Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1911-04-28

| leSI QudITSlSOuS any LuOIS, anu
thought my big brothers hand would
-well-grateful and comforting.
you know"
| She was curious as to why he want
ed the explanation. but she give it to
him unhesitatingly, without the faint
est touch of coQuetry or embarrass-
ment
Il can't remember back to the
time" she continued, when l didn't do
things like that to you, just as you
did to me. and neither of us ever
wanted an explanation before. Are
| you trying to make up your mind to
disown me, or something's
He leaned back moodily into his
| chair without answering her.
After a little perplexed silence, she
spoke again. Il didn't know things
were going wrong with you. | didn't
even suspect it until this morning,
when Uncle Jerry said"
What" Tom interrupted. What
does the governor know about it?
What did he say"
Why, nothing, but that you were
playing in rather hard luck, he
| thought, and that l was TO be nice to
you. Is the world going badly real
ly badly-really badly?"
Yes" That curt monosyllable was
evidently all the answer he meant to
make. At that she gave up all at
tempt to console him, dropped back
in her chair and cuddled little deep
er down under her bear skin, her face,
! three-quarters away from him, turned
| toward that part of the sky that was
! already becoming glorious with the
| tints of sunset.
You've never had any doubt at all,
! have you, that | really deserved the
! job of being your big brother; that
| was that quite as genuinely as if |
had been born that way?"
No she said; of course not, Tom,
dear What put such an idea into
your head?"
He paled a little, and it was a min
ute or two before he could command
| the words he wanted, to his lips. Be
cause Of my hopes, | suppose" he
said unsteadily; because had hoped,
absurdly enough, for the other an
| sWer You asked as joke a while
| back if | meant to disOWn you. Well,
| do, from that e,ationship-because
I'm not fit for the job; because-be-
| cause-Tve come to love you in the
other way"
| She looked at him in perfectly blank
establishment. He would not meet her
| eyes, his own, their pupils almost
/ parallel, gazed out, unseeing, beyond
| her.
Slowly her color mounted until she
felt her whole face burning. Il didn't
: know" she said. You shouldn't have
! let me go on thinking"
Il didn't know myself until today"
he interrupted her stormily; Il didn't
, know l knew, that is. But when | saw
| you put your hands on that villain
| Cayley, | wanted to kill him, and in
that same flash l knew why l wanted
| to-"
Turning suddenly to look at her, he
saw that she had buried her face in
her hands and was crying fOrlornly.
oh, | am a BRUTE" he concluded, Ito
have told you about it in this way
What does the way matter? That's
not what makes it hard. It's loving
you SO much, the way do, and having
to hurt you. It's having to lose my
brother-the only brother | ever had"
There was long, miserable silence
after that. Finally he said: Jeanne,
if you do love me as much as that
the way you do, not the way l love
you, but love me any way-could you
could you-marry me just the same?
I'd never have any thought in the
world but of making you happy. And
I'd always be there; you could count
on me, you know"
DON'T" she interrupted CURLY
Don't talk like that, Tom" She shiv-
cred, and drew away from him with
little movement somewhere near
akin to disgust.
He WINGED at it, and Redeemed.
Then, in a voice that sounded curious
ly thick to her, curiously unlike his
own, he asked question: IF l had
told you all this a month ago-tOld
you how | felt toward you, and asked
you, loving me the way you do, to
marry me just the same, would your
Oh, l suppose you would have re-
fused But would you have shuddered
and shrunk away from me-like that?"
Did l shudder and shrink away"
she asked Il didn't know it.
wasn't angry; I'm not now. But
, but that was a terrible thing you
| asked of me"
Would it have struck you as nor
rible," he persisted. If had asked il
a month ago."
Perhaps not she answered
thoughtfully I've changed a good
deal in the last month-since we
sailed away from San Francisco and
| left the world behind us-our world
and came out into this great white
empty one / don't know why that IS"
81 know" He was speaking with
sort Of brutal intensity that startled
| her. Il know. It's not in the last
month you've changed; it's within the
last "a hours; it's since you saw and
| fell in love with that murderous lying
| brute Of A Cayley"