The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1904-08-26

broken 1t last BY : curt note from Hill
man: ,. M <, I'll. ,seS.
/ 81 have not written, because 4 could
not without betraying what I should
have kept. God knows l have fought II
hard enough. but through this CORE
spondence I have grown to love you
with all my strength. Forgive my con-
,fession. and forget It In the happiness Of
your full life. I am going away. 4
ID. H."
The words blurred before Lina's
stricken eyes. One fact stood out to
her in naked accusation: .she had Ivirtu-
ally told = falsehood, for the drst time In
her life. And this was her reckoning. 4
Her fingers were like ice ~ she slipped
the letter into its envelope, and laid 1t
away. A white line grew around her
lips, ut sight of It's fellows, with their
clear, bold superscription;; lying in tho
little drawer; for Lima had long since
ceased to file them with the business
correspondence. A sob rose In her
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 her
work dragged. She grew thin and pale.
despite her whipped-up interest In the
healthful pursuits that had hitherto
been a delight and inspiration. No
one but Mabel Rogers guessed the Sc
cret; and, at the end of . miserable
half year, Lina's people sent her, q
dispirited ghost Of herself, to recuper-
ate at the summer home of q friend.
There, Lima protested in vain that
rest and quiet were all she needed.
II don't want to be entertained"
she begged; but the lady turned q
deaf ear.
You're living demonstration Of
my theory that thinking is injurious"
she declared, f1ippantly. Nov, the
corrective principle is stirring up, ex-
element, pleasure" So she issued in
vitations for a lawn party.
There's friend of Fred's coming.
to whom you should be particularly
NICE" said Mrs. Mayfield, teasingly, on
the evening in question. HE doesn't
dream I 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 .
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! It 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. Mayfeld
plotting tall, dark-haired, flne-look-
ing man directly toward her. Even
then she did not recall her hostess
warning. A moment later, the group
about her fell back, and Mrs. Mayfe!d
presented her companion, whose
name. however. Lima failed to catch.
"Fred's friend, dear, Don't be too
long getting acquainted. Z want you
both on the ICES said the lady as she
slipped away.
The strange. offered his arm, AMI
Lima moved mechanically with HIN
across the grkss. She had caught one
hasty glimpse Of glowing eyes ana
compressed lips that half-frightene1
her; a trite speech died in her throat,
and she dumply suffered herself to b.
led.
tI'd like to know!" burst forth the
stranger, impulsively, at safe distance
from the others, what is your opin-
ion of q man who jumps at conclu-
sions, and then rushes madly of with
out even testing them? Miss Radford
voice softened with sud-
den, shaken gentleness-"Can you con-
ceive of a greater blunderer than I
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
monstrous mistake I'd made. Tell
me, dear, that I shall not wake in
few minutes and find it only mock
ing dream, after all" H.
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.
Chow dare you!" she quavered.
what are you saying to me- an utter
stranger"
He stood quite still, bewildered.
when a man has written q woman
such letters as mine to you, he har Ally
merits that title, does, he, dearf' he