Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-06-02

tender-hearted, and wed Deen ABOUT
half quarreling all day, n l didn't
feel quarrelsome any more, and l
thought my big brothers hand would
acknowledgement and comforting.
you know"
She was curious as to why he want
ed the explanation, but she give 1t 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
did to me, n neither Of us ever
wanted an explanation before. Are
you trying to make up your mind to
disown me, or something?"
He leaned back modify into his
chair without answering her.
After a little perplexed silence. she
spoke again. Il didn't know things
were going wrong with you. l didn't
even suspect it until this morning,
when Uncle Jerry said"
What" Tom interrupted. What
does the governor know about 1t?
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 a 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 l really deserved the
job of being your big brother; that
l was that quite as genuinely as If l
had been born that way?"
NO" b said; "of course not, Tom.
dear. What put such an idea into
your headf"
He paled Q little. and it was a min
ute o. two before he could command
the words he wanted. to his lips. Be
cause Of my hopes, l suppose" he
said ~nns:eadiiy; because I had hoped,
absurdly enough, for the other an
swer. You asked as a joke a while
back II l meant to disown you. Well,
/ do, from that ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
I'm not At for the job; because-be-
cause-I've 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
noro1loJ 1ouo1 1,< ,,-onol-~ hnxy@rA
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"
II didn't know myself until today"
| he interrupted her stormily; II didn't
know I knew, that is. But when l saw
| you put your hands on that villain
| Cayley, l wanted to kill him, and in
that same flash l knew why 1 wanted
to-"
Turning suddenly to look at her, he
saw hat she had buried her face in
her hands and was crying fo%rlornly.
ooh, l am q brute" he concluded, ito
have told you about it in this way"
What does the way matter? That's
not what makes 1t hard. It's loving
you SO much, the way I do, and having
to hurt you. It's having to lose my
brother-the only brother I eve had"
There was q long, miserable silence
after that. Finally he said: Jeanne,
II you do love me as much as that
the way you do, not the way / love
you, but love me my way-could you
could you-marry me just the same7
I'd never have any thought In the
world but Of making o 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
q little movement somewhere near
akin to disgust
He WINGED at it, and redeemed.
Then, in a voice that sounded curious
ly thick to her, c~uriously unlike his
own, he asked a question: IF I had
told you all this a month ago-told
you how l felt toward you, and asked
o loving me the way you do, to
marry me just the same, would you?-
Oh, I 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 1t. I
wasn't angry; I'm not now. But
but that was a terrible thing you
asked of me-.
would 1t have struck you as hor
rible," he persisted. "if ! had asked II
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
lleft the world behind us-ou world
and came out into this great white
empty one. l don't know why that IT,"
II know" He was speaking with q
| sort Of brutal intensity that startled
her. II 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."
81 don't know" she said very quiet
", whether you're trying to kill the
~rnunentatfve potency might as well re-