Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17

Why 10. abandon it all now? - - Aban-
| don il: Abandon resolution, All the
ohs:inacy of her nature-she classed II
herself as frmness-rose in revolt she
shook her head angrily. pulled herself to-
gether and went en-
That may be, though it's not what
call myself. or what l am usually called.
so far as know. At any rate my con-
vlctions are honest. and l am sure you
VIII respect them as such. even II you 40
not share them" She did not see the
ready response in his face which she ex-
pect d. and hurried on:
1t has always seemed to me that a
when woman Mas to speak To II man
she should do frankly as she would
like him to speak to her and as freely
Leonard. IL. as she halted. a sudden
idea. winged with possibilities of rescuing
procrastination came to her. She went
on more easily:
Il know YOU are in trouble about money
matters. Why not Lot me help YOU: He
sat up and looked at her and said,
genially:
Well Stephen. YOU are a good old
sort. No mistake about it. Do you mean
10 say you would help me to pay my
debts. when the governor has refused to
do so any more?
1T would be great pleasure to me.
| Leonard. to do anything for your good
or your pleasure
There was long pause: they both sat
ans heart beat loud: she feared that the
man must hear it. She was consumed
with anxiety. and with a desolating wish
10 be relieved from the strain of saying
more. Surely. surely Leonard could not
be so blind as not to see the state o.
things. He would surely seize the
occasion. throw aside his diffidenca and
relieve her. His words made a mo-
mentary music in her ears as he spoke
And is this what you asked me to
come here foro"
The words filed her with a great
shame. She felt herself in dilemma
1t mad been no part Of her purpose to al
lide to his debts. Viewed in the light of
what was to follow. it would seem to him
that she was trying to foreclose his at
lection. That could not be allowed to
pass: the error must he rectified. And
yet, And Yet this very error must
be cleared mp before she could make her
full wish apparent. She seemed to find
herself compelled by inexorable circum-
stances into an unlookedfo bluntness. In
any case she must face the situation. Her
pluck did not fail her: il was with a very
noble and graceful simplicity that she
turned to her companion and said:
Leonard. | did not quite mean that
1t would be -plef sure to me To be of
that or any other service to you. If
might be go happy: But l never meant
to allude to your debts. OH Leonard
can't you understand, If you were nv
husband-or-or going to be. all such LITTLE
troubles would fall away from you. But
would not for the world have you
think -
Her very voice failed her She could
turned away. hiding in her hands her
face. which fairly seemed to burn. This
she thought. was the time for a true
lovers opportunity. oh. if she had been
man. and woman had SO appealed.
how he would have sprung to her side
and taken her in his ayms. and in a wild
rapture of declared affection have swept
away all the pain of her shame.
But she remained alone. Their, was no
springing to her side: no rapture OF de-
cared affection no obliteraton of her
shame. She had to bear 1t all alone.
There. in the open: under the eyes that
she would fain have seen any other phase
of her distress. Her heart beat loud and
fast: she waited to gain self-control.
Leonard Everard had his faults. plenty
OF them, and he was in truth composed
of amalgam of far baser metals than
Stephen thought him. but he had been
born of gentle blood and reared among
gentlefolk He did not quite understand
the cause the amount of his compan-
ions concern. but he could not but recog-
nfZe her distress. He realized that II had
followed hard upon her most generous in
tentfon toward himself. He could not.
therefore. do less than try to comfort
her. and he began his task in a conven-
tional way. but with Il laundering awk-
wardness which was all manlike. He took
her hand and held it in his: this much
at any rate he had learned in sitting on
stairs or in Conservatives after extra
dances He said. tenderly as he could
but with an impatient gesture unseen by
her:
Forgive me. Stephen: suppose / have
said done something which shouldn't
But / don't know what II is: upon my
honor. I don't. Anyhow. I am truly sorry
for it. Cheer up, old girl. I'm not your
husband. YOU know; so you needn't be
distressed.
If Leonard would not speak she must 1t
was manifestly impossible that the matter
could he left in its present state.
Leonard" she said. softly and sol
EMMY. might not that some day be-?
Leonard was an egotist and the very
incarnation Of selfishness. In his blind
selfshness he Numbered brutally as.
meaning only to pass safely by an awk-
ward conversational corner: he replied:
No jolly fear of that! You're too
much of boss for me.'
The words and the levity with which
they were spoken struck the girl as with
a whip. She turned for an instant as
pale ashes: then the red blood rushed
from her heart. and face and neck were
dyed crimson. 1t was not blush. it was
A suffuson. In his ignorance Leonard
thought 1t was the former. and went on
with what he considered his teasing
You always want to engineer a chap
your own way and make him do just as
you wish. The man that has the happi-
ness of marrying you. Stephen. will have
hard row to hoe" His chair with
its utter want OF refinement seemed to
her. IN her high-strung. earnest condition.
nothing short of brutal. and for a few
seconds produced A feeling Of repellence.
But 1t is in the nature of things that OPP
position of any kind arouses the fighting
instinc; of naturally dominant nature.
She lost sight of her femininity in the
pursuit of her purpose. and as this was
to win the man to her way of thinking
she took the logical course of answering
his argument If Leonard E,verard had
forts in This direction he could hardly
have chosen better way. 1t came
somewhat as a surprise to Stephen, when
she heard her own words:
II would make a good wife Leonard,
A husband whom l loved and honored
would, / think. not be unhappy" The
sound of her own voice speaking these
words. though the tone was low and
tender and more self-suppressing by far
than was her wont. seemed to peal like
thunder in her own ears. Her last boil
mad sped. The blood rushed to her head
and she had to hold on to the arms of
the rustic chair or she would have fallen
forward. She saw. in one of those phases
or emotion when our natural senses are
purely receptive. her knuckles grow
white with the int ansity of her grasp
IN" time seemed long before Leonard
spoke again: every second seemed an
age. She seemed to have grown tired of
waiting fer the sound of his voice: II was
with kind of surprise that she heard
him say:
IpS~-t