
not have done 1t. And how could
have shown my gratitude If / had done
IT for love? And it has been such
dear, happy work, the little l have
done, that it seems, after all, that /
have done it for love of myself. But
but when you first told me- She
broke off with a strange. futterlng
half inarticulate little laugh that was
half tears; and then resumed in an
other tone: When you told me you
cared that night-that night we were
here-how could l be sure? 1t had
been only two days, you see, and even
If I could have been sure of myself,
why, / couldn't have told you. OH
had SO brazenly thrown myself at
your head, time and again, those two
days, in my-my worship of your good
ness to my father and my excitement
in recognizing in his friend the hero
OF my girlhood, that you had every
right to think cared but if--but If l
had-loved you with my whole soul,
| could not have-why, no woman could
| have--I mean the sort of girl / am
couldn't have admitted it-must have
denied it. And what was trying to
do for you when we met in Rouen
was-was counting you You surely see
couldn't have done 1t If had cared.
1t would. have been brazenl And do
you think that then I could have an
swered---' Y es'--even If I wanted to-
even IFS had been sure Of myself?
And now" Her voice sank again
to a whisper. And now"
From the meadows across the creek,
and over the fields, came far tinkling
of farm bells. Three months ago at
this hour, John HAIRLESS had listened
to that sound, and its great lonesome-
ness had touched his heart like cold
hand; but now, as the mists were ris-
| ing from the water and the small stars
| pierced the sky one by one, glinting
down through the dim, Unreasonable
blue distance, he found no loneliness
in heaven or earth. He leaned for
ward toward her; the bench was be-
tween them. The last light was gone;
| evening had fallen.
And now" he said.
She moved backward as he leaned
nearer
You promised to remember on the
day you understood" she answered, a
little huskily. that it was all from the
purest gratitude"
| 'And-and there is nothing eIse?"
If there were" she said and her
4, voice grew more and more unsteady,
| II there were, can't you see that what
have done" She stopped, and
then, suddenly, "Ah. it would have
been brazen!"
He looked up at the little stars and
he heard the bells, and they struck
| into his heart like a dirge. He made
| singular gesture of abnegation, and
| then dropped upon the bench with his
| head bowed between his hands
| She pressed her hand to her bosom.
watching him in startled fashion, her
eyes wide and her lips parted She
took few quick, short steps toward
| the garden. still watching him over
| her shoulder.
You mustn't worry" he said, not
] lifting his bent head, "I know you're
| sorry. I'll be all right in a minute"
She gave hurried glance from right
| to left and from left to right, like one
| in terror seeking a way of escape; she
| gathered her skirts in her hand as il
| to run into the garden; but suddenly
| she turned and ran to him--ran to him
swiftly, with her great love shining
| from her eyes. She sank upon her
knees beside him. She threw her arms
about his neck and kissed him on the
! forehead.
oh my dear. don't you see?" she
whispered, don't you see--don't you
see2"
When they heard the Judge calling
| from the orchard, they went back
| through the garden toward the house
| II was dark; the whitest asters were
but gray splotches. There was no onS
in the orchard: Briscoe had gone in.
doors. ibid you know you are to drive
me into town in the phaeton for the
fireworks?" she asked.
"Fireworks?"
Yes: the Great HAIRLESS has come
home" Even in the darkness he could