The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-07-28
CHAPTER VIII.
A SERPENT IN THE GARDEN.

revolted me. / needed the high heav-
ems to give room for my happiness, the
moon and the stars for ~confidants, the
breeze of the night to cool the fever
in my veins. To enter the house would
be to break the spell, to bring me back
again to that earth which my feet
seemed scarcely to touch. So l re-
traced my steps to the white seat at
the end of the garden, sat down where
she had sat, and abandoned myself to
a delicious reverie. l put all thought of
the morrow from me-of the morrow
when we must separate; all thought
Of that gray future which would never
be frightened by sight of her, by the
light of her eyes and the smile Of her
lips-all this l put Cway.
/ had only to close my eyes to bring
her again to my side. What a miracle
she was-what a wonder of Gods
handiwork! The clear and delicate
skin, the hair with it's CLINT of gold, the
eyes with their arched brows and lash
es turning up at the end, the lips trem-
bling with sympathy or curving with
scorn, the oval chin showing just a
suspicion Of a dimple, the rounded fig
ure promising l know not what allure
ments and perfections-all these l con-
templated one by one, and seemed to
catch again that sweet, all but imper-
ceptible odeur de femme which had
ravished and intoxicated me as l held
her In my arms. And behind and above
all this, the soul-a woman's soul in
it's delicacy and sweetness, yet with a
certain manliness about it, too, in it's
high ideals. it's conception Of honor and
duty, its courage and devotion. it's rev.
erence for the pledged word-some-
thing Of the oak as well as of the ivy,
almost as If she nae been raised among
men rather than among women, and
a come to look at the world some
4 xxvhnf nif n nnya axyA w.. .-1
there was something manlike, too, in
her independence. her Impotence of
convention, her self-reliance. Not that
all this destroyed or eve clouded the
woman in her-that quality of siren
and %coquette which Is in every wom-
ans blood. Rather 1t enhanced it, gave
it a sauce n ~piquancy not to be with
stood.
For a moment she had beer mine
l had dared and been forgiven. She
had been III to me-; she had been
moved by my love; she had thrown
me a flower at parting. And at thought
Of it, l took it from my bosom and
pressed 1t to my lips. / inhaled it's
fragrance, which somehow seemed a
part Of her; l contemplated it's beauty,
in which l saw hers reflected. She had
been kim to me; l wen dared to think
she had been kinder yet, did fate per-
NIT, and the thought gave me a throb-
bling Joy-a selfish JOY, l told myself,
since l had no right to make her suffer,
too.
Yet human nature Is but an imper-
feet thing, and love is selfish in its
u~nselfishness. In my heart / was glad
glad that she would remember me, that
she would think tenderly of our evening
in the garden, and Of my kisses on her
lips. The memory thrilled through me;
I thanked God that I had been brave
/. enough to snatch that moments 10y,
that there was that between US! That
there would always be; no stretch Of
time nor stress Of circumstances could
alter lit was woven indelibly into
the texture of our lives. Whenever she
thought of me, whenever she visited
this garden, yea, whenever any other
dared speak to her of love, she must
recall hat moment when I had held her
close against my heart and raised her
lips to mine!
And I-could I kiss another wom-
an?
sat erect with a quick intaking OF
the breath, for ! saw In my path a new
pitfall and one Of my own digging.
Must I confess to my betrothed that
my heart was In another's keeping, or
did ono bid me to keep silent, to
simulate affection, to lead her to the
J. altar in the belief that 1t was she I
loved? Oh, I should not shrink from
confession, and she had the right to
know-yet-yet would I not confess in
the hope that she would set M free :?
But If she should feel as l did about
this marriage, that honor demanded
its contamination, that duty compelled
her to sacrifice herself, whatever my
~offenses, would not such confession
merely embitter her cup to no purpose?
Yet even If l did not confess, would
be strong enough, self controlled
enough to cheat her woman's eyes!
Would she not suGpect that I was de-
ceiving her, and would not the knowl-
edge of that deception be hardest of al
to bear?
Here was a question not easily an
swered; a dilemma the most awk-
ward; a problem which I felt I could
7 not solve alone. / could only hope
/ that during our rid next day tc
; Poitiers, l might hav opportunity tC
: lay 1t before Mdle. de Chambray. She
: I felt sure, would, with her clear version
see instantly where my duty lay, ant
I would point out to me unerringly the
l path which / must follow.
So I put the problem from me ant
lay back in the seat and closed my
eyes and lived over again, minute By
. minute, that brief, delicious evening
/ recalled every look. every word, ev'
cry gesture from the instant I hat
= first perceived her on the threshold
Of the drawing room until that othel