Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-19

Our dance over!" He repeated in
CONSERVATION. But this is the sec
ond extra! You are engaged to me
for It,"
1T is the eleventh dance; we are
back again at the program" She
made little movement Of her head
toward the great numbered card that
hung at the top of the room before the
band. To his dismay as he followed
her glance he saw that she was right
1T was number eleven on the pro-
gram. Two dances, not one, had
slipped by while he sat with Countess
Ilka in the supper room.
He was so astonished, so Devil
dered, SO taken aback at the discovery
that he had absolutely not word to
say. He could only turn to his card
and stare at it yindictively as If it
were the author of his mistake AT
least we have the fourteenth togeth-
err" he calculated.
Ursula checked on her lips the re.
tort she felt trembling there, "If you
still care to have it." She would not
say what she might be sorry for, how
ever much she was stung to the heart.
He passed the time between the
dances in kind Of amazed effort to
understand. Ursula had left him to
go in to supper with another man;
she had treated him when he came to
claim the dance he had been eagerly
yuaifitlc for if hn haJ dat
What was the reason? Could she pre-
fer to talk to that fool Of FELTON,,
whohad no other claim to notice than
the fact that he dined at Osborne and
was the cousin of a duke? He ragged
for minute or two, then he told him
sula was not that kind of girl Yet
why should she suddenly begin to
treat him SO oddly? Why should she
speak as If she did not mind that he
had missed the dance he had been
counting on? He could not under
stand.
Since the world began the misunder-
standings OF lovers must have made
the angels sigh. There is nothing so
skilful in self-torment, nothing so
prone to inflict suffering on the other.
as the human being who begins to let
doubt enter into love. Winstanley
was the most good-tempered of NOR
tails, but he felt distinctly tired
Women were the most difficult crea-
lures on the face of the earth to
fathom one had better give up the
attempt in despair.
When number fourteen came it did
not seem to put matters as right AS
one might have hoped. He had meant
to ask for an explanations he was not
prepared to find Ursula In such gay
spirits that he could not even try to
stem the flow of her gaiety. She was
ordinarily bright and merry enough
now she laughed and talked and jest
led almost gemorselessly. He had yet
to learn, like most men, that a woman
uses the mask of lightheartedness half
the time to hide that her heart is any
thing but light.
She, too, had had time to think over
the situation. II he really would rath-
er be with Countess Illsa than with
herself she would not let him think
she wanted to stand in his way. 1t
was the old, old story OF the folly of
lovers; the misunderstanding that a
word could set right, vet a word that
was never uttered; the little rift with
in the lutte widening till the music
/ threatens to grow mute.
She talked Of the decorations. the
j floor, the band, the fEocks. as she
might have done If he had just been
introduced to her. Winstanley, after
q futile effort or two to turn the con.
versatlon to the subject that II " $
/ ranking IA his own mind, let it, %
{ and listened with a faint grimness OF
expression She was trying to sl1aaa
him from demanding an explanation
of why he had been cast aside In favor
OF Mr.. FELTON,, Of the Queens yac'st t.
She need not trouble. He would ne II
force any girl to tell him what SIZE
preferred not to speak of. He an
swered almost as IL she were Miss
Jones or Miss Brown. Every moment
& llNS Stud llOll w dS5ssA S5ECWlHS more I'M
natural, and they both were quite
aware ofit. Yet neither would be the
first to break down the impalpable
barrier that was rising itself between
them such II the perversity Of man
kind. gs ,sss
|| III was only when the waltz was
/ over, and, Il they had been asked, they
must honestly have confessed that
they had never enjoyed dance to.
igether less, that sWinstanley suddenly
spoke In . different voice
Ursula, VA seem cat cross pur-
poses, 81 he said. resolute ly Can't we
+ do better than see are doing Let us
SIT out the last dance the next We
havs together and talk ii over.
There's no chance to say what one
wants when the room Is whirling like
Y teetotun. must have u Sresi talk
before we 90 home there's been no
chance ~ nne yet
Her heart leapt up IA answer Ia his
e&rnest suxg estiGn She looked III
/ Into his face with sud- denly aoftena:,
~ Is "a ery vell 3 Blln II II shall