Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-08-25


and a piteous smile tried to force itself
/ to her lips.
Il am sorry" she said at last. Il am
sorry you have spoken to me OF 1t.
! have felt for some time that you-you
cared for me. No, Lieutenant Bray; l
cannot be your wife,,
Il know you love him." he said.
Eyes. it is plain. l have not tried to
| hide it,
"You must understand why l asked
you to be my wife. knowing that you
love him. 1t was to hear 1t from your
| own lips, so that l would not go
through life with the feeling after all.
| that 1t might have been. VIII YOU tell
me the reason why you cannot marry
him? He must love you"
| Lieutenant Bray. he would marry
! me tomorrow. think. II were to con-
sent. 1t isn't that. 1t would not be
right for me to consent. You profess
to love me. have seen 1t in your eyes
oh. have learned much OF men In
the past few months-and determined
II you ever asked me to marry you to
ask a question In return. Do you real
! ~ know who l am"
He looked his surprise. "Why, the
daughter Of David Gable. of course"
mo; l am not his daughter"
His stepdaughter!'
Not even that. You come from a
proud southern family. do not know
who my parents were"
Good heaven. you-you don't mean
you were a waif?"
| "A waif without name. Lieutenant
Bray This is not self abasement; 1t
is not the parading Of misfortune. 1t
is because you have made the mistake
Of loving me If you care less for me
now than you did before you will
spread this information throughout the
army"
"Believe me, l am not that Sort
THANK you. Knowing what you
now do, could you ask me to be your
wife,"
Don't put it just that way" he
stammered.
"Ah. l see. 1t was a cruel question.
And yet it proves that you do not love
as Graydon Bansemer loves"
"Some day you may find out all
about your parents and be happy. You
may have been abducted and he
was saying. his face white and set.
Somehow he felt that he was chasten-
ing himself. Ttf+
Perhaps" she said quietly. II
might not have told you this had not
the story been printed in every news
paper in the States Just before left.
You see, did not know 1t until just a
few months ago. thought you might
have read Of me, IL am SO notori-
GUS"
} Jane. dear Jane. you must not feel
that wayw he cried as she started
quickly away. "1ts"- But she turned
} were tears in her eyes. He stood stock
still. "She's wonderful he said to
J himself as she walked away. even
} now l believe l could Pshaw! 1t
ought not to make any difference! n
it wasn't for my family What's in a
name anyway A name''- He started
to answer his own question. but halt.
ed abruptly, squared his shoulders and
then. with true southern. military
bearing. strobe away. murmuring:
"A name is something: yes. family is
everything"
Jane went at once to Graydon. His
great gray eyes smiled a glad well
come. She took his hand in hers and
sat upon the ground beside him.
watching his face until they were
ready to resume the Journey. ave. ~
"Would 1t not be better II he were to
dep she found herself wondering
with strange Inconsistency to her pur-
pose. why could 1t not have been I
instead Of he? How hard It will be for
us to live after this! Dear. dear Gray.
don. if-if l only were different from
what am"
Not word Of his fathers conduct
toward her. not a word Of blame for
the blow his father had stIuck. She
held him to no account for the base
: ness Of that father. Only did she hold
herself unfit to be his wife.
2 Fortune and strength went h0d in
J hand for the next two days, anu the
! famished, wornout company came to
the coast. The wounded men were
half delirious once more for lack OF
pAVPSA ONNCANAOA anu TIC udTuSulpS VI
. travel. But the Ill wind had spent its
!. force. Bray's instructions were to
] place his charges on board ship al
San Fernando de Union and Their
: await further orders in the little coast
o town. 1t meant goodby to Jane. and
that meant more to him than he was
. willing to admit despite all that she
Z had said to him. He went to her when
> the ship was ready to leave port.
"Goodby." he said. Pm more griev.
ed than can tell you. because l be
9 lieve you think am cad"
Lieutenant Bray. a cad never would
have helped me as you have helped
me In spite Of yourself. Goodbye
!. He went out Of her life in that mo
Z ment tf
There were vexatious delays, how
ever, before sailing. Almost at the las