The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-16


 And there was not the least doubt that
 he would.
 "Captaln to take command thirtieth 1 without fail-fall-fail-fail!" The words
 rang in her ear above Vies measured
 periods. What could the man be talking | about?
 ..Yes-yes," she answered him little i fretfully. "go on. please-or l must go up to my fatherlp
 She could not see from the window that
 no answering signal had been hoisted Tn
 front of the Portogarten managers house l now in progress of construction. And
 that meant, if it meant anything, that she
 might expect the incursion of rejoicing l Phil a radiant Phil, a Phil who would | be perfectly unrecognizable to his former
 superior, sitting there and letting the
 words fall measuredly from his lips.
 Please don't interrupt me- she heard
 him say, T have a difficult task to per-
 form. But I mean to go through with 1t. It may cause pain to both of us-yes-- 1 great pain. But at any rate you shall
 have no reason to complain of me-lf
 can help it."
 (Bess the man--she had never dreamed
 of doing such thing. Who did he think she wasp
 Still lie had saved her life. so she must ] listen as patiently as might be. It was
 his due Only she did wish that those
 wretched flags were down. or that Phil
 would not make some idiotic answer l which would be read from the lighthouse.
 Interrupt you MT. Norris she said, 1 squinting up at the fiagstah on the 1 Heugh, "certainly notl' l All the same she did not know what she l was promising
 Vida" he said. T think I may call l you that
 1 Bless mel she thought, "the man is l going to propose after all He has come 1 from Spain to do itl They all begin that way. They should be told not toi' But Vic Morris went on .remorselessly, without divining one of her thoughts, ds 1 Phil would have done dear PhilD, or 1 indeed without caring very much what these might be, even if they had been 1 printed out plainly from ticker for
 his edification.
 T have to reveal to you my reasons l for seeking this interview" said Vic
 looking straight into the girls face. T
 have but little reason to be proud of i them. But at least I will make clean
 breast of it. And then you can do what l you like in the matter" 1 ('This man is completely out of his 1 mndi' decided Yida.) 1 Yes" went on Vic talking to himself l 'there was a time when I believed that I 1 loved you"
 l NOW loT II! thought Nlud, dilu udu I consoling glimpse at the fagstaff-still blank.
 1 Indeed I may say I did love you. 1 1 even allowed you to see it. went every l where in order to be with you. 1 went l to church."
 l "Lawks-a-mussy, nowl Think O that" l murmured Vida, after the manner of her 1 charwoman, one Dame Betty Broadfoot, l who came to do the mornings housework, I 4l. 1 the house with her exolamations. But Vida did not let the young man with the l broad shoulders and the granite face hear 1 her. She knew better. So he proceeded l unchecked and confident. "Yes, I came night after night to your 1 cottage-Dick Finnans cottage at the | Glebe End, that Is. I am aware that I excited comment by doing so. But then I thought that al ltime was before mel l did not hasten to speak" 1 "The dear man." murmured Vida, ad | miringly, just like them all-thinks he l is the only one in the worldi And she stole another glance up at l the top of the Heugh. But still no band l of fiuttering color was blowing out for l her to decipher. Either Phil had not got 1 her message, or, leaving the Portogarten mine to look after itself, at that mo- ment he was tearing down the slopes to- 1 wards the cottage. She wanted to tell l Vic Morris to get onto give him a push l he was so slow. For Phil was as likely l as not to hurl himself bodily into the l open window and put his arms about 1 her neck without saying By your leave" l She knew Phil.
 She blushed again She also moved l little farther from the window, but did | not close 1t.
 Poor. poor Janet!'' was again the un- l spoken thought of Vic Morris, accom- | panied by heavy sigh. 1 Yes" he continued bravely, I ought 1 to have spoken-to have asked you to | marry me! Yes, I had no right to run away like that, acknowledge it. My I duty was clear, and I have come back | to perform it-r
 1 And he threw his head back with a | kind of noble air which annoyed the l girl exceedingly.
 MT Morris" began Vida, half | rising.
 Hear me out-hear me outr' Vic Nor | ris put up an authoritative hand, you 1 promised! Of course you do right to be | angry. But hear me out. I went away | however-1eeing from what ought to have
 been my pride and my pleasure. And-I
 can hardly bring myself to tell you the l rest-what followed!'
 Bless me-" thought Vida, .'has he
 killed somebody too?"
 During the time that was in Spain," l d | grew up between myself and a young | lady of this neighborhood. Followed. 1 | fear at least on my side, by a change
 in my affections-of my feelings with re-. l gard to youl''
 l Vida was too astonished to utter a
 word. Vic hurried on breathlessly, get l ting over the ground. lest he should be interrupted.
 But duty-duty Miss Vida, is before | all other things with me Accordingly. | as soon as l had heard of your father misfortune, I started to do what I ought 1 to have done before-offer you a good | home and a faithful husbandl I love an-
 other it is true. That is my misfortune,
 not my fault. But you need have no
 Tear. She shall never know it. and
 will gladly subordinate my happiness, in
 order that you and yours may know a
 happy home. Love I would gladly give if
 could. Once l thought that the feel l ings were under the control of the will l or determined man. l have found 1 out my mistake. But I am a man of It is best to be frank. But all the same
 1t Is my duty to make this offer to you
 and, I do make it in all honesty of re- 1 solve and purpose"
 There was not the least reason to
 doubt it.
 But just at this moment the little French window was driven in two halves.
 and Phil Calmont leaped into the parlor.
 Coming straight and breathless out of tho
 sunshine. he did not for the moment see | Vic The last accents of the dutiful and
 noble speech of the engineer had died