The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-10
THE HEART OF A WOMAN
BY BARONESS ORGY.
Author Of "The Scarlet PimpcrneL" "Petteoa. Rule" Etc.

direction of the gates. toward the AL
bert bridge. their nearest way home.
She-meekly now, for already she was
Sorry-turned to look at him. Some
thing in his attitude, h stoop of
the shoulders. usually so square and
erect, the hands curiousiy clasped be-
hind his back. told her that her shaft
very thoughtlessly aimed-had struck
even deeper than it should.
Il am SO sorry, DEAR" she said gent
ly.
His look forgave her. even before the
words were fully out of her mouth. but
with characteristic reticence, he made
no reply to her taunt. Strangely enough
she was satisfied that he should say
nothing. The look, which did not re-
proach even whilst it tried to conceal
the infinite depth of the wound SO light
ly dealt, had told her more than any
words could do. Whatever Luke de-
cided to do, it would be from a sense
of moral obligation, that desire for do
ing the right thing-in the worldly
sense of the term-which is inherent in
Englishmen of a certain class. Nc SEN
timent save that of a conventional one
of honor would be allowed to sway her
destiny and his.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES same strained
sense of honor and duty-decreed that
under certain mundane circumstances
a man n woman should not mate.
Differences of ancestry, of parentage,
of birth and of country, divergence of
taste, of faith, of Delief-all these mat
ter not n jot. But let the man be
beggared and the oma rich, and con
vent!on steps in and says, 1T shall not
BET"
These two bowed to that decree; I'M
conventional, in so far as that they both
made the sacrifice out of the intense
purity of their sentiment to one an
other. They made an absolutely world
ly sacrifice for a wholly unworldly mo-
tive. Luke would as o o have thought
of seeing Louisa in a badly fitting serge
frock, and paying twopence for a two
mile ride in an omnibus, as he would
expect to see a diamond tiara packed
in a cardboard box, it would be unfair
on the jeweler who had made the tiara
thus to subject it to rough treatment;
and it would be equally unfair on the
Creator of Louisa to let her be buffeted
about by the cruder atoms of this
world.
Louisa only thought of Luke and that
perhaps he would feel happier in his
mind If h allowed him to make this
temporary sacrifice.
There is UGH wonderful balm in self
imposed sacrifice.
What" she asked simply, do you
want me to say, Luke?"
oHIy tldl-IHdC you WON'T give me
up altogether unless
Here he checked himself abruptly.
Was there ever an E~nglishman born
who could talk sentiment at moments
such as this? LUX was no exception
to that rule. There was so much that
he wanted to say to Louisa. and yet
the very words literally choked him
before he could contrive to utter them.
Don't" she said quietly, ''let us
even refer to such things, Luke. / do
not believe in this shadow, and / can
not even understand why you should
worry about it But whatever happens,
/ should never give you up. Never.
We will put off fixing the day of our
weddfng;rsince- we have made no ana
nouncement this won't matter at all;
but l only agree to this because l think
that it is what you would like. / fancy
that 1T would ease your mind. AS for
breaking our engagement in the flu
ture-in case the worst happens-well it
shall not be with my consent. Luke,
unless you really cease to care"
They had reached the gate close to
the bridge. Life pulsated all round
them, the life of the big city, callous,
noisy and cruel. Omnibuses, cabs,
heavy vans, ratified necessarily past
them. People jostled one another, hur-
rying and scurrying, pigmies and ants
adding their tiny load of work. of care.
of sorrow to the titanic edifice of this
living world.
I~ouisa's last words remained unan-
swered Luke had, by his silence, said
everything there was to say. They
stood on the pavement for a moment,
and Luke hailed a passing taxicab.
At the corner opposite, an omnibus
pulled up on it's way westward. A
man stepped off the curb ready to en-
ter it. Louisa caught his eye, and he
raised his hattie man who had
passed them in the park just now.