The San Francisco call., 1906-04-08

wild, weird, wonderful solitude
How beautiful are such thoughtsi And
what happiness you must derive from
your knowledge of things of which so
many, of us have little or no conception.
And what i'll others might be mere eff
feminacy. in you, who seem so much
part of that wild and rugged country,
is the very breath of truth and life
And did the careless. frivolous girl
never give even one stray little thought
to the man away out there in the noun
tains in return for the many he gave
her?'
''Ah, dear. how strangely are some
things ordered And what will you say
when /, too. confess that you have been
much In my thoughts since that eventful
night. Yes, dear, my thoughts have un-
consciously turned to you-Oh, so many,
many times! And perhaps some of those
nights an answering thought has gone
back TO YOU and, after all. it was a very
real girl with whom you held such sweet
communion"
Il am sure of it. One could not give
SO much without receiving something in
return
Il have imagined all sorts of strange and
wonderful things about you. You inter-
ested me not a little in the short time we
were thrown together. My curiosity was
aroused as well-that Unsuitable curiosity
OF mine!" she laughed. II think L was
just the least little bit afraid of you-you
seemed such a terribly dangerous man.
My! but you fairly bristled with guns
they were strapped all about you. / was
mortally afraid one of them might pop on
accidentally and set them all going like
bunch of flrecrackers. Where were you
going? And what were you going to do?
Or were you simply at your regular fight
ing weight? Is that the proper term?
1T is as good as another" he laughed.
That you were not one of the rough
fellows of that wild country was plainly
apparent. Your rough clothes failed to
hide the evidences of your earlier life and
training. Some time when we become bet
ter acquainted-perhapS when nave Deen
given legal permission, so that L may be
we'll within my rights and prlvlleges-l
shall want to know much more about
you. OH l shall want to know heaps ana
heaps of things-I give you fair warning
Very well, dear: when you are prop
erly privileged you shall know all.
'And those times when I was SO mucn
in your thoughts, did you really expect
to see me again?' she asked him, gra-
ciously ignoring very mean speech
AT times | would take myself severely
to task and declare that such nonsense
had gone far enough, that such thoughts
were worse than useleSS-but all 10 no
fasting purpose, fet ahotner 'uousnt'
nourished without volition of my own
even against my better judgment-told
me that we should meet again. and had
] followed my first impulse when you en-
tered this room on the night of our second
meeting I should have taken you IN my
arms and told you that had found you
at last in the joy and gladness that
surged Into my heart And times since
when perhaps you have thought me cold
est, have been obliged to exert all my
self-control to refrain from telling you
what was in my heart, but | feared tnat
I should only amuse you for the moment
and in the end be cast out of your life.
II cannot recall reciprocating just such
wild desire on the occasion OF our sec
ond meeting, yet you seemed not IN the
least a stranger to me, an6 couio no
more help trotting down those stairs ana
talking to you than can help loving you
now, and / guess IL the truth were known
my desire was not greater 10 relralh from
one than the other
aAnd when did you begin to think It
might be desirable to refrain from one or
the other--the other, for instance?
when you coolly-and / think rather
impudently. sir-informed me. that | was
all right in my way-such condescension-
but gave me to UNDERSTANDING, you told
me lust that--you did not even permit
yourself the civility of leaving the INFER
ence to me-that the particular way was
none of yours, | think-well. | think |
loved YOU from that moment. My desire.
however. to take your head off was con-
sidera bly,. greater at that particular time,
and perhaps you think L would not nave
taken fiendish delight In doing just that,
even though / knew my heart would pay
the reckoning"
..And all the while l was blisSfuliy un-
conscious of the fate l had so narrowly
escaped.
You were wise, sir, to keep out of
nv clutches for a time-yOu reckoned
well. You shall pay dearly Tor your pad
behayiori Just think of the years anu
wears YOU will be compelled TO DO pen
ance. because you are too mean 10 uie'
and | won't, just for spite moreover
I'll take solemn oath never to give you
cause for divorce, but just make you
endure TO the bitter end. Now. sir, do you
realize the punishment in store for YOU!
.,What a terribly vindictive little Great
,Ira Won are to be sure, when all the
while your welfare was my chief concern
simply protecting you against yourseil,
and providing you with husband most
expeditiously. Had you peeh pernlilteu
to make the pace, l should even now be
trailing along somewhere-perhaps IN .4ie
next co,,nty-a creature of circumstances
and womans wiles.
..Oh YES, to be sure! 1t is very COM
forting to know after it is all over that
a man had very CONSIDERABLY selected
himself for ones husband. and II one
was so foolish as to be miserable the
while. there was really no necessity be-
cause the man knew all about it and what
was best for the woman. But Just the
same. have missed something You
might have let me know you cared just
the littlest bit, and then
.sYou know now dear, all about II, ana
we have years and years IN which TO
make amends for the few short days
But don't you see--it's not quite the
same There's the delicious uncertainty
of something quite certain lou Know
vet YOU don't know, and you just i've on
those DAYS and minutes-there Just can
he ANYTHING to take their place It's like
the first l.iss-when it's gone. It's. gone
There NAV be others, and perhaps very
much better, mind you, but none quite
the same.
eyes, dear--thc first kiss.
CHAPTER XXXII.
The Law That Rules the Universe.
..Aa 60 Won waited until / had been