The daily Alaskan., 1906-05-05
My Promise
COrlginal.l

care of her daughter Cynthia, eight years old.
 Margaret" said our mother the day before she died, you know what l have done for you|
 Indeed do," replied.
 Now is your opportunity to make a return. Cynthia has no klth or kin to rely on. Without your care know not what will become of her. Promise me that you will be a mother to her" "I will"
 ''To do that you must not have chll- dren of your own. know wOman's ! chlld's interest to stand In the way of our own. Promise me that you will not marry until Cynthia comes of age" was silent
 At least until she has married"
 Again I made no reply.
 twill you not promise me thisT'
 "I promise you that I will not marry | till Cynthia has a love of her own-un- | til she Is engaged.
 My foster mother sighed and turned away. She knew she had no right to ask such a sacrifice. What had prom iSed was equivalent almost to not mar ryiug at all. Eight or nine years at least must pass before Cynthia would love, and she might never love at all.
 Had l not met Irving Peck l would have promised my aunt all she asked without hesitation. I had only known him a little while, but it was long enough to tell me that 1 had met my fate The truest love, to my thinking, is that which comes upon both the man and the woman from the moment they meet. Irving Peck and l each recognized in the other a mate, and month after my foster mothers death he asked me to be his wife. When l told him of my promise he did not ask me to break 1t; indeed. he told me that if I did be would not respect me. He said that he would marry no other wo- man, and if Cynthia stood always in our way he would never marry. We did not think it best that we should remain near each other, and Irving went away.
 I neither saw nor heard from him till Cynthia was seventeen; then be wrote me that since she was of q mar rIageable age we might meet again. l replied that Cynthia promised to be coQuette, and there would be little hope of her choosing a husband. l continued after this to hear from hlm occasionally, but could give him no hope. At nineteen Cynthia had hirted with every young man in the village. and. like Alexander, there were no more cOnqueStS for her to make. At this time a friend in Caldwell invited her to visit. and Cynthia gladly ac- cepted the invitation. l wrote Irving while she was away that he might come to see me. The truth is, Cynthia was so full of witche-y and withal was so much younger than l that feared to have him come while she was at home. was disappointed to learn from him that a special project would prevent his coming till about the time Cynthia would return.
 When Cynthia was fifteen she had discovered the secret of my promise. We slept together, and l talked in my sleep. had never told her, fearing that she might feel constrained to mar rv on my account. But l did not know her, Realizing that looked to each of her love affairs to release me, she seemed to take a malicious pleasure In tanta!izing me. I wrote Irving of thls' and I should not have done so, for S made him furious.
 One morning I received a letter from Cynthia, and, to my great delight N told me that she had met a man when she fancied she could love. She had not thought to give me his name, but this was of little consequence to ms, for I would not know him. Her next letter written two weeks later, an nounced her engagement, which meant that at last I was free. Before tnlSh- ing reading her letter I threw It down and took up my pen to write Irving announcing the good news; but turn ing to the letter again for the name of Cynthias fance, the room swan, and I fell in a swOon. The name was Try ing Peek.
 What strange coincidence had brought tnese two together? Did Cynthia know that her lover had been my loY- CT? Did Irving know that Cynthia was the girl who had stood between us! Cynthia could not know the truth un- less he told her. Irving might and might not know her. He had not seen her before since she was a little girl, but be must surely know her by name. Another week passed, and nothing from Irving. Then one morning car riage drove up to the door, and a man alIghted. I knew at once that 1t was Irving. He came to the door with quick step, pulled the bell and without waiting for it to be answered strode Into the house. On seeing me he step ned forward to take me in his arms. l ! drew back.
 eve are free" he said. Cynthia Is engaged"
 '"What Is our freedom worth since