Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-10-08

Dew
when l first told you that loved
you, Netta'-an trace Of gayety and
seemed to have fallen from
him, and left him pathctically ennobled
by an intense earnestness-"and you
laughed ut me, and sent me away"
II did not laugh at you
She fired resentfully, though the
tears she was keeping back were sting
ing her eyellds.
when you sent me away" he con
tinued. sorrowfully, IL thought my
heart was broken. 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 from him, angry with herself
for being taken unawares and over
come by his unexpected news. and
touched by the pathos of his confes
sion.
Then l began to hope again." he
went on. land by and by fooled my
self into fancying you had changed
ana one day l came to you as | had
come before. And you sent
me away as you had sent me before
If | came to you again In the same
way feel that. in the same way, you
would only send me away again; 50
what am ] to do?"
she did not answer him.
II thought to, .mysclf. l must die
ont of my old life and begin n new
one. When you're past hope the wiz
est thing is to give up hoping; then
you're past despair. Once | might
have been happy; now l shall have to
be satisfied If l am not miserable. |
can never leave off loving you, Meta,
but l shall not make myself nui
sancc to you-"
"You have-you have never made
yourself d"
Her voice futtered in her throat,
and she discrcetly let it die there, soon
er than it should falter and die on hct
lips, and so bctray her heart to him.
"You will forget me. no doubt. but
shall remember you always" He
glanced toward her. She was not look
ing at him, but an indetinnble 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 tremulous cry Of
"Netta!'
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-rcstraint 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 l have misunderstood
you" he pleaded; Il have been too i'm
patient"
NO; it is too late" she faltered,
asha med of her strange weakness and
clasping her hands over her face to
hide 1t from him, since she could not
free herself from his OBTAINING en-
brace.
ut isn't too late, Meta" he insist
ed, drawing her head down on his
breast so that her face was hidden
there. II love you more than ever,
and If you love me only ever so little,
how can 1t be too later"
How can you tell--her-"
81 have told herr he laughed. eXcit-
eddy. eff you are not angry with me,
she won't be. If you love me, she will
love me. If you will marry me-"
Nctta waited.
Il shall marry her,
And In flash she saw through his
deceit.
Don't look up, dear" he said. keep
ing one arm resolutely about her, and
Ia ing hand lightly on the curly
brown head aga inst his breast Il am
ashamed of myself for such trickery.
But had no idea of behaving so
meanly when | came this afternoon. L
had not planned 1t at all. 1t really
was not my fault"
do you mean 1t was mine"
He was not sure from her voice
whether she was laughing or crying.
NO. no--not yours. 1t was all
through the dear old vicar. 1t was Ell
tirely his fault. While you were tell
ing me his notion that you could be
led but not driven, and what he said
about more ways than one, it struck
me suddenly that | had tried one way
twice, and / wondered whether II was
any good trying again. and trying a
different way. Will You for
rive me, Meta, and let's blame the
dear old vicar? Don't look up,
dear. till YOU can forgive mel 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 Il
wistful light shining through them
that made them sweeter and happier
than any laughter.-Black and White.