The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-30

T might ask the same question:" he | sneered.
 You might-2" "Yes," he said brutally. And I will
 ask it. How dared you kiss me? Down l there in the wood. How dared you put | your arm around a strangers neck and
 draw his head down till he kissed | your" | 'T-you think did that?" | 'I know it." But how-when?" You know well enough-the day l | came home" But" she said slowly, and her eyes | did not finch from his as the two stood
 in the darkened room with the candles steady light on their confronted faces, l eff you know this you've always known
 1t. Then why-all this time--?" | II couldn't believe it. thought aft | erward it must have been a vision a dream. an hallucination of the senses How could I believe that you-you l seemed so different-you-a stranger 1 shameless"
 Then if you couldn't believe it then. why believe it now?" Her voice was | cold and toneless. | Because l kissed you again-fool that l was. When I felt your lips I 1 knew 1t was not the first time-I knew. ! and you confirmed it; you owned that 1 you'd been asleep in tn @ wood that day.
 and you blush ed-good God, girl, did | you expect me to go on with it after i that?"
 She picked up one of the candle sticks, looked at 1t attentively set if
 down very carefully in its place. Then She turned to him. 'Histen to me-" she said. First of all I'll never see you, speak to you again as long as l live. If you could think that -oh-how could any one think it!'' The anger in her voice was fuel to the anger in his heart. "But-great God in heaven, you can't mean to try to brazen it out! I didn't think-you did it.' I'm going to tell you the truth" she
 said, facing him. q don't care whether you believe me or not l was asleep in the wood that day and I dreamed that you were there-and-and that it all hap pened as you say. And then I woke, and you were standing there And I pretend ed to be asleep" "But why-why did you pretend that?" How could I look you in the face after dreaming that?" And you never thought that perhaps it wasn't a dream?' "How should I? Why!-- Oh, you shall have the whole ruth That day I saw you at the Museum, 1 knew you. though I'd never seen you and never dreamed i of you And ever since that I've dreamed of you almost always. That-in the wood was only dream like another. "AIways of me? Never of any one
 else?"
 .So.r she retorted scornfully, never of any one else-goodby.' She turned to go but he caught her arm roughly.
 Let me go--you hurt she said, but Nn. ctan tall me everything. Dld you KISS me Tn your other dreams?" '.Yes," she said defiantly, throwing back her head, "but in my other dreams l loved you--and you loved me. No-no , T will never forgive you, never. Let me go. It's no good. I hate you. I wish I'd never seen you. No. no, mo- He had not spoken but his eyes had
 implored.
 No" she cried, mo, I will never for give you, never. Oh, how could you, how could you--' Don't cry-ah. don't he whispered with his arms around her. Here" she said presently, lifting her head from his shoulder and feeling among the laces of her bodice, my father told me to wear this always and to give 1t to
 the man I loved when I was certain he loved me. He said 1t would keep me from unworthy loves. He took it from her hand. It was an amulet. "Oh, but" he said, and showed her the one he wore-its counter part
 .Yes," she said, 'I knew you had that. Your aunt told me. So then l knew that
 nothing could part us"
 But you said you'd never speak to me
 again-you'd never forgive me" An" she said, "yes-I said that" ~ The pink flush of sunrise was over the
 drenched garden as they opened the
 French window and stepped out onto the
 terrace. She stopped and faced him.
 Now I'm quite quite sure,' she said.
 q want to tell you one thing. Then there
 won't be even a shadow between us."
 ..There is none now" he said.
 That day-in the wood-sometimes
 have wondered-whether it was dream.
 And yet thought it couldn't be true. But
 I did wonder if 1t could really be only another dream like the others.''
 "Why?"
 Come, let's go and walk in the rose
 garden" she said, pulling at his hand. But why he persisted, shouldn't N have been a dream like the others7" "I--you-the kisses in the dreams wers 1tpPoronx he