The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-01-12
como tDack.''

her eyes were wei. wayne W av!anu
behe!d what he would have given half
his raighty fortune to prevent. IL
cried out angrily. but she anticipated
his thought.
"No. no. you must never injure him
again. for he was right and we wer,
wrong. You see I-cOuGnt under.
stand"
He left her staring into the night
and walked heavily below.
Emerson felt II great sense Of relief
and deiiyerance us 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
yourg ard free How blind he had
been and .lDw narrow had been his
escape from life that could lead tc
but one res ilt The girl was sweet
and good and wonderful in many
ways, but three years had altered him
more than hr 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 I'M
certainty. lie knew that for him
there was but one woman in all the
world. 1t was no easy battle he had
fought with himself. He had been
reared to respect the conventions. and
he knew that Chcrry's life had not
been all lie could wish But he front
cd the issue squarely and tried to
throttle his inbred prejudice. Al,
though he had felt the truth Of Fra,
sor's arguments and of Cherry's own
words. he 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 diff
cult to accept was her conduct with
billiard. Those other charges against
the girl were vague and shalowy. but
this was concrete. and he was familiar
with every miserable detail Of it. 1t
took all his courage to face it. but he
swore savagely that if the conditions
had been reversed Cherry would not
have faltered for an Instant. More
over. what she had done had been
done for love of him. 1t was worse
than vile to hesitate. Her past was
her own. and all he could rightfu!ly
claim was her future. He shut his
teeth and laid his course resolutely for
her landing. striving to leave behind
this one hideous memory. centering his
mind upon the girl herself and shut
ting out her past. 1t was the bitter
est fight he had ever wagcd. But
when he reached the shore and tied
his skiff he was exalted by the knowl
edge that he had triumphed; that this
painful episode was locked away with
all the others
Now that he had conquered he was
filed with consuming eagerness. AS
he stole up through the shadows he
heard her playing, and when he drew
nearer he recognized the notes Of that
song that had banished his own black
desoation on the night of their first
meeting. He paused outside the open
window and saw by the shaded lamp
light that she was playing from mem
DRY. her fingers wandering over the
keyboard without conscious effort
Then she took UP the words with all
the throbbing tenderness that lives in
deep contralto voice:
Last night was dreaming of thee. love-
was dreaming:
l dreamed thou didst promise
Cherry paused as if entranced. for
she thought she heard another voice
join with hers. Then she bowed her
ness. knowing it for nothing more than
her own fancy. Too many times. as
in other twilights past. she had heard
that mellow voice blend with hers.
only to find that her ears had played
her false and she was alone with n
memory that would never die.
OF all the days Of her life this was
the saddest. this hour the loneliest.
and the tears she had withheld so
bravely as long as there was work to
do came now in unbidden profuson.
To face those people on the yacht
had been an act of pure devotion to
Boyd. for her every instinct had re-
belled against it. Yet she had known
that some desperate stroke III his de.
Tense must be delivered instantly:
otherwise the ruin of his hopes would
follow. She had hit upon the device
Of using Constantine and Chakawana
largely by chance. for not until the
previous day had she learned the truth.
She had not dared to hope for such
unqualified success. nor had she fore
seen the tragic outcome She had SIM
ply carried her plan through to it's
natural conclusion Now that her
work was done she gave way COM
pletely and wept like little girl. He
was out there now with his love.
They would never waste Il thought
upon that other girl who had made