Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-05
Love you" ! cried. II would die for

Love you" ! cried. II would die for
you"
1T is the only way you could ever
prove It now" she said. 'Oh,' she con-
tinued, III you had only leveled your
ridicule at me alone! But father, poor
old father! am glad he will not e
that last letter. He would hardly think
that funny"
She looked ut me. and her eyes sud
denly seemed to blaze with scorn and
contempt.
Eyes, I see it all now, and the won
der is I did not see It before. 1t was
be whom you described as a broken
down aristocrat who descanted on
politics and wrote pieces to the paper
telling the president how to run the
government. 1t was mother who Dress
ed In wOrnout velvet gowns and sat In
state at the dinner her daughter had
cooked, and II was I who cooked the
dinners and played sonatas and noe.
turnes for the amusement Of nj
guests. God, why did I not e you
q you were? Yes, and these are the
hands," she cried In anguish and scorn,
holding them toward me that l might
see them, that have cooked your
meals for the past four weeks, and
these are the same hands that played
for you while you smoked your pipe
and heard father descant or politics!
How poor and miserable VI must have
seemed to you! All that I could have
forgiven, but you dared to soil my skin
with your kisses. They will burn
deep here" she said, pointing to her
fingers, "long after your %ingratitude
has been forgotten"
'Ellen, for Gods sake have pityv
cried. II have laughed at your power
y as II it were my own. I am rch-l
never told this to you beforehand I
felt that the only 9 Of my wealth In
the future would be to relieve the bur-
dens Of those you love. This night
nay, this very af%ternoon-1 was going
TO ask you to be my wife, from which
moment your father, mother and broth
eF would have been mine also. It vas
this very poverty and the fortltude
With which you bore it that have made
me love you. After you spoke this aft
s=Sool / could not tell you Of my love
until I had confessed first that l was
the author Of the letters which wound
ed you so deeply"
II am glad you spared me that last
humiliation. I can never forgive my
self for being happy in your company
or for spurning the hand stretched out
to lift US from this degradation"
Squire Hawkins" I said in bitter
ness.
Eyes, Squire Hawkins, whom you
would have insulted as you have us.
And to think that just because ! had
listened to him l believed myself un-
worthy Of your love! You must ex-
cuse me now" she added in cutting
tones, "for I must 60 to prepare your
dinner. l suppose there will be n
less to provide for tomorrow"
She started to leave the room, but l
stood In front Of her.
mo, I will not 60. You do not IN
derstand. 1t was with love yelling in
my heart that l wrote that last letter.
I had been ordered home, and I wrote
that letter that I might stay another
fortnight. After you had promised to
be my wife / would have told you all,
and together we would have read It,
and in the richness Of the future We
would have laughed over 1t together.
No, ! will not 60. I will stay and
tell Bud and the colonel. They will
understand and plead for me. And
II you love me-
III I ever did you killed 1t the mo-
ment you confessed to have written 90
about one you protested to love, inc
whom you should have protected and
have helped to hide from the. world
that which she feels so degrades her,
instead Of which you hold 1t up to
publicity and to the scorn Of the world.
You cannot stay here longer. Don't
force me to tell father Of my brother.
That would b more than l could bear"
she put her hand toward a chair as
Il 10 keep her from falling. came
! Step nearer, but she drew back In
vo,untarily. steadying herself and look