Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-03-29

piClOu lOOk pOcScSStou VI uiAH do NC nuA
riedly skinned the leaves his face as
sumed an expression of incredulous hor-
ror, his brows contracted in a fierce
frown, and his brown skin turned to a
paler shade, his mouth settled into lines
of pain. He was unconscious of the
lapse of time; his eyes were not lifted
until he had scanned the last page, and
then be found Dorothy was regarding
him in a fascinated, terrified manner. he
laughed harshly, and the girl shivereo al
the sound, She rose and came unsteadliy
toward him.
Il found your novel absorbingiy lnter-
esting," said he, ironically.
"Oh. hush." she cried. sinking INTO a
chair opposite and close to his.
Il have no excuse-not the
After you told me your plot it TOOK hold
of me SO violently ! couldn't get II out
of NV head. At first / thought would
inst see what | could make of 1t without
The slightest idea of publication. in
tended telling you about 1t and fancied it
u,ould he great fun t compare our tales,
huf Won postponed writing yours. and
when mine was completed couldn't re-
sist the temptation to send 1t to the pub
fishing house and see what others
thought Of it; even then l did not mean
TO let il appear. but when a letter Of ac-
ceptance came-I-I-yie1ded."
Everard let her falter through her long
speech without interruption. Now he put
a question.
.sIIn1.t lsl x,N, h tply thof I mould 10 10
it?''
81 thought that you loved me enough
to forgive me-"
Love is very elastic, but" he left the
sentence unfinished.
You did not intend should know this
until after we were married"
Her silence confirmed his assertion.
The fire had died down and the o
grown chill, but tho tremor that shook
Dorothy from head to foot was not
caused by the temperature; she felt as II
her brain was on fire and her whole body
scorched. Mechanically Everard got to
his feet and stirred the embers. An
elusive blue fame leaped up and then as
suddenly vanished, the Goals fell apart,
leaving a waste of violet ashes.
There's no hope of resuscitation: the
vital spark is dead" he muttered. Lean
ing his elbow on the mantel he gazed at
Dorothy ~curiously. quite as If he had
never seen her before. Her delicate pa
trician beauty thai had been to him a
source Of JOY and pride now wrought up
on him with cruel poignancy.
you don't look it" he murmured.
WHAT"
"a woman without honor-a thief"
oh. Jack" she cried, sharply, Il cant
bear that you should say such things, and
vet | deserve all and more. 1t is horrible,
and | am the most miserable creature
living" She covered her face with her
hands and rocked her slim figure back
and forth.
BE consoled. you aren't the most mis-
cradle"
Cant l make PREPARATION? III do any
thing. Stop the book orlet it appear
under your name"
at is not because of my book he
cried with swift passion. But nothing
could blot out what has happened"
There was a pause. His passion spent.
Everard said YEARLY:
Talking does not make it any better,
do you think so? You may make any
excuse you may choose for the termipa-
ton Of our engagement
She looked up at him and a sudden
realization of what she was losing
smote her. She rose and with an aban-
don unusually foreign TO her proud, re-
served nature flung herself on his
breast.
oh. Jack. you shan't give me up! You
are so clever you'll write scores of other
books"
Il doubt that III ever write again. he
said. trying to disengage her clingins
arms.
If We had been married. Jack. what
them
Then God pity Us both. Now ii is bad
enough. but we need never see one an
other again"
Her arms fell from his neck and she
stood back trying as best she might to
hide her humiliation and pain. Slowly
she drew OFF her ring and held it out TO
him. but he made a slight gesture of ne
CATION.
81 can't take it. never want TO see it
again. Good-by.'
He laid the book down with something
of the fnality that one drops the hand
of the dead and then he turned to leave
the room.
1.-THE door he paused. looked back and
melted at sight of the unutterable suffer
ing in Dorothy's face. strobe quickly to
her side.
"For the sake of the happy past-may
70" He lifted her face in his palms and
at the CULVER of assent in her eyes kissed
her li%ngeringly. Her faint thrill Of
hope. however, was instantly dispelled.
we could never marry now, Dorothy.
Don't you see that this would always
come between us?"
Yes" she murmured. Please go"