The Union Republican., 1904-12-02

world for Inc" lie concluded, the color
that usually glowed under his tam.
notlcably absent From the first mo
ment | knew it. | would have follow
ed you to tile ends of the earth to tell
you this even though l hS1 known
that you would refuse men'
Betty Alston. her face as white as
his own, turned to him with quivering
lips. His ssearnestness frightened hers
But there was jack Winter-dear
Jack with the laughing eyes and the
gay smile! And yet Jack would never
have followed lier out of the crowd,
and
She covered her face with her hands,
and Manice, pitted against fate, set
his jaw grlmly..
SIS there any one else?" he asked
at last, and sthe gentleness of his
voice Betty took courage. :
"You don't know how unworthy l
feel,' she began in trembling voice.
''You see, don't know myself. l hate
myself for sit, but l really don't. If
you love me like this, l ought to
know, oughtnt I, whether love you
or not?" ~
She looked at him with the puzzled
confidence of child appealing to- an
elder for help in crisis Then sud-
denly the color came up over her soft,
white neck, rising higher and higher
until it suffused her whole face, and
the eyes that had been gazing SO clear
iy and childishly into his dropped. In
that moment her heart was clearer to
him than it was to herself
"Think about it for a week, sweet
heart" he whispered, and, carrying her
hand to his lips for brief moment,
turned and left her.
"She loves me-she loves me, God
bless herl | know it." Manice's
thoughts ran during the days that fol-
lowed, and. though the hours seemed
endless, not once during that time did
he approach her. He shrewdly sus-
pected that his absence would do more
than anything else could to reveal her
heart to herself.
So sure of his answer was he that he
wanted to make the day memorable to
both of them. Many plans suggested
themselves, but none of them seemed
worthy. Then chance remark of hers
fitted across his mind, and he muir
INJURED, with enthusiasm, "The very
thing, by JoveH
She had whimsically said to him once
that it was her idea of bliss to have
Hagadorn, the well known organist,
play the wonderful organ at st. Mi
chael's an hour for her alone, and he
decided that If Hagadorn was suscep-
tible to the persuasive power of money
she should have that pleasure.
But to his dismay he found that he
was not. He did not understand the
gentleman's request, and he refused
the offer somewhat haughtily. 1t was
then that Manice appealed to the man,
ignoring the artist, and at the end of
his brief but somewhat shamefaced
explanation Hagadorn was smiling
genially.
.4,ll do It@ith- pleasure, = said ,Aey ,hee
holding out his hand.
"And of course you'll know just
well, just the right sort of musicT
suggested Manice. 1.-THE sort that will
that will''-
"Yes," assented the organist, 81
think know the sort" And they part
ed in great good humor.
At the end of that rapturous hour Of
wonderful music in the dim interior of
St. Michael's next day Betty simply
turned her humid eyes upon Manice
and held out her hands. 1t was not un-
til she had gained the poise and asser-
tion of six months of wifehood that
she accused him of taking an unfair
advantage.
"As if any girl could have refused
such lover!" she taunted, ruffling his
hair disgracefuIly. "It was what the
papers cali claptrap."