Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-12-19
CONTINUED

pathy as it always will. "You must
marry yourself, Thomas" he would
add, "and you and your wife must live
with me and mine, and We'll go into
partnership together up the country
somewhere and all four live happy
ever after"
To all of which the servant would
shake his head, but continue to enter
into the masters happiness with IN
abated sympathy and enthusiasm.
Nor was this a conscious merit in
Tom; it made him think no better Of
himself. He knew how much was in
spired by gratitude and how much
more by the selfish relief Of sinking
his own woes in the hopes and fears
and raptures Of his friend. He was
not ever aware of the essential fine
ness Of a nature capable of this kind
Of comfort. Eternal dissatisfaction
with his own feelings kept his opinion
of himself at zero still. And if the
new bond between Tom and his bene-
factor had done no more than provide
them with common ground on which
they might meet and be at one in all
sincerity, even so it would have done
much for TOMS peace Of mind.
When Daintree spoke Of his beloved
his dark face shone, the darker eyes
softened, and the rich voice quivered
with no common passion. 1t vas pos
Sible to agree and to applaud without
hypocrisy, which was not possible
when the puny poet stood in the strong
mans shoes. Of his poetry enough has
been said, but about his passion there
was no mistake. The one was gen.
uine; the other was not. 1t was a
mans passion, a selfish passion, but
the sheer masterful strength of it was
patent to Tom from the first. Some
times it made him fear for the girl
and despair of himself. Gratitude
apart, it was as though his spoiled and
petty spirit was incapable Of an hon
est, whole hearted, ungrudging ad-
miration and regard.
In all their talks the only name Tom
heard was Clarinda. 1t was character
istic Of his state that he never inquir-
ed the other. His sympathy and his
interest We're confined to his friend;
real curiosity he had none. He asked
no questions, but a crooked answer
was ready for him If he had.
'You must let me tell her all 1 owe
to you,' Tom said once. "It will be a
pleasure to her and a relief to me-"
perhaps you owe as much to her
self"
1t had slipped out. but Tom was not
at all excited.
''You mean that she believed in me,
H. ny - za1.a1 --s4l IN ~~,+ ~ ~,
~credulity, and he saw from the others
face that she had not. upon my
soul,' he thought, 81 begin to disbe-
lieve in myself, especially since I've
done as bad put here-and perhaps not
heard the last of it yet"
Daintree wondered why he shudder-
ed in the sun. 1t was because his one
true and fierce emotion was the base
fear of further tortures. He despised
himself for thai most of all.
Meanwhile the cork ship with the pa
per sails was creeping slowly, but
surely, across the great white south
Atlantic of the chart, and the wall on
which it hung had been repapered, and
the whole bungalow smelt of paint. 1t
was a fair sized house of two stories,
with a veranda encircling the n and
a balcony the other. Very pretty it
looked in it's new coat of paint for the
summer, a white coat with yellow trim
mings, which stood out delightfully."- on
the blue waters edge. The garden
lawn merged into a narrow strand that
slid straight under the wavelets them
selves. AS summer set in the trees
r.1.-1 ~ 1o,,-o 1,n~1-o ~,+ =, ovo,1,
gay and gorgeous color; it was the
plumage of the parrots that now came
and perched in aocks among the
branches.
Tom gave up his room, as two ladies
and a maid were expected. 1t was re
papered for the maid. a room was
found for Tom in the pretty little sta
bles amid the trees, where he helped
Fawcett with the horses and the cur
ricle, which was in Sydney on SOM
errand every day. Generally the mas
ter went alone. Once he took Ton
with him. 1t was OF the occasion OF
his cashing a check to meet the run
ming expenses of these elaborate prep
arations.
They were on their way home a
dusk when Daintree pulled up on Tho
outskirts of the town and hailed a dis
consulate, soldierly figure with Il arm
in a sling.
"Why. Harry!' cried Daintree. "That'!
never you?'
II wish it wasn't, sir"
you've left the forceY
"These six months. 1t was my arm
Look there, sir!v'
An emaciated hand came through
the sling. The thumb and f~orefinge
were uninjured, but half the middl
finger and both the other two were Xix
dead. distorted branches on a Twin,
tree.
"What did it?"
"a bullet; caught me on the funn,
bone and paralyzed half my hand. M,
right hand too. It's set me on the shell