The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-08-13

I did HIS best to check II. It was her
courage hat touched him first, then
her generosity. Afterward her beauty
dawned upon his senses like the ris-
ing of the sun and melted the ice OF
his bitterness and contempt. Later
still, compassion for her loneliness
awoke within him and lifted up its
voice. The reverence began to grow.
Coming fresh and winsome into his
lonely and uneventful life he vas cap
tivated before he was aware, and
yielded to the spell of her presence,
believing that no harm could come OF
it. She was like a singing bird in a
dungeon, or a fash Of summer in dark
November days. He basked in the
warmth in sheer delight. and thawed
unconsciously till all the fountains of
| his nature were opened afresh.
But who shall describe the begin
nings and the growth of love? Who
shall tell whence 1t comes, or how, or
why? Who shall explain by what
strange instinct the soul knows its
mate?
II was not easy for Clement to go
back on what he had said, to eat all
his bitter and boastful words; but
love was bound to triumph in the
end. For a moment he revealed him
self when the telegram from Mr..
Pinder was handed to him and he
learned that Mr.. Mayhem was dead.
Mawgan Chase seemed a different
place o that she was out of it. The
singing bird had flown. The flash Of
summer had given place to winter
once more. He longed with an mex
pressible longing for Marion's return,
and yet he had not the courage to on
fess ii even TO himself.
When he learned the secret that she
was Dick Vests daughter he fancied
for a moment that his love was slain.
That it could survive such a revela-
ton seemed impossible. But he was
not long in discovering that genuine
love could not be so easily destroyed.
Had the knowledge come at the be-
ginning of their acquaintance the re-
suits might have been different. but
when Marion told him the cruel truth
he had long passed the point where
retreat was possible.
The hopeless struggle of the sue
ceeding days we have already indicat-
ed. In the end it was a relief to be
honest with himself. .
II love herl | love her! love
her!" he repeated to himself in joyous
abandon.
He walked out across the sodden
fields and through the bare woods and
along the windy cliffs and he whis-
pered it to himself a thousand times.
1t was nothing to him now that her
father was a ~scoundrel and a cheat
nothing to him that her name was full
of sinister Notwithstanding that
she was imperfectly educated from a
conventional point of view-nothing
that, If he could win her, she would be
| a penniless bride. The only thing that
mattered was that he loved her. That
fact. like a tidal wave, submerged ey-
erything else. A little later the hope
l~essness of his passion dampened his
spirits for awhile, then hope began to
revive again.
He tabulated all the difficulties and
faced them. He did not know where
she was, But what of that? London
-England-the world was not so big
a place but that he might find her.
Energy inspired by love could work
wonders.
She might refuse 60 listen to him
because Of the past! But might not
her pride be broken down? If he
were willing to ignore the past-put
it away-forget it-might she not be
induced to do the same? Surely there
was no room for despair yet.
His own inability to maintain her
was a much harder nut to crack. IL
was the most humbling reflection
that had ever possessed him. What
had he to offer so sweet and brave a
woman? What had he achieved?
What had he ever attempted?
ITO Be C~ontinued.l