River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-08-25

| clear, bold SuperScrlptlon, lying IN The
| little drawer; for Lima had long since
ceased to file them with the business
correspondence A sob rose in heI
| throat, but she choked it back. The
| truth of her heart had grown very ap-
parent to her in that half hour.
Dull days followed, wherein heI
work dragged. She grew thin and pale
despite her whipped-up interest in the
healthful pursuits that had hitherto
been q delight and inspiration. No
one but Mabel Rogers guessed the Sc
cret; and, at the end of a miserable
half year, Lina's people sent her, a
dispirited ghost of herself, to recuper-
ate at the summer home of a friend.
There, Lima protested in vain that
rest and quiet were all she needed.
Il don't want to be entertained,
she begged; but the lady turned
deaf ear.
You're a living demonstration OF
my theory that thinking is injurious,
she declared, flippantly. Now, the
corrective principle is stirring up, ex-
element, pleasure" So she issued in
vitations for lawn party.
There's a friend of Fred's coming,
to whom you should be particularly
NICE" said Mrs. Mayfield, teasingly, on
the evening in question. HE doesnt
dream know it, but he purloined a
cut of you out of my Writer'S Journal
once when he was here"
Lima flushed scarlet, remembering
other things. She laughed little, but
with an internal sickening sense Of
loss, and heartily hoped the unknown
pilferer of her picture might have a
toothache and stay at home. He had
slipped her mind entirely, when, three
hours later, sweet and bewitching In
her pink organdie, she stood among
her friends guests OH 1t was all
very dear of Maud. But she would
have given every pretty dress she
owned to be out of it and away.
Past a fluffy crepe-de-chine Shout
der, presently, she saw Mrs. Mayfield
plotting tall, dark-haired. fine-look-
ing man directly toward her. Even
then she did not recall her hostess
" oil AlhS n 1lO1hChL ShO 6AONI
about her fell back, and Mrs. Mayfield
presented her companion, whose
name. however, Lima failed to catch.
"Fred's friend, dear. Don't be too
long getting acquainted. | want you
both on the ices said the lady as she
slipped away.
The stranger offered his arm, and
Lima moved mechanically with him
across the grass She had caught one
hasty glimpse of glowing eyes and
compressed lips that half-frightened
her; a trite speech died in her throat,
and she dumply suffered herself to be
led.
'I'd like to know" burst forth the
stranger, impulsively, at safe distance
from the others, what is your opin-
ion of a man who jumps at conclu-
sions, and then rushes madly off with
out even testing them? Miss Radford
--Lina"-his voice softened with sud-
den, shaken gentleness-"Can you con-
ceive of greater blunderer than
have been"
A swift terror took possession Of
Lima Who was this-a well-dressed
lunatic? Or She paused and drew
away, facing him in the light of the
overhanging lanterns. With deep
breath, he reached out, taking forcible
possession of her hands.
God knows what I've suffered all
these wretched months" he went on,
unsteadily. For it was only this
morning learned from Mayfield what
a monstrous mistake I'd made. Tell
me, dear, that l shall not wake In a
few minutes and find it only a mock
ing dream, after az"
With a smothered, hysterical cry,
Lima snatched away her hands as he
would have lifted them to his lips. A
quick change, that cut her to the heart
in spite of herself. passed over his
face, leaving it white.
"How dare you!" she quavered.
What are you saying to me. an utter
Stranger"
He stood quite still, bewildered.
when a man has written woman
such letters as mine to you, he hardly
merits that title, does, he, dear?" he
asked, trifle huskily.
The lighted lawn surged round Lima
She put out one hand, grasping moth
ing.
"Your-Ietters? she gasped; and the
next instant the audacious stranger
had his arm around her, drawing her
back into the frinedly shadow of the
naples.
My letters. of course" he was as
surfing her, with suspicious break in
his laughing voice. why, Lima, did
you not realize it was dwight Hill
mans self? Oh, darling! l have not
hoped in vain, have I?-though you
were so cruel as to let me go on be-
lieving all those months that you were
the wife of another!"
go and fetch Lima and Mr.. Hillman,
will you, Fred?" said Mrs. Mayfieid
half an hour later. Her eyes danced
when her husband returned, with a
face of comic dismay. "You daren't?
Well, Grace and Farley will do. I'm
going to make Dwight present of
that mutilated copy of the Writers
Journal -