Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14

with him. over ffdTOtu pam anu
humiliation was too much for her.
And now she said. what IS 1t that
you want to speak to me about?
Her words fell on Leonard like cold
douche. Here had he been talking about
his love for her. and yet she ignored the
whole thing. and asked him what he
wanted to talk about. His pride and
vanity were both hurt; it was not in
very loving tone that he said:
What a queer girl you are. Stephen.
You don't seem to attend to what a fellow
is saying Here have been telling you
that love you. and asking you to marry
me. and yet you don't seem to have even
heard met" She answered at once. quite
sweetly and with a smile of superiority
which maddened him:
But that subject is barred!'
How do you mean? Barred
YES 1 told you yesterday Now. he
felt. was his time to sweep away her
girlish objections. Doubtless her pride
had been hurt by his refusal at first But
he had since then told her several times
that he loved her. and had asked her to
marry him. 1t was not the first time
that he had had to overcome girls
anger. her chagrin. her scruples. and.
after all. girl was a girl. There was
nothing like little good. hot love-mak-
ing with them, He rose quickly to clasp
her in his arms.
"Sit down. Her voice came with the
same imperious force as her command to
him yesterday to keep his place. though
1t was much lower now and controlled
with a calm reserve. AT the first change
in his attitude. which she seemed some
how to expect, her hand had gone out
and was resting on the silver gong. In
stinctively he sank back on the ottoman;
the dog in him had answered the COM
mand of Its master. Stephen went on
with icy calnmess, the set smile still on
her face:
Il have told you that subject is barred,
forever
But. Stephen" he cried out. quickly.
all the alarm in him and all the earnest
ness of which he was capable uniting to
his Strengthening. can't you understand
that 1 love you. with all my heart? You
are so beautiful: so beautiful He felt
now in reality what he was saying. her
refusal. her final refusal. had brought out
in him such passion as he had. Though
II was but animal passion IT was still the
power that swayed him. and in his sense
Of despair came the voice of passion,
which is always eloquent.
The torrent of his words left no open
Ing for her objection; IT swept all merely
verbal obstacles before 1t. She listened.
content in a measure. So long as he sat
at the distance which she had arranged
before his coming she did not fear for
any personal violence Moreover. IT was
q satisfaction to her now to hear him,
who had refused her, pleading in vain.
The more sincere his eloquence the larger
her satisfaction: she had no pity for
him now.
II know 1 was fool. Stephen! 1 had
my chance that day en- the hilltop. and
II had felt then as feel now. as have
felt every moment since. would not have
been so cold. 1 would have taken you in
my arms and held you close and kissed
YOU. again. and again. and again. On!
my darling. you are so beautiful! Your
beauty goes through me like fire! Can't
you see that l love you? Can't you feel
1t? Don't you know that l am yours.
heart and soul. and mind. and body! Give
Give me some sign of love; some little
CLEAN of hope! I'll undo the past. and
make you so feel that my love is yours.
that you'll love me in return. Oh, dar-
ling, l love you. l love you! 1 love
you He held out his arms imploringly.
Wont you love me? WON'T
He stopped. paralyzed with angry
amazement. She was laughing.
He grew purple in the face: his hands
were still outstretched. The few seconds
seemed like hours.
Forgive me-" she said. in a polite
tone. suddenly growing grave But real
" you looked so funny, sitting there so
quietly. and speaking in such a way. that
! couldn't help it. You really must for
give me, But. remember. / told you the
subject was barred, and as. knowing that,
you went on. you really have no one but
yourself to blamer' Leonard was furious.
but he managed to say as he dropped his
arms:
But love your
THAT may be. now" she went on,
till, ;sf lofn III lnxyel
you. and I have never loved you. OF
course, had you accepted my offer of
marriage you should never have known
that No matter how great had been my
shame and humiliation when 1 had come
to a sense of what l had done. / should
have honorably kept my part of the tacit
compact entered into when l made that
terrible mistake l cannot tell you how
rejoiced and thankful l am that you took
my mistake in such way. or course.
/ do not give you any credit for it: you
thought only of yourself, and did that
which you liked best!''
That is a nice sort of thing to tell
man. he interrupted with cynical frank
ness.
"Oh. I do not want to hurt you I'M
necessarily. but / wish there to be no
possible miconception in the matter. What
l say now / am saying once for all.
have no scruples or computations in
speaking frankly. For. after all. you had
your chance. and took it in your own
way. You can't eat your CAKE anu Keep
IT, YOU know. Now that / have dis
covered my error l am not likely to fall
into IL again. And / may say that l am
so sure of this that / shall not ever again
even enter on the subject with YOU
Here an idea struck Leonard. and he
blurted out:
But do you not think that something
is due me?
How do you mean?" Her brows were
puckered with real wonder this time.
For false hopes raised in my mind.
II did not love you before. the very act
of proposing to me has made me love
you. and now ! love you so we'll that I
cannot live without YOU In his genuine
agitation he was starting up. when the
sight OF her hand laid upon the gong ar
rested him. She laughed as she said:
II thought that the privilege of chang
ing ones mind was female prerogR-
tive
IF a woman does what man ought to
do He grew scarlet under her
quick smile. What ought to be done by
a man. she should be fair enough to let
the man do what would be done by a
woman, Her smile was genuine this
time
That is good point. You men. with
your relentless logic, can now and again
put argument in way that We help
less women cannot,
Leonard breathed more freely: had he
been a cat he would have purred here.
But then" she went on with her previ-
Gus icy calm. though we women cannot
argue. we arrive somewhere at the same
conclusion. Our way may be over quick.