Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-08-21
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV. d.
1t is three days later. Three days OF
brilliant sunshine-of ever-increasing hap
piness for Amber. Like a flower planted
in the shade, pining always for the light
beyond, that brought suddenly into the
full soft warmth and glory of the suns
hot rays, lifts its head to heaven, and
drinking in rapturously the sweetness OF
the open day, expands into a more perfect
beauty, so Amber, whose young days have
been spent for the most part in gloom
and melancholy, now blossoms into great
er b~rilliance, and for the first time knows
herself. Her pretty, low, soft laugh rings
clear and sound; her lovely eyes are fill
cd with light. She has even acquired a
faint touch of innocent coquetry that sits
most charmingly upon her.
She has been initiated into the mys-
teries of tennis, has shown a truly won
derful aptitude for croquet; though when
first she came she had known nothing of
these small delights. Her want of knowi-
edge had gone to Hilary's heart.
Which will you play?" May had said
the morning after her arrival. Tennis
or %croquet!'
II have never played a game in my
life" Amber had returned and there was
so much suddenly awakened wonder and
was it sorrow?-in her voice that they
all felt grieved for her, and Hilary a
thousandfold more deeply in love-poor,
poor darling!
1t is all changed now, however, and it
is with joy he sees how her gracious, love
ly nature is at last given full play.
1t is one of those nights in the far
autumn that seem to have been born too
late, and that still breathe of the sweet
ness of a past July. AS Hilary and Am
Der run lightly down the steps of the
verandah, the delicate freshness of the
night air falls upon them, giving them a
delicious sense Of coolness, of freedom, In
there, the room had been so warm!
Amber, turning up her beautiful face
to the heaven above her. stops, as if to
drink more freely of this gracious breeze;
and Hilary, watching her, feels his purses
throb. All day he had waited for this
moment, and now it is his. He is alone
with her
II have been trying all day to see you
alone" says Adare; ''but something pre-
vented me. Was it your"
"How could l know you wanted to see
me alone? Why" smiling back at him in
a little friendly fashion, but with open
surprise in her eyes-.why did your" =
What a question:" a little resentfully
perhaps. Can't she see? Does she not
know? For one thing" he goes on,
dropping into his former manner. and re-
garding her very earnestly, ITO give you
these"
He has put his hand into his waistcoat
rocket. and pulled ont two dainty little
boxes.
II want you to wear these instead of
the others-that I'm afraid l made you
give up. Here he holds out to her two
rings on the palm of his hand. One can
see that they are rings to be despised by
no woman-the diamonds and sapphires
in them flashing exquisitely beneath the
rays of the watching moon.
For me ~ says Amber. She looks at
them as if not believing. She has taken
a step backwards in her surprise. But
now their beauty draws her, and she
comes nearer. She does not, however, at
tempt to touch them.
PROSTITUTION Of a sort !" says he,
laughing a little nervously. Sever since /
have seen your poor little fingers without
those toys you loved, Ii have hated
myself. 1 have felt like a thief! But
if you will put these on-Why don't you
take them? Are you still angry with
me? Oh! don't cay that. They should
have been here some days ago, but |
wanted them to be as like the originals as
possible. and it took some time-and of
course / know they are very paltry in
comparison-but you will take them.
won't you! You He hesitates now.
What is there in her face that he cannot
quite read?. You will try them on, and
see if they will fit you"
"Oh, 10 ~ She does not really move
this time, yet he is filled with the impress
sion that she has shrunk from him. He
looks quickly at her-passionate question
in his eyes.
II couldn't says the girl in a little
choked voice-"I couldn't. Don't ask
me. and don't-don't think me unkind or
ungrateful, or-or horrid in any way.
Only- She breaks off suddenly, and
then, before he has time to say anything,
she goes on again: Cant you see, can't
you understand? The thought of those
rings is hateful to me. I wore them when
1 had no right to them. You said the
word thief just now | was the thief
then. / think I should not have induced
you to hide them in the old mill; but
but / had not the courage to tell Sir
Lucien about them then, and'1sadly-
II have not the courage now either. He
would not believe me. No" stopping
him imperatively-"he would not He
would put his own construction on the
way l got them, and it would only make
things worse for poor dads memory. l
nave thought it all out, since l have been
here. Do you know, when I came | had
the idea of telling him. | fancied when
Sir Lucien saw me, he would know that
my father could not-could not Here
her poor little voice. in spite of all her
courageous efforts to control her grief
9 nd misery and henest inaissnatien breaks
pitiablyI"have stolen or sold those
! stones; but it Is all over now"
Give him more time" says Adare,
| with a mad effort to help her in this dis
tress that is hurting him, even more than
her hurting him as though q knife had
been driven into him. Poor-poor little
darling!
do you think l can't hear the disbe-
lief in your voice?' says she repToach-
fully. You know as we'll as l do that if
I gave him all the time that still re-
| mains to us, he would not believe in my
fathers Honesty. read that In his eyes,
and in his manner towards he. He will
believe only, when or SOMEONE else.
give him back those dreadful tswsiA He
hAt0 -