The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-09-19

delight OF hearing him u~nburdening his
soul at last. His love for hsrl Never
had 1t seemed so great and SO pure,
now that he spoke of parting! And
there was a quaint JOY In hearing him
thus rambling on--he, the reserved
man OF the world Convention had so
often sealed his lips and restrained his
passion when he was wandering hap
PLY with her on the smooth paths of
love. Now Fate had hurled stoneaupon
stone down that path. The way was
rugged M difficult, parting too, was
close at hand; all the restraint of past
months tore at the barrier of conven-
ton. Luke about to lose the mortal
presence Of his love, allowed his lips
to say that which he had hidden in his
heart for so long. The man OF the world
lost himself In the man who loved.
When he had ceased speaking she
said, quietly:
you tank, Luke, as II We were going
to part"
Tonight, Lou. I must catch the
night BOAT to Calais"
My luggage can be sent on" she
rejoined, simply. Il am, quite ready to
start" ~.
10 start?' he repeated, vaguely.
why, yes, Luke" she replied with
a smile, IF you go tonight or at any
time, 1 go with you"
You cannot, Lou!" he stammered,
almost stupidity, feeling quite bewild-
cred, for he had been forcibly dragged
back from a happy dreamlike state, to
one OF impossible reality.
WHY not?"2
You have said 1t yourself, Lou. I
shall be a fugitive from justice "
a man with whom no decent
woman would care to link her fate"
Let us admit, them she said almost
gaily, that l am not a decent woman
for my fate is irretrievably linked with
yours" , y
This is preposterous " ."
he began.
But already she had interrupted him,
speaking quietly in that even, contralto
voice of hers which he loved to hear.
Luke" she said. you must try and
understand. You must, because l nave
so fully made up my mind. that nothing
that you -could say would make me
change 1t. unless you told me that you
no longer loved me. And this" she
added with the ghost of a smile. you
cannot now pretend, Luke, after all
that you said just now. 1t is not that
my mind wanted making up. Ny mind
has very little to do with 1t all. 1t
knows just as my heart does that I
could not now live without you. Tn
notitalking" nonsense, Luke, and l Fem
to be too old for mere sentimental
twaddle! therefore, When 1 say that l
could not now live parted from you, /
say 1t O the lnnermost conviction
of my heart. Sh-sh-dear," she whis-
pered, seeing that he wished to inter-
rupt her, don't try and say anything
just yet-not just yet-until / have
told you everything. l want you to
remember, Luke. that 1 am 10 longer
very young and that ever since | can
remember anything, I have loved you.
l must have loved o even though l
did not know it. But If you had never
spoken OF love to me, If you had never
written that letter which / received in
Brussels, / probably would have been
satisfied to go on with my humdrum
life to the enc of time; who knows?
| might have found contentment, II not
happiness. by and by with some other
man. We women are meant to marry.
Men are fond OF telling US that our
only mission on earth is to marry. But
all this possible quiet content, one let
ter has d~issipated. i could never be
happy now, never. ave in continuing
to love you. Life to me would be I'M
speakably hideous without you and
your love. Therefore, l say, Luke. that
you have nc longer any right to
keep me at arms length. You
have no right, having once come
into my life. having once given
~sut:tance n vitality to my love
to withdraw yourself away from me.
Love, dear. is a bond, a mutual bond.
as sacred, as binding as any tina are
contracted on this earth You-when you
wrote that letter. when you first
spoke to me OF love entered
into a bond with me. You have no
right to force me to break it."
The mellow tones of her contralto
voice died down in the heavy atmos-
phere of the room. They echoed and
re-echoed in the heart of the man.
who was now kneeling before Louisa,
as he would before the Madonna, dumb
with the intensity OF emotion which
her sacrifice had brought to an almost
maddening pitch. She stood there nea1
him, so devoted. so noble, and 50 pure,
do you wonder or will you smile, when
you see him with fair. young head
bowed to the ground pressing his lips
on the point Of her shoe?
Luke! don't" she cried In passionate
sympathy.
(CNnkiy.al NY.-k NnY.