Mower County transcript., 1907-11-27

your lips almost COullludlly tell me
one thing; your words another.
know not which to trust. I never
meet you except to go away bafled
and bewildered."
You wish to know the truth?''
"Ay, and for all time! Are you
false or true? Coquette or woman?
Do you simply play with hearts for
idle amusement or is there some true
purpose ruling your actions?'
She looked directly at him, her
hands clasped, her breath almost
sobbing between the parted lips At
first she could not speak. "Oh, you
hurt me so," she faltered at last. II
did not suppose you could ever think
that. IL did not mean it; oh, truly
/ did not mean it! You forget how
young I am; how very little I know
of the world and its ways. Perhaps I
have not even realized how deeply in
earnest you were, have deceived N.Y.
self into believing you were merely
amusing yourself with me. Why, in
deed, should l think otherwise?"
Il love you," he said, with simple
honesty. Il seek you for my wife"
She started at these frankly spoken
words, her hands partially concealing
her face, her form trembling. "Oh, 1
wish you hadn't said that! It is not
because l doubt you any longer; not
that l fail to appreciate all you offer
me- But it is so hard to appear un-
grateful, to give nothing in return for
so vast gift"
'Then it is true that you do not
love me?''
The blood famed suddenly up into
her face, but there was no lowering Of
the eyes, no shrinking back. She was
too honest to play the coward before
him.
Il shall not attempt to deceive you,"
she said, with a slow impressivenes
instantly carrying conviction. "This
has already progressed SO far that I
now owe you complete frankness.
Donald Brant, now and always, living
or. dead, married or single, wherever
life may take us, I shall love YOU
Their eyes we're meeting, but she
held up her hand to restrain him from
the one step forward.
"No, no; have confessed the truth;
I have opened freely to you the great
secret of my heart. With it you must
be content to leave me. There is moth
ing more that can give you, absolute
ly nothing. I can never be your wife;
I hope, for your sake and mine, that
we never meet again."
Brant stood like statue, his face
grown white. He did not in the least
doubt her full meaning of renuncia-
ton.
"You will, at least, tell me why?" It
was all that would come to his dry
fps.
She sank back upon the sofa as
though the strength had suddenly de-
serted her body, her eyes shaded by
an uplifted hand.
"I cannot tell you. I have no words,
no courage. You will learn some day
from others, and be thankful that I
loved you we'll enough to resist temp
tation. But the reason cannot come
10 you from my lips.
He leaned forward, half kneeling at
her feet, and she permitted him to
clasp her hands within both his own.
"Tell me, at least, this-is it some one
else? Is it Hampton?"
She smiled at him through a mist
of tears, a smile the sad sweetness of
which he would never forget. In the
sense you mean, no. No living man
stands between US, not even Bob
Hampton"
Does he know why this cannot be?"
"He does know, but l doubt if he
will ever reveal his knowledge; GER
tainly not to you. He has not told me
all, even in the hour when he thought
himself dying. 1 am convinced of that.
1t is not because he dislikes you,
Lieut.. Brant, but because he knew his
partial revealment Of the truth was
duty he owed us both.''
"You leave me so completely in the
dark" he said; "is there no possibil-
ity that this mysterious obstacle can
ever be removed?"
None. 1t is beyond earthly power
there lies between us the shadow of
a dead man."
He stared at her as if doubling her
sanity.
"A dead man! Not Gillis?"
mo, it is not Gillis I have told
you this much so that you might COM
.prehend how impossible it is for us
to change our fate. 1t is irrevocably
fixed Please do not question he any
more. l cannot bear it,"
Brant rose to his feet and stood
looking down upon her bowed head,
her slender figure shaken by sobs.
MAZDA, as you have asked it, I will
go; but go better, stronger, because
I have heard your lips say you love
me. I am going now, my sweetheart,
but If I live 1 shall come again.
know nothing of what you mean about
a dead man being between us, but I
shall! know when l come back, for,
dead or alive, no man shall remain be-
tween me and the girl | love-
"This-this is different" she sobbed,