Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-08-15
Colo Elsie


HolIfeld started visibly, but he
stood with one bound beneath the win
dow, waving his hat in salutation
How is this? he called. You
here already? May I come up?"
res" The tone was gentler al
ready.
In few seconds he entered the
dining-haIl Helene had more ground
for satisfaction At his appearance now
for his brow was sternly grave. He
threw his lat upon the table and drew
a chair toward Helene. Drawing both
her hands tenderly toward himself,
ne looked into her face. He seemed
panied at her ashy face and the
startled glance that met his own.
You look very badly, Helene he
said, sympathizingly.
DO you wonder?" she replied I'M
able to suppress her bitterness. TO
me that happy equaminity has, unfor,
tunately, been denied, by. means Of
which one looks out upon the world,
cheerful and glad to be alive, only
few hours after a heavy trial. I envy
you"
Her eye rested repToachfulIy upon
MS fresh face. He inWardIy cursed his
morning promenade, or rather the i'll
cautiOusness with which he had be-
trayed his thought Of Elizabeth and
the victory he would win over the in
experienced girl.
You are unjust, Helene" he re
pied eagerly, If you judge from my
outward appearance Should a man
weep and repine when he must sub
nit to the ineVitaOle?"
You seem very far removed from
that"
An unspeakalble anger took posses
sion Of him. This wretohed being be
fore him, who ought, in view of her
misshapen body, to thank God if one
mastered ones feeling enough not to
be unfriendlS or even repeIIant, and
who formerly had really accepted
every little attention with the greatest
thankfulness, had now suddenly be-
come so presumptous as to reproach
him. Although he had spared no ell
daaVOr to convince her of his bound
less love for her, he thought it infinite
vanity in the little hunchback to i'm
agine that she could really awaken
such an inclination. And he remem-
bered, too, that he had to do here
with the most hardheaded obstinacy
| and a sickening sentimentality. 1t
cost him a mighty effort to restrain
himself, but he succeeded, and even
achieved a smile with a tinge of mel
ancholy that gave him a most inter-
esting aspect.
When you hear why looked cheer
full, you will surely repent of your re.
proach,' he said. Il was imagining the
the moment when | shall present my
! self to your brother and say, Helene
! has decided to make one of my family
Tor the future, and do not deny that
l thought of it with certain satisfac-
ton, for he has always looked as
| kance at my love for you"
Reader, they say that love is blind;
! out in most cases it closes it's eyes
voluntarily, for it knows it would
perish if it but looked, and agains:
dnn.nilatiOn.
Helene made an effort to bring his
! representations into harmony with
his recent aspect, and made them
harmonic admirably. She extended
her hand to him with a breath of re
| lief
Il believe in you" she said warm
ly. The loss OF that belief would be
my sentence Of ath. Emil, you must
never, never deceive me, not e. en- if
you believe it to be for the good
will bear painful truth rather than
| carry with me the painful suspicion
that you are not direct i'll your treat
| ment of me. | have had a dreadful
night, but now | have recovered some
what, and l beg you to tell me the
idea of which you spoke yesterday.
One thing l feel clearly shall not
regain my equaminity before | know
the face that is to stand between Us
@U" f Hrto this being has
been for me a phanom, and I believe
the torturing disquint that consumes
me lies precisely in this uncertainty
The name. Emil, I beg you most ur
gently"
Hollfeld's eyes were roaming about
the floor again. At that moment the
matter seemed precarious.
do you know, Helene, that it is fol-
me an open question altogether
whether I ought to speak of the mat
tel to you today? You are far from
we'll. l fear a detailed conversation
may make you i'll. I Uust say, too
that my thought of yesterday, as
reconsider it, it seems to me most
practical. 1t would, therefore, be
! most painful to me to have you fail tc
see it's advantages because of your
own excitement"
That l certainly shall not do
, cried Helene, Strengthening herself III
eagerly, a feverish briiliancy making
=, her eyes CLEAN. Il have conquered
, myself and am ready TO subject my
self to the inevitable. promise yoI
: to be wholly impartial, as though
did not love you myself She blushed
{ for she spoke the words for the frs
) Mme.
A We'll, then, =" said Hollfeld, hesitat