The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-06-27
FRANKLIN, La, SATURDAY. JUNE n, 1908

you, Netta"-all trace Of gayety and
Indifference seemed to have fallen from
him. and left him pathetically cnnobled
by an intense earnestness-"and you
laughed at me, and sent me away
II did not laugh at yOt1---'
She fired resentfully, though the
tears she was keeping back were
stinging under her eyelids.
"When you sent me away" he con
tinued, sorrowfully, Il thought my
heart was broken. I didn't want to
live: l felt that the whole world was
| empty, without you. For days and
days l was unspeakably wretched and
then"
She bit her lip and kept her eyes
turned away from him, angry with
herself for being taken unawares and
overcome by his unexpected news. and
touched by the pathos Of bis confes.
sion.
Then I began to hope again." he
went on, "and by and by l fooled
myself into fancying that you had
changed, and one day l came to you
as had come before And you
sent me away as you had sent me be-
fore. If 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 l to do:"
She did not answer him
Il thought to myself. l must die out
Of my old life and begin 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 shall have to be satisfied
If am not miserable. l can never
leave off loving you, Meta, but I shall
not make myself nuisance to you-''
"YouS have-you have never made
yourself a"
Her voice fluttered In her throat, and
she dlscreetly 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 I
shall remember you always" He
glanced toward her. She was not look
ing at him, but an indefnable some
thing in her subdued expression, in
her very attitude, thrilled him through
with an ecstatic consciousness and as
surance that brought him instantly to
his feet with a tremulous cry of
Meta"
She rose, startled, and made a con-
fused 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 faint, futile resist
ance, close and closer to him.
"Only tell me have misunderstood
you." he pleaded; Il have been too
inpatient"
mo; 1t 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.
'It isn't too late, Netta," he insisted,
drawing her head down on his breast
so that her face was hidden there.
II love you more than ever. and if
you love Inc only ever so little. how
can it be too late?'
"How can you tell-her-"
II have told herv' he laughed, excit-
edly. IF you are not angry with Inc,
she won't be. If you love me, she will
love me. If you will marry NC"
Meta waited.
II shall marry her"
And in q flash she saw through his
deceit.
Don't look up. DEAR" he said, keep
ing one arm resolutely about her and
laying a hand lightly on the curly
brown head. II am ashamed Of my
self for such trickery. But l had 10
idea of behaving so meanly when
came this afternoon. 1 had not planned
it at all. 1t really was not my fault
"Do 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
entirely his fault. While you were
telling ne his notion that you could
be led but not driven, and what he
said about more WAYS than one, 1t
struck me suddenly that l had tried
one way twice, and l wondered
whether it was any good trying again,
and trying in q different way. {. .
VIII you forgive me, Meta, and let's
blame the dear old vicar? . Don't
look up, dear, until you can forgive me
Il 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
wistful light shining through them
that made them sweeter and happier
than any laughter.-Black and White.
Romance Of Millions.
From Odessa comes romantic story
of a miser's millions. A man named
Roa1i died some months ago amid Sllr-