The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-04-27
Is ~
Il VACABOuD HEROINE /
81 By ANNIE EDWARDS ~
BY ANNIE EDWARDS.

why, it would be mOnStrous for the
happiness of our lives-of all our
lives-to be sacrificed for mere want
of courage to speak. We shall be
separated nc more"
Never separated" repeats Belinda
half impatiently. I'VE shall be sep
arated forever, sir, and you know it!
Separated a thousand times more
than if you were going to marry a
stranger"
Marry! Don't talk Of my marry
ing. I could never marry any one
but"
The words are spoken under Roger
Temples breath, but they fall, with
clearness such as human speech never
possessed for her before, on Belinda's
ear. She turns deadly white; ever
with this mask of night upon her face,
Roger can see her change color. She
breaks from his embrace.
Tell me what you mean outright,
Captain Temple. Say what you have
to say plainly. You do not consider
yourself bound, then, to marry
Rose?"
And thus Roger is forced upon the
very horns of the dilemma. Easy to
suggest a possible dereliction from
duty, by sigh or whisper; horribly
hard to put into language with the
honestest pair of child's eyes in the
world looking straight into ones
weak, troubled soul. "He had made
an egregious error" Something to
this effect does he at length contrive
to answer her: During the past
dozen years or more he had mis-
taken a sentiment for passion, and
Rosie, poor Rosie, it may be, had mis-
taken, too. But Rosie must be ap-
pealed to-the happiness of all their
lives left in her hands. Sho was the
most absolutely generous Of women"
Who? Rose?" interrupts Belinda
sharply. swell, generosity is the last
quality I should have assigned to my
~stepmamma! However, you should
know best, Captain Temple, you
should know best"
my dearest little girl" he begins
soothtngly, and taking her hand again
in his.
But Belinda breaks from him i'm
petuously.
Captain Temple, let US under
stand each other" she cries, lifting
her eyes, with piercing eagerness, to
his face. After a dozen years fidel-
ity you love Rose no longer, it seems
are ready to throw her and your
fidelity to the winds, and for my
sake! Well, now, if this indeed is
truth, not lattery, carry it into effect
without delay. If we mean to COM
init a dishonest action, let us get it
over at once, and without the treach-
cry Of soft words-appealing to poor
Roses generosity, leaving the happi-
ness of all our lives in poor Rosie's
hands-bah! I, at least, am not made
of such mawkish stuff"
Belinda, child. Great heavens!
If you knew"
lover away there, sir, not a couple
OF miles off, is Spain. = know every
short cut through the mountains.
What binders you and me from going
to the Alhambra as we planned?
Miss Burke will say she left US, and
Rosie, poor Rosie, must guess the
rest. Are you ready?"
READY" repeats Roger Temple
gravely. Wonderfully has his blood
cooled, amazingly has reason reas-
serted herself, under the shock of the
girls a~udacity. you are asking me
you know not what, Belinda; but the
fault is mine. We will, as you say,
stoop to no treachery of. soft words.
I will speak openly to Rose tonight,
and"
And whatever Rose answers,
whatever you may work upon Rose
to answer, mind, I have done with
you" cries Belinda, in a voice of
concentrated passion. You think
you know me because you have
amused yourself by flirting with me
for half a dozen days, sir; because
you have played a few scenes of
moonshine love on a balcony, and
won me to say what l have said to
you this afternoon. But you know
me no more than the first stranger
who meets me in the street. What!
you think I would sink so low as to
marry you-Rosie's lover?"
You stopped SO low, I thought, as
to like me a little" is Rogers reply.
But you are ashamed already, small
wonder, God knows, of your folly"
For a second or two Belinda is
dumb. IF 1 lived fifty more years."
she breaks forth then, If I lived to
be an old, old woman, I should never
be ashamed of what you call my
folly Never. lift such a feeling
were shameful, how could it have
come into my heart? l never tried,
l never wanted to like you. I knew
nothing about it until 1 woke up to-
day, and then it was too late to go
back. Was it mott"
Too late indeed" repeats Roger.
horribly contrite-contrite as a man
might feel who, through laundering
accident, had injured a little child for
life.
Well, I cant help what I feel any
more than l can help breathing, but
my actions--those are my own. And
to think that l would take you by