Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-09-25
to see him one afternoon.

to see him one afternoon.
'Look here. old fellow" he sai6,
what's the mat,er7 I know I was
ungentlemanly about the handkerchief,
but that IS no reason why you should
cut Us all this way Can't you for
BET about itr
why. Jennings, old boy, haven't
cut anybody
NO, but you're tired Of us, and YOU
can't hide It. Come down the riyef
With as to-nieht The fellows have
got a yacht. ard we'll have supper ON
board with plenty Of champagne,
Won't you Gomez
JENNINGS re said, do I look IKE
man who would make good company
st champaRne supperl You know
what's the matter with me. Why don't
you just sensiDly drop me7'
Jennings begged and mocked and
hullied. all ia a good natured way. but
his friend was firm When he went
out Hayward locked the studio door
and drew his half finished picture from
behind a curtain.
'She was right he said to himself.
Constance sailed He dreamed Of
his picture as being hung In the Salon
and Of her seeing It there BY and BY
it was finished. 1t crossed the water,
and the dream he had dreamed came
true.
When Constance looked upon Hay
wards painting her heart leaped as
though IL would leave her breast
White, radiant aud glorifed, Il was
she herself who stood In the center OF
the picture. That selfreiiant, fearless
pose seemed to radiate an Infinite
calm Behind her ragged the powers Of
darkness, utterly helpless to pass the
line on which she stood. Her face
seemed to illumine the shadows
around her; her figure was instinct
with grace and strength. Below the
picture was the name. "a White
Shield"
The beauty of the conception dawned
upon her slowly Pale and trembling
she stood there, forgetful of place,
and the things around her At length
she knew what she meant to him; that
bis art at last rang true because he had
loved her enough to be a man for her
sake
She dared not linger before it then,
but she came again when the place
was empty, and stood before her low
er's work like one in dream The
fends in the shadow showed her the
might of the temptations he had fought
down. She gazed at her own glorlfied
face until her eyes filled with tears.
With a great thrOb which was almost
pain, Constance woke to the knowledge
that she loved him, even as he loved
her; well enough to stand between him
and danger till she herself should fall.
The old gray guard, passing through
the room, saw her upturned face in
that moment Of exaltation. 1t was the
same that he saw in the picture above,
and he quietly went away to wait un-
til Constance came out, her face
flushed and her eyes shining like stars
before he locked the door.
That night the cable trembled with
a message to America 1t reached
Hayward the next morning as he sat
| reading the morning paper. The en-
velope futtered unheeded to the floor
and his face grew tender as he read the
few words which told him that his
i picture had rewarded his love.
wait" he said to the messenger
boy Hurriedly he wrote the answer,
"Sail next steamer'-then, utterly
oblivieus of the additional expense, he
added another word, which must have
been very expressive, for Constance
turned crimson when it reached her
perhaps because the discerning genius
who copies cablegrams in typewriting
had put the last words in capitals
thinking that the message came from q
Mr.. Darling.