Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-18
By LILY A. LONG

control. but now he flashed upon her a
look of passionate scorn. as though she
were some stranger and despised. 1t
brought out an answering fash in her
dark eyes that wiped out her shamed en-
barrassment as with a flame She caught
her breath hard and lifted her dropping
head.
"Well?' she saia, slowly.
He dropped into the chair and let his
head sink upon mis- hand.
THAT 1t should be you. And thought
you-oh. how could ycu?" he groaned.
Virginia Jackson looked down at his
bent head and her first quick flush of re-
sentiment yielded at sight of his pain.
"Richard!'' she said. There was an un-
conscious appeal in her voice. but he did
not answer It, When she spoke again
her voice was steadier and colder.
You are blaming me without knowing
the whole story. 1t was an unhappy
story. but there was no intentional wrong
in it,
Il knew him. he said, bitterly. You
broke the truest heart that ever beat.
You let him love you, and then, because
you tired of him, you threw him over.
That was what sent him to the Philip
he was. And all this year / have been
hating the woman who could so wreck the
beautiful promise of his life-who sent
him to his DEATH
His death-his heartbreak,'' she cried,
sharply. You think only of his part. II
a girl finds she has made a mistake in
thinking that she loves a man should she
go on In that mistake when she comes to
know the truth about her own hearth
''Mistake.' he cried. impatiently. .Can
a woman play with a mans feelings, enc
courage him to love her as long as 1t
amuses her, ruin his life and send him 70
his death, and then shelter herself behind
the plea that it was merely a mistake?
1t is mistake that il unpardonable!''
Her eyes flasned with sudden light,
softer than anger. eager and intense.
Richard! Not unpardonable.' she
cried. you cannot use that word to me-
you cannot"
He did not answer. She leaned toward
him lightly. speaking past his hard silence
as past q tangible barrier. Richard.
last night you asked me to say that
loved you, and 1 could not. because the
words frightened me. But I will say 1t
now. l have given my true love to you
to you out Of ali the world-to no one,
ever, but you
She waited as though the avowal must
OF necessity work magic. but though ne
quivered visibly under her words, he did
not answer.
"RichArd!' she cried again.
He lifted his set face, but it was not 10
look at her.
You might find, in a year, that you
had made another mistake" he said,
slowly.
The stiffness lay heavy between them
for q breathless second. He could hear
his own heart beating.
Il think have found it out already"
she said. Then on the instant she was
gone. The door that swung shut behind
her quivered with her impetuous touch
for a moment and then all was still on
the veranda, and the afternoon quiet fell
back upon the scene as before.
Norton did not move. His brain was
still whirling as from a shock. and he
wss hardly conscious Of his surroundings
He was only conscious of q hurt SO pro-
found that he could not put 1t into words.
even to himself. When, after long wait
ing. she still did not return. he aroused
himself and wandered restlessly down to
the dock at the foot OF the lawn. II
she chose to shut herself from him!--
The launch. now on its return trip to the