Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-09-05

choking him. II can't don't COM
prehend it. I am trying to realize
what it all means"
1T means nothing" she answered.
"There was an editorial yesterday"
he said, IAN editorial that l thought
was about Rodney A1cCune. Did you
write it"
YES"
at was about-me-wasn't itT
Eyes"
1T said-it said that-that I had won
the-the-love of every person in Car
low county"
Suddenly she found her voice. "Do
not misunderstood me-" she said rapid
". 81 have done the little that l have
done out of gratitude" She faced him
now, but without meeting his eyes. Il
owed you more gratitude than a wom-
an ever owed a man before, l think,
and l would have died to pay a part
of it."
What gratitude did you owe me?"
What gratitude? For what you did
for my father"
y
life"
Listen. My father is a gentle old
man with white hair and kind eyes.
| My name is my uncles He and my
aunt have been good to me as a father
| and mother since l was seven years
| old, and they gave me their name by
law, and l lived with them. My IA
| oor tO 7
er came to see him. He always told me
everything was we'll with him, that his
life was happy, and / thought it was
easier for him not having me to take
care Of. he has been SO poor ever since
| l was q child. Once he lost the little
he had left to him in the world, his
only way of making his living He had
no friends; he was hungry and desper-
ate. and he wandered. | was dancing
and going about wearing jewels-only
did not know. All the time the brave
heart wrote me happy letters. l should
have known, for there was one who
did and who saved him. When at last
l came to see my father he told me-he
! had written OF his idol before, but it
was not till l came that he told it all
to me. Do you know what l felt?
| While his daughter was dancing CO.
tillOns stranger had taken his hand
| and-and"- A sob rose in her throat
and checked her utterance for a mo-
ment, but she threw up her head proud
ly. Gratitude, Mr.. Harklessr she
cried. 81 am James Fisbee's daugh-
| teri
He fell back from the bench with a
sharp exclamation and stared at her
through the gray twilight. She went
on hurriedly, still not looking at him.
81 wanted to do something to show you
that / could be ashamed of my vile
neglect Of him-something to show you
his daughter could be grateful-and it
has been such dear, happy work. the
little l have done, that it seems, after
all, that l have done it for love of my
self. 1t is what l had always wanted
to do-to earn living for myself, to
live with my father. When l came
here, my aunt and uncle were terribly
afraid l would stay with him. It was
to prevent this that they determined to
go abroad, and my father said l must
go back to them. Then you were
were hurt, and he needed me so much
he let me stay. When you-when
you told me"-she broke off with 9
, strange, f1uttering, half inarticulate lit
tie laugh that was half tears and thel
r resumed in another tone-"when yOl
II told me you cared that night-tha
night of the storm-how could l b
sure? 1t had been only two days, vol
G see, and even if could have been sur
Of myself-why, l couldn't have tol(
you. oh. had so brazenly thrown my
self at YOUR head time and again thos
two DAYS in my-my worship Of you
goodness to my father and my excite
ment in recognizing in his friend tn
hero of my girlhood that you had ey
cry right to think l cared; but if-bu
8 If had-if l had-loved you with m
Il whole soul l could not have-why, n
$ woman could have-I mean the sort G
% girl l am-couldn't have admitted it
d must have denied it. Do you think thf
p then could have answered Yes eve
le II had wanted to-even if had bee
2 sure of myself? And now He
II voice sank again to whisper. Gan
n now
s And now?' he said TREMENDOUSLY. 81
gave a hurried glance from right to le
10 and from left to right, like one in re
he ror seeking a way of escape; she gait
N cred her skirts in her hand as II to RI
8. into the garden, but suddenly she tur1
4. ed and ran to him. She threw her arm
; about his neck and kissed him on Il
forehead.
When they heard the judge callir
from the orchard they went ba'
n through the garden toward the hous
It was dark. The whitest astsrs we
"a hnA ~rax anlnAchaA There WAS no OF