The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-01-06
The Man
From
Brodney'S
By GEORGE BARR
MCUTCHEON
Copyright. 1908. by Dodd. Mead q Co.

fight Of stairs by this time and quite
a distance from the treasure chamber.
His GOODNESS. the absence of any sign
Of returning sentiment, was puzzling
her sorely. Half an hour before she
less, by the passion that swayed him.
Now he spoke and looked as If be had
forgotten the result of his storming
Strangely enough, she was piqued.
When they came into the we'll light
ed upper corridor he proceeded ruth
lessly to upset all of her harsh calcu-
lations. He stopped suddenly, STEP
ping directly In front Of her. AS she
drew up In surprise he reached down
and took both of her hands in his
For the moment she was too amazed
to oppose this sudden action. She
looked up into his face, many emo
lions in her own-reproof, wonder, dis
may, hauteur, joy.
Wait" he said gently. They were
quite alone. She saw the most Won
derful light in his gray eyes. Her lips
parted in quick, timorous confusion.
Il love you. l am sorry for what /
did down there. / couldn't help it
nor could you. Yet | took a cruel ad-
vantage Of you. | know what you've
been thinking too. You have been
saying to yourself that | wanted to
see how far could go. Don't speak.
know! You are wrong. I've absolute
ly worshiped you since those first days
In Thorberg, wildly, hopelessly, day
and night. / was afraid of you-yes,
afraid of you because you are a prin-
cess. But I've got over all that. &c
nevra. You are a woman, a living,
real woman, with the blood and the
heart and the lips that were made for
men to crave. l want to tell you this
here in the light of day, not In the
darkness that hid all the truth in me
except that which you might have felt
in my kiss"
"Please-please don't" she said once
more, her lip trembling, her eyes full
Of the softness that the woman who
loves cannot hide. You shall not go
on! 1t is wrong"'
ut is not wrongr' be cried holly.
"My love Is not wrong. / want you
to understand and to believe. l can't
hope that you will be my wife. It's
too wildly improbable. You are not
for such as l. You are pledged to a
man Of your own world, your own ex-
allied world. But listen, Genevra. See,
my eyes call you darling even though
my lips dare not Geneva, I'd give
my soul to hear you say that you will
be my wife. You do understand how
1t is with me?"
The delicious sense Of possession
thrilled her. She glowed with the re-
turn Of her self esteem, In the restora-
ton Of that quality which proclaimed
her princess of the blood. She was
sure Of him now. She was sure Of
herself. She had her emotions well in
hand. And SO, despite the delicious
warmth that swept through her being,
she chose to reveal no sign Of it to him.
II do understand" she said quietly,
meeting his gaze with a directness
that hurt him sorely. And you, too,
understand. l could not be your wife.
am glad, yet sorry, that you love
me, and l am proud to have heard
you say that you want me. But l am
sensible creature, MI. Chase, and,
being sensible. am therefore selfish.
have seen women Of my unhappy sta
ton venture outside Of their narrow
confines in the search for lifelong joy
with men who might have been kings
had they not been born under happier
stars-men of the great wide world
instead Of the soulless, heartless patch
which such as call a realm. Not one
in a hundred Of those women found
the happiness they were so sure of
grasping just outside their prison walls.
It was not in the blood. We must
marry and live and die in the sphere
to which we were born. We must go
through life unloved and uncherished,
bringing princes into the world. seeing
| happiness and fove just beyond our