The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-08-26
to monopolize a good share Of her

TO monopolize good share of heS
time.
He could not tell whether he was
taking any Roadway or not. She was
friendly but very elusive, and the time
had come when he must so back to
ais work, for there, were obligations
which he could not ignore.
He lured her out that morning for a
row, with the promise of a lovely spot
which she had never seen He was
unusually silent and she leaned back
in her corner of the boat watching him
with speculative eyes. Apparently he
was searching for some particular
nook. At length his quest appeared
ended, for he drew the boat carefully
to the shore and held out his hand to
her. Then they wandered over a
wooded knoll near by. "This is the
place, I am sure" he said at last. Il
nave seen it often In my dreams, and
here is just where the end rested"
She stared at him in mild wonder
mo, | am not out of my mind" he
assured her, Il wanted to tell you a
story, and l had an unaccountable
fancy for telling it to you in this spot.
VIII you hear its"
rs it interesting? Does it com.
mence Once upon a timer"
"Of course it does 1t would be an
exceedingly poor story if it didn't. 1
hope" and the mans face grew very
earnest, that you will be interested
in the poor little story but cannot
be sure
Once upon time when the world
was nearly two decades younger than
1T is now, a boy and girl started from
the hotel down in that valley to find a
pot of gold at the end of a rainbow
at least the boy, who must have been
a very mercenary creature, was think
ing only of the gold but the girl was
much more poetic, for she cared moth
ing at all for the gold She only wish.
ed to see more closely that wonder of
mist and light which held and en-.
thralled her fancy. They got lost; of
course, that was a foregone conclusion,
you know, and they were only discov-
cred and saved by kindly miracle of
fate. The girl was a genuine brick,
though, and never tainted the boy
with his rashness and wickedness in
leading her into such peril The boy
should have known better, you see, for
he was considerably older, but he was
always good bit of a fool He did
not find the end of the rainbow, but
for years he dreamed of it, and in
some mysterious way he came to fan.
cy that the treasure was not gold after
all, as his nurse had told him, but that
1t was something infinitely more prec,
lous than gold. He was never quite
sure what the mysterious treasure
might be, but he knew that when he
was a man he must seek it here-just
on this very spot, for it was here that
the rainbow seemed to end as the chill
dren looked UP to it from the valley
beloW-just here by this little hill"
There was a silence. Her face was
turned quite away The man looked
at her keenly and then went on with
his story in a low voice which, per-
maps, shook just trife.
! And so-and so-he came here to-
day. He knows now what the treasure
is at the end of the rainbow A wo-
mans heart and a woman's love. He
does not know whether he dare claim
it or not, but it is the gift which he
most covets from life. And-can
have it, dear?"
Her face was still turned away The
mans heart had time to grow very
heavy before she spoke
Il was always wildly grateful to you
for not telling that it was actually |
who had proposed the expedition"
you don't mean" he interrupted
breathlessly, that you we're"
"And-and-I did want to find the
end of the rainbow, too, and if you
think that we could, perhaps, find--it
to- ~'ar-why-"
He IS holding her hand in a tight
clasp, and was looking down at her
with eyes full of reverent, incredu-
lous joy.-Mabel C. Jones in every
Where"