Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-06-07

There we're two sides TO the question,
~ course. There always are two sides.
Ne being man, saw only the maseu-
line side. while she. being every Inch
woman, could see only the feminine as
nect If the matter that rose between
them ike wall.
According 20 his reasoning. the great
,earl that beamed softly on the third
AMOR Of her left hand-his gift--was
tho solemn. final expression OF his
sai,h his choice. 1t was the official seal
aaiyed to his aYowed belief that she
was the supreme woman.
In his deeper. finer moments he would
,eliye the moment when he had put IL
there when the splendor of his own
destiny had sobered and steadied him
IN bis whole being had gone out In the
wor,llcss prayer. God grant that may
make her happy"
From that moment she was the fixed
star Of his life. Indeed. she scarcely
seemed 10 him a separate entity, but
rather The finest part of himself And
fllS " is hANAt tAfF aARNttt w FAi. 8lt
was tlashing and debonair. and the
armament of his life was strewn with
stars of lesser magnitude, mere pin
heads beside her, but In the aggregate
bv no means without interest and beau
n. That they were feminine stars goes
without saying. and If there were mo-
ments when they shone and twinkled
l. 10 nerao4uI hamaHf hnx s.ot,lI h..
do less than to acknowledge the COM
plimenti
To him II seemed no more than a
laughing byplay. the light. graceful
variation of the grand love theme of
bis life. But the fixed star saw 1t diff
ferently-saw 1t with eyes that deepen
ed and darkened with tragedy which,
after few weeks of smoldering, burst
into the flame of anger.
Never, perhaps. had she appeared to
him so superb, so obviously queen OF
the world, as at that moment when she
had faced him, white with scorn, and
accused him In plain, brutal. everyday
English of being fiirt
Al first sheer amazement held him
silent. But from the torrent OF words
that rushed from her lips he was soon
In possession of the sum of his Of
fenses-hIs attentions to Miss Lincoln.
his evident enjoyment of the society OF
Mrs. Colin Stuart. not to mention Bet
ty Pell and Lucia Armltage.
As Van Pelt listened to the cutting
words OF his fiancee his first amazement
I.,s,f ~ IT,
else He had paid some attentions to
Miss Lincoln, who was a visitor and
friend OF his sister. and Mrs. Stuart
had asked him for a dinner or so. and,
as for Betty and Lucia. he never miss
ed chance TO join them. Had they
not been comrades since the days when
their nurses wheeled their perambu-
lators TO the park side by side?
And. though he had frequently en-
eountered Flayia under these circum-
stances, no hint of his possible displcas-
ure had ever occurred TO him. She
was she not the only one. so near, so
much part Of himself, that there was
no more need for explanation than
there was to his own soul? So at these
encounters his eyes had ieaped to meet
hers without self consciousness and
without apology.
AT first her confidence met his
nobly. Then little gnawing doubts
crept In. She would have liked him to
protest, for, alas, she was but a wom-
an. And sometimes the high. white
place OF his soul, where he kept her
tn1 Il III
to be petted and scolded. And In
place OF that he made her a goddess,
supposedly with the power OF reading
hearts.
You have-qulte finished?"
His cool, drawing voice filed her
nrst pause with an icy suavity, and the
stee! Of his eyes met the fire of hers
unilinchingly. Involuntarily she caught
her breath. He not only showed no
inclination to explain, to exculpate
himself, but he had the look of u man
VINO has received a mortal wound,
whose deepest feelings have been
merciIessly scoffed at. jeered at, tram
pied in the mire.
AT the words her heart turned to
AiutH 10 tcli. ner outUufstS uiu
nothing more serious than the quick
resentment of warm hearted, high
spirited woman at a fancied neglect
from the man she adored. A pair of
open arms and eyes that loved back.
begging for tolerance and forgiveness
lhat was what she wanted and eX-
pected. But this man with the hard
glance and the incisive, cold voice
what had she done?
Despite her terror. the world old bat
ue between pride and love was raging
IN her heart, and it was pride that won.
'Finished?' she queried bitterly,
with an infection that conveyed that
she ceased it was by no means be-
cause she had reached the end of the
hst. I'VE will call 1t so at least" And
with the words she drew Off the ring
and held it out to him. He received it