The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-23
waves the girl from the room. then

waves me girl IrOm the fOom. tEen
calls her back to say:
Remember. receive no other callers
tonight" and sends her forth again in
haste. The young heiress doEs an ex-
Qusite robe of purest rose. She is
happy. but she does not mean that be
shall be happy too. No. she will give
| him coldness for GOODNESS; suspicion
for suspicion, and pride for pride. But
she will look so beautiful and hide her
joy under such an airy veil that he will
never 90 away again. nor leave her as
before to eat out ber heart in pride and
| desolation.
When she entered the parlor a tall
figure emerged from behind the cur
tain Of a window. She advanced with
downcast look, but her cheeks were
suffused with bushes. He came for
ward and as she slowly looked into his
face she saw that he was her benefac-
tor from Cleveland, and not her artist
lover, Hamilton Degraw.
His manner was almost as agtated
as hers. He took her hand and bowed
over it with an air such as she had
never seen in him before, and when she
had composed herself sufficiently to
awaken to the duties of a. hostess and
offer him q seat he took it with lin.
gering look at her youthful loVeliness
that set her heart beating with new
fears and possibly new hopes, for her
faith in her recreant lover was broken
and a violent resentment had taken its
place.
She broke the embarrassing silence.
She said that she had often wished to
thank him for the great benefits he had
heaped upon her, but did not like to
write.
His answer startled her. He spoke
about her position being changed by
unsuspected circumstances, and. fol-
lowing the impulses of his heart he Of
fered her his hand without any of the
conditions as those he made upon a
former occasion.
He noticed her astonishment.
81 do not wonder at your surprise"
said he. "You ask, and rightly. what
could have occurred to make such an
| action as this on my part pardonable.
I will tell you in word. After my re-
turn to Cleveland the lawyer friend
under whose invitation l visited Mr..
Delancy's death bed, came to see me,
and asked if had determined upon the
woman who was to inherit that gentle.
mans fortune. I told him that haG.
questions. which elected answers that
undoubtedly betrayed my interest in
you. for he smiled as he said:
"'Then it will not be trial for you
to fulfill Mr.. Delancy's last request"
And what is that?' l asked.
THAT you should marry the girl
you thought worthy to enjoy this for.
tune
NIiss Rogers, have never expressed
my feelings to you either in their depth
or persistency, but you can imagine how
was affected. If you remember the
stand I took at the critical moment
before the signing Of the deed. /
risked that which it was my happiness
to possess. and all for an instinct Of
honor which these words proved to
have been founded upon mistake. !
would have vented my despair upon
the lawyer. hut be answered ME that
Mr.. Delaney Lad breathed this wish in
private, and requested that it should
not be made known to me till had
made my decision. Though I have
never been far from you, I resisted my
impulses to the extent of not showing
myself in your presence till time and
inquiry have assured me that my con-
clusions were groundiess and that your
hand is quite free"
She looked up in fine scorn and her
eyes blazed with more than her old
fire.
"Quite free" she echoed. and with
the words she seemed to cast some
thing away from her that was very
precious.
He saw the gesture and. seemed to
comprehend it. A softer look crept into
his face and be took place nearer her
side.
"No heart is without its burden"
said he. II love you none the less that
your cheek is not quite as round, nor
your eyes quite rs brilliant as Of old.
Will you let that love be your com.
fort? 1t is fervent, Miss Rogers, and
it is very deep and sincere. 1t has
never been frittered away on another,
and it will know 10 change. 1 love
those now whom I loved in infancy.
and never lose an affection which I
have once formed"
To hr continued.