The San Francisco call., 1905-02-26

arguing an important case before the
! Supreme Court, you are 30-or Is IL
81? You have a reputation as bril-
liant, beautiful woman. and all that.
You can, 1 am aware. marry any one
of three or four men who can offer
quite as much as 1. but modesty was
never a characteristic of mine. And I
can give you almost anything you wish
that costs money. 1 stand well in my
profession; close to the top of 1t, in
fact. I am not yet 40. On the whole.
marriage between US might be what
| is termed very suitable match.
! The woman smiled openly. Does
the prosecution here close It's de-
fense ?"-her father, also. had been a
Judge. Sugar and cream? Yes?
Well, herei" She deftly poured out
the fragrant drink.
| AS the man reached for his cup he
looked at her a trif1e perplexed.
Are you offended" he asked. I've
made an offer of marriage in per-
fectly business-like way, having heard
you often declare that a marriage con-
tract is like any other contract. and
should be entered into only when both
parties are aware OF what they are
doing, and are rid of glamour"
His companion paid him the tribute
of lingering glance in which ques-
ton mark was barely perceptible. But
in the shadows he could no longer
see her face-only the white parting
of her FURNISHED hair where the fire
light shone. In a second she was sip
ping her tea, nonchalantly enough, and
had recovered her vein OF light rail-
lery:
"Ofended? Oh. certainly not. But
the defense will submit an argument.
The match would be. as you say. a
suitable one-what do our French
cousins call it?-marriage de conve-
nance. AS for the three or four men
to whom you refer, I cannot answer.
I've noticed, however. that the num-
Der OF my proposals is falling of late
ly. / attribute the fact to advancing
age. You were not wrong when you
said 1 was 81. The defense will close
the argument by saying that she has
| determined to become an old maid!"
The Hon. Kelsie Siddons was lean
| ing forward, his strong, muscular
hands clasped loosely before him, a
whimsical smile on his lips.
"Oh, you will never die an old maid.
I will answer for that!' The smile
vanished. He resumed his stolid man
ner. But your refusal of me Is final,
I take it?"
do 1 seem TO be meltfng?'' Helena
inquired. with a touch of defiance
which comported i'll with the tumuI-
tuous beating of her heart, and a most
annoying feeling of tremulousness
about her, lips.
The man rose and went to the win
| dow. Far off, across the park, arose
| the big hotels on the plaza, their
lofty outlines seen obscurely through
the snowdrift- The lights Of swiftly
moving sleighs and carriages down
below glimmered family, and above
all and through all trembIed the un-
earthly voice that is never silent.
| though it may speak in various moods,
the voice that molds into itself the cry
of human joy, the wall of human sor-
row, the roar and crush and rush of
the million mindless things that man
has made to serve his endsHthe voice
of the great city.
Il think" he said at last. ana his
voice seemed to Helena to sound far
away, that I forgot to mention one
thing in my proposal. I should have
told you, perhaps, that I love you,
that I've loved you since the day when
We first met, that I'd rather have your
love than the power of King or the
wealth OF a Croesus. that L should
count 1T fine and wonderful beyond all
imagining moment to die for-if
read in your eyes that you, too. loved
me. Not VSshing to be a beggar of
love, I've waited all these years to
be in a position to offer you the
things which I was bold enough to
mention as rendering me eligible for
your hand"
His voice had become provokinsly
low and husky. Now he turned to
her almost fiercely.
You who are so collected and calm,
what can you know Of love and pas
sion? Now I realize that rve toiled
all these years in vain-no! not wholly
vainly-for I'm going to kiss you
once-here. now-if It means the
worst!'
He caught her to him and rained
kisses upon her-her lips. her eyes.
her brow. When he released her 1t
was with the full consciousness that
he had committed an. unforgfvable
wrong. He stepped backward until
there lay between them a broad strip
OF the ire-lit rug.
But the woman held out her arms
to him and the lashes of her eyes
were wet
Sweetheart" she whispered. as she
crossed her slim hands behind his
dark head and drew it down to her
level, why didn't you tell me that
you loved me at first? That was the
saving revelation!"-(Cop 1905,
by Virginia Leila wentz.)