Morris tribune., 1904-08-13

| EVa,s tone and manner that was not
wont to be there, something that he
could neither define nor understand,
though he felt it instinctively.
81 am not cross, Eva, but I am
grieved--g rieved beyond measure.
Your conduct last night caused me
acute pain, the more SO as you ex-
pressed no regret for it. But hope
you are in a better frame of mind
today and ready to say you are sor-
ry for what you did. Until you have
done SO really don't feel I can kiss
you"
Charlie fully expected that this
stupendous threat would reduce Eva
to the lowest depths of despair and
bring her, fguratively speaking, to
her knees, but for once was he out
in his calculations. She drew up
her slender figure and pursed up her
rosy lips with an air that made him
feel vaguely uneasy. Was it to de-
fly him? Yes. Her next words
proved that it was so.
81 am not sorry" she said. 'tNot
D bit. l am glad. I would do it
again"
Charlie gasped. The situation
was SO unlocked for that he could
not rise to it all at once.
CAS- for kissing me-" Eva went
on, with a little disdainful move,
swell, you will never have the
chance of doing that again, so you
need not excite yourself"
Charlie found his voice then.
GU are talking at random now,
Eva" he said severely, "a bad habit,
against which have always warned
you, Will you be kind enough to
explain YOURSELF"
ooh, certainly" Eva answered. Il
can do it in a very few words. Lord
Dolly proposed to me last night, and
I accepted him."
Charlie gasped again.
but you are engaged to me" he
calculated. "You must be mad.
You can't seriously contemplate
throwing me over for Dolly Dash
wood. The things impossibleY'
She looked at him and smiled.
Incredible as it may seem to you,
[ do contemplate il"
''But - but - but" stammered
'Ethis is very-er-extraor-
binary behavior on your part, Eva.
Are you aware that you propose to
;reat me in a most dishonorable
way, and-and-er-in short, very
oadly?"
Her face grew grave.
Il should be sorry to do that, she
aid more gently. 'I-I don't want |
o be dishonorable or to treat you
BADLY, Charlie, but l am only hui
nan, and no one but myself knows
What I have gone through in the
asst few months. You have tried !
ne too hard. l was very fond Of
ou at one time, and if you had
reated me fairly should have been
ond of you still. But you would
7ear out a saint, and [ am only a
yoman. I don't think Lord Dolly
Tould be hard on me. He may not
e very brilliant, but at all events
e is a mantle sort of man we
all a gentleman-and knows how
0 be generous, even to such an al
ogether inferior creature as a mere
oman"
She paused and looked critically
her rejected lover, who now pre-
ented truly pitiable appearance,
18th all the starch taken out of him
nd a general air of limp depression
ervading his being.
''That is ALL" she went on pres
ntly. ''But before you go there is
ne thing that I should like to i'm
ress upon you for future guidance
it is always worth a mans while
, be just and fair, even to a wo-
an"
She paused again and contemplate
him with her big blue eyes, but
2 said nothing. He was too be-
ildered to even speak. It seemed
} him that all the laws Of creation
ere reversed and the whole scheme
the universe turned upside down.
There was a hitch in the system
mewhere. It had failed.-London
ruth.