Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-08-02

81 LrLLrAs CAMPBELL DAVIDSON


known that0they We're not the first to
tread that thorny path Of discomfort
and the misery that comes from being
wroth with one we love, they would
not have seen in that fact how to put
the trouble straight.
Colonel Hamilton was well on his
way home now, and somehow Ursula
trusted to that fact to smooth her
path. She felt as If the big, kind dad
dy, who had mended all things for her
in life since she took her headless
dolls to him, would mend this trouble
as he had done all the rest Captain
Winstanley would speak to him, and
then he would ask her views and tell
Winstanley that she cared for him. If
he still wanted her-ah! that wretched
little doubt of the girl who has once
been jealous-all would be put right
then. She thought it all over again
and again as she sat by the fire in her
dressing room, being fed up with milk
and beef tea and dosed with all Mrs.
Shuttlewaite's favorite remedies She
had plenty of time to think and won
EdCI lAG upy pccIuGu lOHSSI1 Llldu IuG'
dawning spring warranted.
AS for Winstanley, he, too, looked
out anxiously for the arrival of the
p. and 0. that carried the man who
was to settle the fate of his hopes. He
was family aware that 1t had been his
unfortunate position with regard to
Countess Ilka that was at the bottom
of the trouble between himself and his
sweetheart, but he could not believe
for moment that he could really
credit him with preferring any one to
herself. The woman who was the one
in all the world to hint was ridicu-
lous to eyens fancy that any other wo-
man on earth could find thought in
his heart for her. Ursula must have
some deeper reason for her unkind-
ness to him than those unfortunate
missed dances-there was something
behind all this, and he tormented him
self with speculation as to what it was.
AS for Countess Ilka, he saw nothing
OF her, and, to tell the truth, he was
better pleased that it was so. There
would have been considerable awk-
wardness in meeting after their
parting at the ball. There was an
other dance impending one at Adj
miralty house this time. He looked to
that to settle matters with Ursula, and
haunted the old admiral through the
club and down the streets Of Sonthsea
to find out from him whether Miss
Hamilton's cold was we'll enough to
let her venture to Admiralty House,
The old gentleman thought it might
be-was not surefancied his wife
would think 1t risk after being shut
up In her room so long. Bad things,
dances, fer increasing cold when one
had 1t hanging about one, and there
was a beastly lot of Influenza in the
air. Why, that last ball the girl had
gone to-a Town Hall business, wasn't
1t ?--Mrs. Shuttlewaite said she GER
tainly must have caught her present
cold there, for she had been moping
and miserable ever since.
It was. perhaps, brutal Of Winstan-
ley to feel his heart give sudden
leap at the words. She had moped
and been miserable ever since that
night? Then he was not the only one
who had felt the enlargement hard
thing to bear. The thought comforted
him. II she minded too she cared still,
In spite Of her mysteriously altered
conduct toward him. He went straight
to the club and wrote letter which
cost him much pains and thought,
1t was to beg her to be at the bali.
if she were In the least able, though
he impiored her not to run any risk
to her health, even IL 1t made him find
the evening blank without her there.
He humbly begged for the second
dance, and as many more as she would
give him the more she could spare
him the happier the evening would be
to him. An | know how little I must
seem to- deserve them after the other
night he wrote. & never was SO I'M
lucky In all my life, and IL you will
give me these dances hope you wilt
let me take one for explaining to you
how 1T happened that must have
seemed SO neglectful OF my greatest
happiness. You must know that I
would rather have danced with you
than With any other girl on earth.
Nothing but sheer ill-luck could have
put me Ii the position OF seeming In
different to my greatest blessings.
Will YOU let me feel 4 can count on 4
happier evening at Admiralty House
than was able to spend at the Town
Hall ~ Az Ursula read the letter her