Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-11-04

there still survives the legend OF a
heavenly visitation.
My spirit cleared after that, perhaps
as the reward of a good action, per-
haps because I was rid OF the hamper;
at any rate, / could lift my Lead and
look about me and take Joy In the
beauty of the night. There were only
the stars to light US, for the noon had
not yet risen. They looked down upon
as from the high heavens, and 1t
seemed to me that there was kindness
and sympathy In their gaZe-that they
blessed us and wished us wen. The
road was much smoother than the one
we have traversed the night before,
and we got forward at q speed which
warranted our reaching Coulanges in
good time, II nothing happened to delay
us. We were both well rested n 1 had
already had good reason TO know and
wonder at my companions powers Of
endurance.
/ glanced down at her and saw that
she was staring straight ahead at the
road unrolling before us. How near we
were to the ome of parting! With
every step we approached the place
where I must leave her. Even should l
survive my pilgrimage Of vengeance. 1t
seemed most unlikely that I should see
her again-certainly, we should
be thrown together IN this sweet, init
mate, personal relation. And would |
wish to see her In any other way? TO
gaze at her from q distance, to find her
fenced about, to stand silent while some
other gallant whispered In her ear
would not all that be as the rubbing OF
salt into an open wound?
Indeed. she had already applied
that torture with that hooking invi-
tation to Chambray! Why was II that
I had so failed to touch q responsive
aTArl ~ Ears 80 naFl,w .rLv- - +f-
very moment l fanCicd / i had touched II.
should she draw back and deal me a
cruel blow? Perhaps she fancied there
was kindness in this cruelty; perhaps
she was trying TO save me from sink
ing toe deeply Into the GG!cScan1 which
entangled me. Alas I felt that was
already past all hone of rescue. So a
real kindness would have been to make
my last moments az happy as might be,
ere the sands closed over me and di-
vidcd US fore Eerl
I shook the thought away. Nothing
on earth should so divide us. Honor
compelled no man to wreck his life
beyond redemption. But as I turned
the problem over in my mind, / con
fess my heart sank. SO long as Mdlle.
de Benseval lived, Just so long was !
bound to her. That was the final
statement TO which the tangle reduced
itself, and I reflected bitterly upon the
folly OF parents who disposed of their
children without asking their consent,
or, indeed, before they were old enough
to know to what they were c~onsenting.
A boy OF 10 will blithely promise to
marry anyone or will bind himself in
differently with q vow of celibacy, for
what does he know OF either? Orlv
when he comes to look at the world
and the women In it with a mans
eyes does ne understand. Then he asks
himself the question. Am / bound by
q vow taken In ignorance? Must I
stagger IN till death under this burden
innoceutly assumed? Must 7 permit
my life to be wrecked In these rapids
into which another hand propelled
me?"
'wnar is II. SIR Sorrowful7" asked
my companion at last. '"The old prob
lem?"
"The old problem" I answered.
why ponder it7 You have already
said that no man can escape his des-
tiny"
4 am going to escape mine, If 1T is
possible"
us escape worth 50 much worry?'
ut is all the difference between hell
and heaven"
"0h, fet What would the b~ethrothed
think, could she hear you?"
II wish she could" I retorted Bit
terly.
''Ah. M. de Tavernay." and her voice
had a note of sadness in it. II thought
you a gallant man. / thought you brave
enough to approach o fate with
a smile upon your lips. I thought you
generous enough to make this girl who
Is waiting for you believe that you
really loved her. Consider how much
more difficult is her task. Perhaps
h remembers you only as a thought
laur a ma INN ffru pffua hnyg n nu sha
also has seen some one whom she
fancies she could owe better, perhaps
it is some one who is really better
worth loving. Yet she is awaiting you,
sitting her misgivings IN her bosom,
ready to keep her oath. although an
oath Is not the same thing to a woman
as to q man. Nor Is marriage the
game thing. To a man It Is an cpl
sode; to a woman Il is her whole life.
She belongs to the man she has mar
ried. Do you think the woman to
whom you are bethrothed does not real
lie all this? BE sure she does-and
trembles at II. And 0 propose to
make her task more difficult still. You
will come to her with a sour and down.
cast face; you viii say to her as plain
~ as II you spoke the words. ct do
not love you; I take you because I
must; IL / were free / would not look
at you a second time; / am making
a martyr of myself by marrying you.
Which do you think viii be the greater
martyr, monsieur, o or she? You
are right IN your estimate OF your
self-you are wholly selfish
/ had listened with bowed head and
quivering nerves. Every word burnt
into me as a white-not iron.
"You are right / said hoarsely,
when she had finished. Il am a cow
ard-a cur. I am not really a man
OF honor"
.'You are only a boy" she said, and
her tone was more tender. You have
been too long In your mothers lead
ing strings. But you have in you the
making OF a man, my friend, and /
know that I shall live TO be proud of
you"
/ caught her hand kissed it,
a kiss not of love. but or gratitude.
| swear that at that moment passion
was as dead In me as though 1t had
been.
We went on In silence after that. I
had my bitter draught 10 swallow and
swallow il / did without fiinching. All
pretty euphemism IA been stripped
AWAY gnuv that 4 haa haav l{chn,.