The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-23

the overthrow of an empire-you who
have never yet been conquered. IL L
could tell you"
Wilhelmina suddenly lifted her
head, and her face had grown very
pale. There were only a few more
words, words that she had no need to
look at to feel their thrilling signifi-
canoe, for they were stamped indel-
ibly upon her recollection, and then
the letter, like all the rest, ended,
without the smallest mark Of identi-
htation, but with perhaps shade
less of ,pronouncement OF that note
Of separation which the others I'm
variably sounded. and which had led
her to conclude that the writer was
some one whom she had scarcely
more than met--some worshiper afar
whom fate had removed with cruel
tyranny from the possibility of clos
er acquaintance She had known
many admirers In the recent round of
gayety her presence had inspired. but
she could think of no one,no one in
n
ity seemed all at once to rest upon
her, and as she caught a glimpse of
her features in the mirror she was
startled by the sad and yearning in
quiry that looked forth from her
eyes.
She rose abruptly, and quickly
slipped into thin white gown fast
ening a rose-wreathed garden hat
above her dark hair with deftness
that was mechanical rather than de-
liberate coquetry; and in moment
afterwards she was out of the house,
moving swiftly across the lawn in
the, direction OF the clump of pine
trees. 1f a..g
None of the merry house party was
yet astir. and the place was very
dreamy and peacefully beautiful in
the golden sunlight of the July after
noon. The temporary stiffness SEEM
ed to offer a soothing contrast after
the resounding mirth Of the morning,
which today had reached a height of
extravaganza that would no doubt
break forth soon again, owing to the
fact that there were to be only a few
more hours of such enjoyment Most
of the guests were leaving on the
morrow. Wilhelmna expected to re-
main until the end of the week; and
until today she had anticipated a
certain satisfaction at thought of the
opportunity OF companionship with
Dudley, uninterrupted by laughing
calls from the broad porches or the
neighborhood OF the tennis courts.
But Dudley's telegram had wrought
a crisis.
He was sitting with his back to-
ward the house now, though five
minutes before. she had observed him
from her window pacing restlessly up
and down the little path that wound
under the dense evergreen trees. He
was still smoking. .cand he was 80 alb
sorbed In his own meditations that
he heard no sound Of her approaching
footsteps so that she was standing
quite at his side before he realized
that she was anywhere near
Then he rose deliberately, put down
his pipe, and stood looking dumbly
into her eyes. Not, however, with
quite the old beseeching adoration
but with an expression different
from anything she had hitherto seen
on the young face. Much of his usual
awkwardness, a consequence Of the
overwhelming shynoss she seemed
always TO provoke in him. had van
ished, and he stood before her clothed
in strange new dignity, calm, reso-
lutte. but OF a deadly pallor Every
muscle of the tense form was clo-
quent of some powerful Inward strug-
gle TO maintain at least an outward
resemblance Of self-control; and
certain boyish shame in the presence
of his own profound emotion increas-
ed the quiet of his manner. .....
Wilhelmina paused, The graceful
speech which came always so readily,
to her lips as an assuaging balm TO
his diffidence. and which ignored with
such serene kindness, was not utter.
ed. She cnught in her breath quickly
and all at once az they stood)t thus face
to face the realization came bearing
down upon sher sure and strong, put
ting to silence everything that saw
ored OF the cowardly or the trivial,
that this was moment in which
Dudley would stand no temporizing
no laughing badinage upon the sub
ject OF his devotion to her-such as
she had been wont to practice with
him that she might cure him of his
folly--no pretty talk about friend
ship. For the hour of destiny had
sounded, and she knew Il in every
nerve and fibre Of her being.
In that hour it would be a man and
not the boy of the last five or six
weeks with whom she would have to
reckon, and the thought of II sent a
thrill Of admiration through her, be-
cause she realized that his uncon-
scious power over her had its root in
a certain masterful strength which
) wholly lifted him out of the plane OF
the ordinary, and which again plac-
cd him before her as the being before
whom, all unknown to herself. she
had once or twice already wayerod,