The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-01-14


while these thoughts took gradual
form in the young mans mind, and,
although the deck was deserted, Miss
Wayland had now no need to curb her
once headstrong wooer.
He could not put into words the
change that was working in him, but
she saw it, and. grasping its meaning
at last, she began to battle like
a mother for her child. His awaken
ing had been slow, and hers was even
slower, but once she found her power
over him waning her sense of loss
grew and grew as he failed to answer
to her half spoken appeal.
Womanlike, she capitulated at last
What matter if he stayed here where
his hopes were centered? This life In
the north had claimed him, and she
would wait until he came for her. But
still he did not respond, and it was not
long until she had persuaded herself
that his battle with the wilderness had
put red blood into his veins and his
conduct had been no worse than that
Of other men. Finally she tried to
voice these thoughts, but she only led
him to stiff denial Of the charges she
wished to forgive. AS she saw him
slipping further away from her she
summoned all her arts to rekindle the
flame which had burned so steadily,
and when these failed she surrendered
every prejudice. 1t was his love she
wanted. All else was secondary. At
last she knew herself. She could have
cried at the sudden realization that he
had not kissed her since their parting
in Chicago, and when she saw he had
no will to do so the memory Of his last
embrace arose to torture her. She was
almost glad when a launch bringing
her father came from the shore and
the old man Joined them.
The two men bore themselves with
unbending Formally, unable as yet to
forget their mutual wrongs. The in
terruption gave Boyd the opportunity
he had not been brave enough to make,
and he babe them both goodby, for the
tide was at its food, and the hour Of
their departure was at hand.
There were a meaningless exchange
Of words and handshake in the glare
from the cabin light that showed MIL
dred's pallid lips and frightened eyes.
Then Emerson went over the side, and
the darkness swallowed him up.
The girl clutched at her fathers
arm, standing as If frozen while the
creak Of rowlocks grew fainter and
fainter and died away. Then she
turned.
"You see, he Gamer she said.
The old man saw the agony that
blanched her cheeks and answered
gently
Eyes, daughterr" He struggled with
himself. And II you wish it he may
come again"
"But he wont come again. That Is
what makes it 50 hard; he will never
come back"
She turned away, but not quickly
enough to keep him from seeing that
her eyes were wet Wayne Wayland
behead what he would have given half
his mighty fortune to prevent He
cried out angrily, but she anticipated
his thought. ~
''No. no, you must never tnjure him
again, for he was right and we were
wrong. You see I-couldn't under
stand
he left her staring into the night
and walked heavily below.
Emerson felt great sense of relief
and de1iverance as he leaned against
his oars. His heart sang to the muir
muir of the waters oversize. For the
first time in many months he felt
young and free. How blind he had
been and how narrow had been his
escape from life that could lead to
but one result! The girl was sweet
and good and wonderful In many
ways, but three years had altered him
more than he had realized. He had
begun to understand himself that
very afternoon, when Cherry had told
him her own unhappy secret. The
shock Of her disclosure had reused him
from his dream, and once he began to
see himself as he really was the rest
had come quickly, he had been
doubtful even when he went out to
the yacht, but what happened there
had destroyed the last trace Of IN
certainty. He knew that for him
there was but one woman in all the
world. It was no easy battle he had
fought with himself. He had been
reared to respect the conventions, and
he knew that Chery's life had not
been all he could wish. But he front
ed the issue squarely and tried to
throttle his inbred prejudice. Al
though he had felt the truth of Fra
ser's arguments and of Cherry's own
words, be had still refused to yield
until his love for the girl swept over
him In all its power: then he made his
choice.
The one thing he found most dtf1-
cult to accept was her conduct with
billiard. Those other charges against
the girl were vague and shadowy, but
this was concrete, and he was familiar