Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-10-19
"You are not ,Osl,. You must sit do.on."

"You are not tcell. you must sit d0trr."
to say. and don't know where to be-
gin. Oh, yes; / know now. / must
begin where we left of when-well.
that other time"
Duncan saw that she needed assist
ance, and he gave it by speaking sooth-
ingly to her, saying:
"You are to begin wherever you find
1t easiest to begin, and you are to tell
me nothing that it distresses you to
tell"
"Oh, but all of 1t distresses me, and
must tell it-all of It." =
Again Duncan spoke soothingly. and
presently the girl began again.
"Well. first. I can neyer-I mean !
mustn't mustn't say yes to the
questions you asked me that other
time"
"You mean when asked II you
would be my wife?"
eyes. That's it. Thank you very
much. That's the first thing am to
tell YOU"
"Who babe you tell me thatY
"Oh, nobody, or, rather, mean no
body told me mustn't say yes but
after had made up my mind that !
mustn't. then auntie said / was bound
| to tell you about 1t all. ! wanted to
write It. but she said that wouldn't be
fair and that must tell you myself"
"But why did you make up your
mind that you mustn't say 'yesT Can
you not love me, Barbara"
"Oh, yes-I mean moor, rather. l
| mustn't"
but If you can, why is IT that you
mustn'tT'
That question at last gave Barbara
courage to speak. It seemed to nerve
her for the ordeal and at the same time
to point a way for the telling.
"Why, mustn't love you, MIR. Dun
can, because cannot marry you. You
see, that would be very wrong. When
you-well, when you asked me those
questions, it'startled me, and / didn't
know what to say. but after you had
gone away that night saw clearly
that mustn't think of such thing. 1t
would be so unfair to you"
"But how would 1t be unfair? 1t
would be doing the one thing in the
world that want you to do. 1t would
| be giving me the one woman In the
world whom want for my wife, the
only woman shall ever think Of mar
rying."
| "But you mustn't think Of that any
| more. You see, Mr.. Duncan, l am not
| fit to be your wife. should be ter
rible drag upon you. You are already
q man of prominence, and everybody
says you are soon to become q man OF
| great distinction. You must have a
| wife worthy Of such man, wife who
can help him and do him credit in So
ciety. Now, you know I could never be-
come that sort Of womaD-J am only
an obscure girl. l don't know how.
cannot talk brilliantly. couldn't Inn
press people as your wife must. I am
not even educated in any regular way.
I've just grown up in my own fashion
lin the shade, as 1t were-and the
strong sunlight would only emphasize
my insigniflcance."
"Will you let me say one word at
this point, Barbara?" broke In Duncan
In spite of her effort to prevent. "You
are wronging yourself and you are
wronging me. AS God lives, tell you
there Is no woman In the world SO TT
to be my wife as you are. My only
wish Is that ! were worthy to have
such q wife! i intend, Of course, to
achieve all that can-to make the best
use can of such faculties as I possess,
but nothing imaginable could so great
ly help me to do that as the inspiration
Of your love and the stimulus Of know
ing that you were to be always by my
side"
An occasional tear was by this time
trickling down the girls cheeks. How
could 1t be otherwise when the man
she loved and honored above oil others
was so tenderly saying such things OF
her and to her with a sincerity too
greatly passionate to be open to any
doubt? How could 1t be otherwise
when she knew that she must put
aside the love Of this man, her hero,
the only love, as she knew In her In
most soul, that she could ever think OF
with rejoicing SO long as she should
live?
She would have interrupted the pas.
sionate pleading IL her voice had been
under control. AS 1t was she sat 81
lent while he went on.
II have spoken of my ambitions first
and of your capacity to help them not
because such things are first In my esti-
nation, but because you have treated
them as worthy Of being put frst.
There are much higher things to be
thought of. What man achieves Ii
of far less consequence than what q
man is. That which ask of you is
to help me be the best that l am capa.
BILE of being. and for you to be 1t with
me. want to make the most. the
best, the happiest life for you that Is
possible. Oh, Barbara, you Will never
know how longingly ] dream OF
home with you at its head! You can
not know. how absolutely the WORTH
ness Of my life depends upon such a
linking of 1t with yours"
The girl had completely given way to
her emotions now. but with that reso-
lutte self mastery which was DOM
inant note In her nature she presently
controlled herself.
"You do not know ALL" she said.
"You have not heard all l have to tell
YOU. You haven't heard the most Inn.
portant part Of it. I have only told
You what thought on that evening