The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-11-08
CHAPTER xIx-(Continued.)

H"" "AA''Nu NhA' vi, NH' P'''~ ~
and the life of it. The children are
adorable. How can | thank you?"
You mor than pay me in accept
ing it, dear" said he. Il have found
the greatest pleasure of my life in
working at ii, and if you think it
worthy-why, you crown me-
Worthy" cried Lillian; a." is
worthy of a queen, an empress. It
might be a gift from the patron saint
of sculpture, whoever he may be, to
Minerva. But how heavy it is for
such a seeming trihe. Is it's it
gold. Aloysius?"
Yes" said Aloysius; lit is gold,
with just enough alloy to make it
durable. | am glad you like it."
Like it," she said in a half in
ward whisper. 1T is the most beau
tiful and perfect thing | have ever
seen. | shall hoard it as If ii were
the great emerald of Kandahar. 1t
will be my most treasured posses
sion all my life
"Ah!" Aloysius answered., with his
rare smile; Il hope o that. Art is
good, but there are better things than
art"
A rap sounded at the door, and a
! grave manservant announced Mr..
Alexis Brangwyn. The new ome
walked confidently into the room and
paused suddenly. Lillian sprang from
her knees, and, darting toward him,
seized him by the arm and drew him
to the table on which the miniature
group was placed.
Alexis. You will see it more learnedly
than | can, but you can't admire it
more
Alexis bent over il, and walked
round it. scrutinizing it on this side
and on that, dropping on one knee
now and then to get a better point of
view, and now retiring from it, and
now advancing toward it.
"A MARVEL he said at last. "A bit
Of pure genius. Your work, Aloysius?"
Yes" said Aloysius. My work,
and Miss Lees property"
She noticed in some surprise tina
no greeting passed between them, and
that they stood aloof from one anoth-
er. She saw that each of them was
pale. II she felt that for some cause
or another this unexpected encounter
was embarrassing and unwelcome to
them both. She was as far from the
plague of self-consciousness as n
oma of her years could be, but she
could scarcely fail to suppose herself
the cause. The one man was her af-
famed husband. and the other her
declared lover still, though he had
long since retired from active rivalry.
She had welcomed Alexis rather less
because she loved him than because
he had seemed to provide a refuge
from a strange fascination for his
half-afraid. She liked Alexis dearly,
but she had loved him, as she
knew she might have loved that SOM
Der cousin of his, If only there had not
| been somehow a fear in her heart,
perhaps Of loving too profoundly.
II Il itt liz III hio NSlia dhu hdEDl-
ness were and would always be of the
| deepest interest TO her she knew and
owned, and deep down In the complex
recesses of that woman's heart which
vexed her with insoluble guesses she
knew that If she had surrendered
1t would have been a surrender for
eternity.
Aloysius had walked to the window,
and stood looking out on the garden
and mechanically stroking his mus
tache. His attitude was altogether
| rigid and unbending. Alexis fidgeted
| about the table in an obviously feigned
| examination of his cousins handi-
work. Lillian stood uncertainty be-
tween them with a pang in her heart.
| Was IL indeed she--she asked her
| self-whose influence had sundered
these who were C. so close togeth-
err? The tears crept into her lovely
| eyes, and moving toward Aloysius she
laid a timid hand upon his arm He
turned and, meeting her gaze, saw the
bright drops just ready to brim over.
Dear" she whispered, he friends
again for my sake
She had seen him sometimes when
he had not dreamed that any eye was
upon him. and had discerned upon
his face the expression of his saddest
mood. But she had seen nothing like
the melancholy which lay upon him
now. There was more than distress
In that strange look. A great yearn-
ing and pity were in 1t, but he said
no word, and made nc gesture save
to raise his hand and lay 1t gently on
her head. once, twice, and thrice.
Then with an ~unchanging countenance
he turned away.
mot for my sake, Aoysius?" she
asked.
He turned once more. with the
same sad. plying, longing look, then
STOPPING. raised her hand to his lips,
kissed 1t reverently without a word,
and wa1ko oteouflv FROM tho rcnu,