The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-01

the whole circumstance, and he pushed
 the girl away from him as though her
 very touch offended.
 l Look here, Lois. that's nonsense
 let's go and see something, let's go into
 the New Empire for an hour. Your
 father will be all right when he's had
 a glass or two Of vodki. You know
 he's always like this when there's been
 news from Warsaw. Let's go and
 hear turn and then you can tell me
 what you want me to do."
 They walked on a little way, she
 clinging to his arm timidly and look
 ing up often into his eyes as though
 for some expression of that affection
 she hungered for unceasingly. The Court" had named them for lovers
 long ago, but the women declared that
 such an aristocrat as Alban Kennedy
 would look twice before he put his neck
 Into Paul Boriskon's matrimonial
 halter.
 "A lot of good the Empire will do me
 tonight" Lois exclaimed presently. T
 feel more like dancing on my own
 grave than seeing other people do 1t.
 What with fathers temper and your
 cold shoulder, Alb"
 1 Lois, that's unfair, dear; you know
 that I am sorry. But what can I do,
 what can any one do for men who talk such nonsense as those fellows in
 
 ernment'-you said 1t was that, didn't you?-well. they're much more likely to get brain fever and wake up In the hospital. That's what l shall tell your father if he asks me. And, Lois, how can you and I talk about anything serious when I haven't a shilling to
 call my own and your father won't let you out of his sight lest he should want something. It will all be differ ent soon-bad things always are. shall make a fortune myself some day I'm certain of 1t as though l had the money already in the bank. People who make fortunes always know that | they are going to do so. 1 shall make ,, lot of money and then come back for you-just my little Lois sewing at the ; window, the same old dirty court, the
 same ragged fellows talking about sacking London, the same faces every wh ere-but Lois unchanged and wait ! Ing for me-now isn't 1t that. dear
 won't you be unchanged when I come back for you?"
 They stood for an instant in the
 shadow of a shuttered shop and, leap ing up at his question, she lifted warm red lips to his own-and the girl of , seventeen and the boy of mature twenty kissed ardently as lovers newly sworn to eternal devotion.
 "I do love you, Alab," she cried "I shall never love any other man-straight,
 my dear, though there ain't much use in
 telling you. Oh, Alb. if you meant it, you wouldn't leave me in this awful place; you'd take me away darling, where I could see the fields and tho gar dens. I'm come. Alb, as true as death I'd go this night If you arst me, straigh' away never to come back-ff 1t were to
 sleep on the hard road and beg my bread from house to house-Id go with you,
 Alb, as heaven hears me, I'd be an honest
 wife to you and you should never regret
 the day What's to keep us, Alb dear? Oh we're fine rich, aint we, both of us,
 you with your fifteen shillings from tho
 yard and me with nine and six from | the fronts. Gawds truth. Rothschld , ain't nothink to you and me, Alb, when we've the mind to play the great lidy and gentleman. Do you know that l lay abed some nights and try to think as its a kerrdge and pair and you a-sittin De- side of me and nothink round us but the l green fileds and the blue sky, and nothlnk
 never more to do but jess ride on with 1 your hand In mine and the sun to shlne l upon us. Lord, what n thing 1t IS 10
 wake up then, Alb, and ear the caller l cryin' five and see my father like white l ghost at the door. And that's wot's got to I, go on to the end-you know 1t is; you l put me off cause you think it'll please
 me, same as you put Chris Denham on
 when you danced with her at the lnstitoot 1 ball You won't never love no girl truly | Alb-it isn't in you, my dear. 1oute born above us and we never shall forget 1t. not none of us as I'm alive tonight She turned away he rhead to hide the tears gathering in her black eyes, while 1 Alban's only answer to her was a frm 1 pressure upon the little white hand he 1 held in his own and quicked step upon 1 the crowded pavement. Perhaps ne un-
 1Nt11 l but of this he could not be a wise Juoge 1 His father had been a poor East End par 1 son his mother was the daughter or an 1 obstinate and finty Sheffield steel factod, ! who first disowned her for marrying a l curate and then went through the pihh- l ruptcy court as protest against Arneil- i can competition. So far Alban knew nlIn-
 self to be an aristocrat-and yet now l could he forget that maong that very 1 counany of revoutionaries he had so l lately quilted there were sons or men
 whose nobility was older than Russia her l self That he understood so much slhgiea 1 him out immediately as youth or
 strange gifts and abnormal insight-put l such, indeed. he was, ana as SUCH II l knew himself tho. 1 "I won't quarrel with you. Lois, though
 sec that you wish 1t, dear" he saiu 1 presently you know l don't care TOT l Chris Denham, and whats the good or | ia llxinP about her. Let go dnu tHeSi "p Pm sure we can do with a bit and 1 that's the plain truth, now isn't it' | Lois?" -, 1 He squeezed her arm and drew her l closer to him. At the Empire they founo 1 two gallery seats and watched a Japa- l nesa acrobat balance himself upon hVe l boons and A ladder. A lady in far from
 iromaoulate evening dress. who sang of eo1y,nq river which possessed eternal ana
 ;no,nutabIe qualities chiefly concerned
 ,,ith love and locks and answering hdel-
 ttv annealed to little Lois sentiment 1 and she looked up at Alb whenever the l refrain recurred as much as 10 say ihne is how I should love you 50 many
 other couples about them were squeezihs l hands and cuddling waists that no ohe l took any notice of their anaoi4lty or l though 1t odd. A drunken sailor pehlnd 1 them kept asking the company With l maudlin relteration what time the last | train left for Plymouth, but beyond cry 1 ing "hush" nobody rebuked him. Tn truth, the young people had come there l to make love. and when the lights were | turned down and the curtain of the bio- l eranh revealed, the place seemed para 1 disc itself. ,. | Lois crept very close to Albany during ] this part of the entertainment nor u,N | he repuse her. Moments there were uh- | deniably when he had great tenderness | touard her: moments when she lay in his | embrace as some pure girt rom 'iiis iis | haven of darkness and Of evil lIasIo l helpless figure of girlhood ne idoii%eu- 1 Then nerchance. he loved her as Lois 11-r ynrifh H.