Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-05-05

| tender-hearted, and we'd been about
half quarreling all day, and l didn't
feel quarrelsome any more, and
| thought my big brothers hand would
feel-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. q 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 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 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
| was that quite as genuinely as II
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, l 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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'm not fit for the job; because-be-
cause-Pve 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
i 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 stoTmily; Il didn't
, know | knew, that is. But when | saw
! you put your hands on that villain
| Cayley, wanted to kill him, and in
that same flash | knew why / wanted
| to-"
Turning suddenly to look at her, he
saw that she had buried her face in
| her hands and was crying forlornly.
ooh, | am 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 l ever had"
There was long, miserable silence
of hot Fin o11u hn coiI HTnonno
| 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
a little movement somewhere near
akin to disgust.
He WINGED at it, and redeemed.
Then, in voice that sounded curious
ly thick to her, curiously unlike his
own, he asked question: eff l had
told you all this 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. I
wasn't angry; I'm not now. But
! but that was a terrible thing you
asked of me-"
Would it have struck you as hor-
rible,'' he persisted, If had asked it
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"
Il know" He was speaking with a
II %T1o+ 1o1