Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-05-23

star. The thing for which he y. III ..ie
he can never have"
"Then you nus prroa:" for the end
very shortly" said the surgeon, turn
ing abruptly away.
Mclean cauch: his arm roughly.
LOOK here" he cried in desperation.
"You say that as if I could do some
thing If ! would. ! tell you the boy
Is dear 20 me past expression. would
do anyihi1~ spend any sum. You have
noticed AZ "",oeatedly commented on
the young girl with me. 1t is that
child that he wants. He worships her
to alteration. and knowing he can never
be anything to her, be prefers death
to life. In Gods name, what can l
do about it?"
Barring that missing hand, | never
handled a finer man." said the surgeon,
land she seems perfectly devoted to
him, why cannot he have her?"
"Why?' echoed Mclean. ..Wbv?
Well, for a good many reasons | told
you he was my son. You probably knew
that he was not. A little over a year
ago L had never seen him. He Joined
one OF my lumber gangs from the road.
He is a stray. left at one Of your homes
for the friendless here in Chicago.
When he grew up the superintendent
bound him out to a brutal man. He
ran away and landed in one of my
lumber camps. He has no name or
knowledge Of legal birth. The angel
we have talked Of her. She has ances-
tors reaching back to Plymouth Rock
and across the sea for generations
back Of that. She is an idolized. petted
only child. and there is great wealth..
He sees it more plainly than any one
else could. There is nothing for the
boy but death if it is the angel that is
required to saw him."
The angel stood between them.
well. | guess mott" she cried. IF
Freckles wants me all he has to do is
to say so, and he can have me-"
"Tbat he will never say" said Nc
Lean at last, land you don't under
stand. angel. l don't know how Won
came here. ! wouldn't have had you
hear that for the world. but since you
have. dear. you must be told that it
isn't your friendship or kindness
Freckles wants: it is your love-"
well, L do love him. she said SIM
ply.
McLean's arms dropped helplessly.
".You don't understand" be reiterat-
ed patiently. sit isn't the love of a
friend. or a comrade. or a sister, that
Freckles wants from you; it is the love
OF a sweetheart. And if to save the
life he has offered for you you are
thinking of being generous and i'm
pulsive enough to sacrifice your future
in the absence of your father it will
become my plain duty, as the pro-
tector in whose hands he has placed
you. to prevent such rashness. The
very words you speak and the manner
in which you say them proves that you
are a mere child and have not dreamed
what love is"
II have never had to dream of love-"
she said proudly. Il have never
known anything else in all my life
but to love every one and to have
every n love me. And there has
never been any one so dear as
Freckles. If you will remember, we
have been through a good deal to-
gether. ! do love Freckles. just as
| say | do. | don't know anything
about the love Of sweethearts, but
love him with all the love in my
heart, and I think that will satisfy
him."
Surely it ought" muttered the man
Of knives and lancets.
"As for my father continued the
angel. "he at once told me what he
learned from you about Freckles.
I've known all you know for several
weeks. That knowledge didn't change
your love for him a particle. l think
the Bird Woman loved him more.
Why should you two have all the
dne perceptions there are! MY father
is never unreasonable. He won't ex.
pect me not to love Freckles. or not
to tell him so. if the telling will save
him."
She dar1"d past Mclean into
Freckles' roum. closed the door and
turned the key.
Freckles lay raised on a fat pill
low. his body tmmovable in q plaster
cast. his manned arm. as always, hid
Sen. The Anglers heart ached at the
change in his appearance. He seem.
ed so weak, so utterly hopeless and
so alone. She could see that the night
had beer n long terror.
For the first time she tried putting
herself in Freckles' place. What would
it mean to have no parents. no home.
no name: No name! That was the
worst Of all. That was to be lost.
in~deed-utterly and hopelessly lost. The
angel lifted her hands to her daZed
head and reeled as she tried to face
that proposition. She dropped or her
knees by the bed. slipped her arm un-
der the pillow. and. leaning over
Freckles, set her lips on his forehead.
He smiled family.
Dear F%reckles.' she said. there Is
a story in your eyes this morning.
k1lV -o~oSS