Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-02-01
Copyright 1907 by Maria AIbanesi.
By MARIA ALBANESI

"When l read that letter, Mr.. Hav-
erford, l thought Immediately of you.
Now l know l have no earthly right
to bother you with things that belong
J to a stranger indeed she
laughed family -"I am quite prepar-
ed to hear you say that you are sur
prised; that you did not thing that
should do anything of this sort.
i have come even expecting you to
refuse"
He left the fireplace and went near
er to her.
The dream dropped away from him.
Some friend of yours is in trou-
ble?" he asked. He smilel 4. her.
you we're quite right to come to me.
| am only too glad to do anything for
anyone in trouble, but more especially
l am glad to do anything for any one
who is dear to you"
Camilla bit her lip, and moved a
little away from him, approaching the
fire in her turn.
"How good you are" she said. The
words were wrung from her involun-
tarily, and there were tears in her
eyes and tears in her voice. Indeed,
he moved sharply at this moment
There was such an element Of sim
plicity about him and yet no weak
ness. He accepted her story without
question. The f1imsy fabrication she
had just given him was merely the
truth to him, essentially so because it
was she who spoke. No other man
she knew would have been deceived
by this story of friend in the coun-
try, but Rupert was not like other
men. He was very far removed from
being a fool, but he was, a long, long
way from grasping the meaning of
life as it was lived by most of the
men and women who circled about
him now.
Why, he was in many things child
compared to herself!
Haverford had sat down to his
writing table.
"In any matter of this kind he
said, Il beg you will use me in every
way that may seem good to yon Mrs
Lancing. I gather that your friend
needs immediate help; pray do not lei
her be troubled an hour longer than
Is possible"
He signed blank cheque and slip
per it into an envelope.
4 AS he turned and held this out tc
her, Camilla Lancing gave a little
shiver She looked at him without
taking the envelope.
" "Oh!" she murmured, 81 wha
can say. How good :. how good.
came on -. on the impulse
of the moment, not because you have
so much but because I :. felt =.
il feel you are so glad to- to hell
any one, but - y
"Why should there be any butt
he asked, not very steadily; 'by this
time hope you know that hold it cnt
of my greatest pleasures, as it is Ger
tainly an honor, to serve you when
ever you will permit me to do SC
Will you remember this always?'
Camilla bit her lip again, and thel
put out her hand,
Haverford bent over it, held it fo
moment in firm grip. Then a
though yielding to some overwheln
ing temptation, stopped and kissed il
Her hand was kissed at least once o
twice day on the average, but Ru
: pert Haverford had never before pei
mitted himself this old-fashioned an
gracious sign Of homage. 1t was wit
him an expression of something ia
: far deeper than mere courtesy to
very delightful and very pretty won
an She OWNED this instantly, an
her heart began to beat nervously. A
she released her hand she pulled he
sables about her and prepared to &c
She was eager now to be away fror
him. The expression of his face tror
bled her. She had chafed almost ar
grily at his silence his self-repre!
sion. vet now that she knew he woul
speak, she dreaded to hear his word:
A thousand jarring feelings thrille
her
{, Though there had been many mt
ments recently when he had appeale
to her physically. when, indeed. sh
had frankly admired him, in this mt
ment she felt almost as though sh
hated him.
It was a sensation which she coul
not define, which she would hav
found practically impossible to e,
plain to another person, but it wa
very real, very oppressive.
She crushed the envelope he ha
given her in her hand, and hid it
her big muff; then she began speal
ing gaily.
.'What are you doing tonight?" sh
a asked You are engaged? oh | al
a so sorry. | thought that perhaps yo
would have taken Agnes and me t
dinner somewhere. We have no el
gagement; but, never mind, we ca
do that another night"
''Will you dine with me tomorrow
, he asked He too was nervous r
had not her gift of Slipping into
seeming Indifference. Her easy, eve