Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-02-18


stood, and after awhile, as his absent
minded preoccupation continued:
''Do you think the leaves are dry
enough to sit onT'
He slipped off his shooting coat and
placed it at the base of the tree She
seated herself. and, as he continued to
remain standing, she stripped off her
shooting gloves and glanced up at him
inquiringIy We'll, Mr.. Siward, i am
literally at your feet"
(which redresses the balance a lit
tle,' he said, finding a place near her.
He sat there, chin propped on his
linked fingers, elbows on knees and.
though there was always the hint of a
smile In his pleasant eyes always the
indefinable charm of breeding in voice
and attitude, something now was lack
ing And after a moment she con
cluded that 1t was his attention Ger
tainly his wits were woolgathering
again. His eyes, edged with the shad-
ow of smile, saw far beyond her, far
beyond the sunlt shadows where they
sat.
In his preoccupatlon she had found
him negatively attractive. She glanced
at him now from time to time, her
eyes returning always to the beauty Of
the subdued light where all about them
silver stemmed birches clustered like
slim shining pillars crowned with their
autumn canopy of crumpled gold.
'.EnchantmentT' she said under her
breath. Surely an enchanted sleeper
lies here somewhere"
"You," he observed, "unawakened."
asleep? II" She looked around at
him. "You are the dreamer here Your
eyes are full of dreaming even now.
What Is your desire2'
He leaned on one arm, watching her.
She had dropped her ungloved hand,
searching among the newly fallen gold
Of the birch leaves drifted INTO heaps.
On the third finger a jewel glittered.
He saw 1t, conscious of it's meaning,
but his eyes followed the hand idly
heaping up autumn gold-a white slim
hand, smoothly fascinating. Then the
little restless hand swept near to his,
almost touching 1t, and then instinc-
lively he took it in his own curlously,
lifting 1t little to consider its nearer
loneliness. Perhaps it was the unex-
pectedness of 1t, perhaps 1t was sheer
amazement, that left her hand lying
idly relaxed like a white petaled bios
som in his.
After little while the consciousness
OF the contact disconnected her. She
withdrew her fingers, with an invol-
untary shiver.
us there no chance for me, Miss
Landis?"
The very revulsion of self possession
returning chilled her; then anger came
quick and hot; then pride She delib-
Grated. choosing her words coolly
enough, what chance do you mean.
Mr.. Siward?"
"A fighting chance. Can you give it
to me?"
"A fighting chance7 For whatT'
very low, very dangerous
"For you
Then In spite Of her her senses be-
came unsteady. A sudden ringing con-
fusion seemed to deafen her, through
which his voice, as If very far away,
sounded again:
Men who are worth a lighting
chance ask for 1t sometimes, but take
II Always. l take II
Her pallor faded under the flood of
bright color. The blue of her eyes
darkened ominously to velvet
@Mr. Siward," she said very dis
tinctly and slowly, 81 am not-even--
sorry-for you"
"Then my chance is desperate in
deed" he retorted coolly.
'tChancei Do you imagine Her
anger choked her.
Are you not little hard 2" he said,
paling under his tan. 81 suppose wo-
men dismissed men more gently-even
such a man as l am"
For a full minute she strove to CON-
prehend.
Such a man as your she repeated
vaguely. You mean crimson wave
dyed her skin to the temples, and she
leaned toward him in horror stricken
eontrition. 81 didn't mean that Mr..
Siward! II never thought of that!
II had no weight 1t was not in my
thoughts. l meant only that you had
assumed what is unwarranted-that
you = your question Inundated me,
knowing that am engaged-knowing
me so little-so"-
Yes, | knew everything. Ask your
self why risk everything to say this to
you? There can be only one answer"
Then after a long silence, Have /
ever" she began tremblingly-''ever
by word or look
mo"
Have / even
Emo. I've simply discovered how
feel. That's what | was dreaming
about when you asked me. was
afraid ! might do this too soon, but
meant to do 1t anyway before it be
came too late"
"tt was too late from the very mo
ment we met Mr. Slward" And, as
he Feidanad noI,sF,rIl-- A~-at- - -sa-s
,.,,y,iyf- ct moan that uad already