The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-03-25

upon the bench. Il Will not cry, she
said, not so firmly as she thought she
lid.
MY blessed childr' he cried in great
distress and perturbation. "What have
l done? II
"Call me small all you like" she
answered. Il don't care. 1t isn't that.
You mustn't think me such an i'm
beetle" She dropped her hands from
her face and shook the tears from her
eyes with a mor.nful little laugh. He
saw that her fingers were clinched
tightly and her lip trembled. 81 win
not cry" she said again.
Somebody ought TO murder me. l
| ought TO have thought-personalitie
are hideous"-
DON'T 1t wasn't that"
IL ought TO be shot
"Ah. please don't say that" she said,
shuddering. please don't, not even a.
a joke. after last night"
"But 1 ought to be for hurting you.
| Indeed
She laughed sadly again. TT wasn't
that / don't care what you call me. i
am small. You'll try to forgive me for
being such babyr l didn't mean any
thing said. / haven't acted SO badly
since i was a child"
It's my fault. all OF It. I've tired
you out. and | let you get crushed at
the circus. and
| "Thatr' she said. II don't think ]
would have missed the circus"
He had a thrilling hope that she
meant the tent pole. She looked as IL
himself believe II.
NO" he continued, 81 have been so
madly happy in being with you that
I've fairly worn out your patience. I've
haunted you all day, and l have
'All that has nothing to do with it."
she said, with a gentle motion OF her
hand to bid him listen. Just after you
left this afternoon found that could
not stay here. My people are going
abroad at once, and ] must go with
them. That's what Is almost making
me cry. l leave here tomorrow morn
ing"
He felt something strike at his heart.
In the sudden sense of deartb he had
no establishment that she should be-
tray such agitation over her departure
from a place she had known 50 little
and friends who certainly were not
part OF her life. He rose to his feet,
and. resting his arm against q syca-
more. stood staring away from her at
nothing She did not move. There
was a long silence. He had wakened
1 ,n-tz -
phire. the sward emerald, Plattville a
Camelot OF romance, a city Of enchant-
ment, and now, like a meteor burned
out in breath, the necromancy fell
away and he gazed into desolate years.
The thought OF the square, his dusty
office, the bleak length of Main street,
as they would appear tomorrow gave
him n faint physical sickness. Today
ii had all been touched to beauty. he
had felt fit TO live and work here q
thousand years-a FOOLS dream, and
the waking was to arid emptiness. He
should die now Of hunger and thirst in
this Sahara. He hoped the fates would
let II be soon, but he knew they would
not; knew that this was hysteria, that
in his endurance he should plod on
plod, plod dustily on, through dingy
lonely years.
There was rumble OF thunder faI
out on the western prairie. A cold
breath stole through the hot stiffness
and an arm of vapor reached out be
tween the moon and the quiet earth
Darkness fell. The man and girl kept
silence between them. They might
have been two sad guardians Of the
black little stream that FLASHED un
seen at their feet. Now and then a re
hection of faraway lightning family
limned them with a green light. Thun
der rolled nearer. ominously. The gods
were driving their chariots over the
bridge. The chill breath passed. leav
ing the air again TO its hot inertia.
II did not want TO co." she said al
last, with tears just below the surface
but he-they wouldn't-I can't
"wanted TO stay herey' he said hus
kily. not turning. Here? In In
diana:'
Yes"
"ln Rouen, you mean"
''In Plattville."
"In Plattville" He turned now. as
founded
Yes. Wouldn't you have taken mi
on the Hersld:" She rose and came to
ward him. Il could have supported
myself here II you would. and I've
studied how newspapers are made.
know I could have earned a wage.
could have helped you make IL daily.
He searched In vain for q trace of rail
lery In her voice. There was none
She seemed to intend her words to b,
taken literally.
Il don't understand" he said. 81
don't know what you mean"
Il mean that l want to stay here
that | ought to stay here; that my
conscience tells me l should; but
; can't. and it makes me very unhappy
That was why | acted so badly"
Your conscience"' he cried
"oh. l know what a tumble and puz
zle it must seem to you
Il only know one thing-that you ar
, | going away tomorrow morning ant
. that ] shall never see you again."
The darkness had grown intense
/, | They could not Iee each other. but ;
wan glimmer gave him fleeting. mist.
: view Of her. She stood half turne,
from him. her hand TO her cheek II
. the uncertain fashion Of his great mo
ment in the afternoon. Her eyes. h
saw in the flying picture that b
caught. were troubled. and her han'
trembled She had been irresistible Il
/. her gayety. but now that mysteriou
distress assailed her. OF the reason 70
which he had no guess. she was .
I ! ndorably pathetic and seemed such