Evening journal., 1905-01-31


|oiselessly through the assures Of the
.ills and blotted out the village, the
a.s and the towers and chimneys Of
an Francisco-in other words. the /
orld. In the damp air the girls hair |
irled more distractingly than ever.
ever had he seen it when it framed |
lie low forehead in so bewildering |
arabesque Of rings and curves and
aves
you look rather swell yourself" she
ughed in response to his eloquent
.ance Of approval "Knickers and a
orfolk cap and the jacket aren't half
. i'd on you. Taken in connection with
( lur cleft chin" she went on, throw
e her head back and screwing up her
res critically, "they make you a very
.esentable youth indeed"
1--WE won't talk about that" was the
u Hse reply. This walk to Point Boni-
has an object"
She opened her eyes wide.
Certainly" she assented politely.
Point Bonita, for instance. If 1t has
~ other object" she went on sternly,
E t you're going back to that old sub
. ct. won't go a step farther"
BY this time they were moving in the
& idst of a cloud.
s 1t was his turn to be innocent.
"You mean-oh," with a fine imita-
on Of impatience, doesn't a girl ever
,rget it If a fellow has once happened
fancy himself in love with her and
lid so?"
The pink OF the girls cheeks-it had
e soft, furred look that is RESPONSE
for the slang adjective 'peachy'-
# ,epened suddenly, unaccountably. Out
the tail Of his eye the youth observed
is interesting fact with cruel glee,
hecting with pang that he should
ave chosen diplomacy as a vocation
stead Of engineering.
"You should forgive and forget the
MS Of my youth" he resumed. 'You
low you insisted that you would al
avs be the best of friends. and that's
hat need noww
You change quickly enough, I must
yr' she remarked with some heat.
t isn't six months since
'Since whatT' he challenged. But she
rned away and did not reply. while
e walls of mist lazily closed in nearer
# Id nearer.
''What do you want to tell me?" she
lestioned at last in an oddly subdued
amer. He did not answer imme-
ately, but swung on ahead Of her in
# narrow path as If he were making
way for her through the mist. So he
I'd got over his love for her. She felt
shuddering sense of desolation. Still,
argued, she could scarcely have
opposed he would go on caring, es-
s. cially since she had explained to him
tn judicial carefulness that she must
AIRY a man with money on account
her mother and the younger girls.
strangely enough, though she had
ctured herself as married to another,
ere had always been a somber. in
resting figure lowering in the back
ound Of that picture, one to whom
e meant TO be so kind, so gentle, so
sweet, that his regret should become
Se a beautiful, sad song-to be wept
Ter and enjoyed. And now the brute
as asking her to forgive and forget
at he had ever told her that he loved
rl
81 They had reached the summit of q
II, and he proposed that they sit down
)on a convenient bowlder to rest be
& re attempting the next one. Ap
# rently her silence was unnoticed.
f'YOu see, fate's been telling or my
Ittons lately" he began in a business
;e tone, "and the decree is that it has
t to be money!
f'What do you meanT
"Rich woman, poor woman, beggal
oman, squaw." he elucidated, touch
z the buttons on his jacket, "and ths
u t falls to rich woman every time. Il
ems a beastly thing TO think Of
arrying for money. would be caC
ough to do it, but the thing is thai
,ere's girl-a mighty fine girl-anC
really-I-hang it, l like her! Bu
wv am l to tell whether it's the rea
ing or whether her money has some
ing to do with it? You see, there ar,
asons why should have money righ
way, long before / can hope to gaiI
by my own efforts. The governor il
'eaking down, and his affairs are il
Id shape, and there are the two kid
Id mother to provide for"
The girls heart was sinking as th'
ercury does in falling temperature
u the Joy Of living seemed to be ooz
g away through her finger tips, leav
& her cold and inert. He turned to
ard her curiously.
OF course you don't think I'd con
der such a thing if were not forceC
II by dutyp' he went on fervently
IA ! came to you because l though
M nd understand, because circum
snces are forcing you into the sam
ing. They say you're going to mar
Bradshaw. You'll be a rich won
and happy one, hope; but, wheth
you are or not, you will have don
,ur duty by the family. That will b
'ur consolation, and that's why
me to you in my difficulty. What d
Du think-can / decently ask the giI
marry me? Remember, / like hel
it I'm not sure love herI'
The fog, which had seemed about I
ush them softly few moments bs
re, was now falling back. but the
re still In a remote world. With th
sry sight Of habitations cut Off fror
81 cir view Il was hard to believe in tn
s ality of'purple and fine linen, horse