River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-07-10

show surprise in any such noisy way.
II saw many things-Oh. many
things the girl proceeded with an
admirable mixture of suggestion and
reserve THAT day and other days
too. She did not talk-Oh, no. she
did not ealk, but l saw-Oh. yes
saw that she-that you'll have to
say it, monsieur, that you were tres
| bons amis after that week n Lenox.
"Well?" His utterance Of this word
was vigorous, but not tender. "What
are you coming to? What can you
have to show me in this connection
that l will believe in for moment!
81 have these-is monsieur certa1ne
that no one can hear? wouldn't have
anybody hear what have to tell you.
| for the world-for all the world.
| mo one can overhear."
For the first time that day Sweet
water breathed a full, deep breath.
This assurance had sounded heartfelt.
Blessings on her cunning young
head. She thinks OF everything"
"You are unhappy. You have thought
Miss Challoner old;-that she had no
response for your yer ardent passion.
But" these words were uttered soto
voce and with telling pauses-'but
-I-know-ver much better than that.
| She was yer proud. she had a right;
she was no poor girl like me-but she
spend hours-hours in writing letters
she nevaire send. / saw one, just
once for a leetle minute; while you
| could breathe so short as that; and
| it began with Cheri, or your English
for that, and it ended with words
Oh, yer much like these: You may
| nevaire see these lines, which was
yer interesting, veree so, and made
one want to see what she did with
| letters she wrote and nevaire mail; so
watch and look, and one day see
| them. She had leetle ivory box
Oh, yer nice, yer pretty. thought it
was jewels she kept locked up so
tight. But, non, non, non. 1t was let
ters-these letters. / heard them rat
tie, rattle, not once but many times.
| You believe me, monsieur"
II believe you to have taken every
advantage possible to spy upon your
mistress. | believe that, yes
From interest, monsieur. from
great interest"
"Self-interest."
"As monsieur pleases. But it was
strange, yer strange for grande
dame like that to write letters
| sheets on sheets-and then not send
them, nevaire. l dreamed of those let
ters-I could not help it, no; and
when she died so quick-with no word
for any one, no word at all, thought
Of those writings so secret SO Of the
heart, and when no one not1ced-or
! thought about this box, or-or the key
she kept shut tight, oh, always tight
| in her leetle gold purse, Monsieur,
do you want to see those letters"
asked the girl, with a gulp. Evident
ly his appearance frightened her-op
had her acting reached this point OF
extreme finish? II had nevaire the
| chance to put them back. And-and
| they belong to monsieur. They are
his-all his-and so beautiful! All,
| just like poetry"
II don't consider them mine. |
haven't a particle Of confidence in you
or in your story. You are a thief
| self-convicted; or you're an agent of
| the police whose motives | neither
understand nor care to investigate.
Take up your bag and go. | haven't
a cents worth of interest in it's con
tents"
She started to her feet. Sweetwater
heard her chair CRATE on the painted
| floor, as she pushed it back in rising.
The brother rose too, but more calm
! ". Brotherson did MT stir. Sweet
water felt his hopes rapidly dying
downtown into ashes, when sud-
denly her voice broke forth in pants:
And Marie said-everybody said
that you loved our great lady; that
! you, of the people, common, CON-
| mon. working with the hands, living
with men and women working with
the hands, that you had soul, senti-
/ ment-what you will of the good and
| the great, and that you would give
| your eyes for her words, ST fines, 81
/ spirituelles, so like des vers de poete.
False, false! all false! She was an
| angel. You are-read that" she We
! hemently broke in, opening her bag
and whisking a pap1r down before
him. Read and understand my proud
and lovely lady. She did right to die
You are hard-hard. You would have
killed her if she had not"
silence, woman! I will read moth
ing!" came kissing from the strong
mans teeth, set in almost ungovern-
able anger. Take back this letter.
as you call it. and leave my room"
"Nevaire! You will not read? But
you shall, you shall Behold another.
One, two, three, four" Madly they
few from her hand Madly she con-
tinued her vituperative attack.
Beast! beast, That che should pour
out her innocent heart to you, you!
l do not want your money. Monsieur
of the common street, of the common
house 1t would be dirt. Pierre, 1t
would be dirt All. bah! je m'oublie
tout a fait. Pierre, IL est bette. II re-
fuse de les TOUGHER Mais il fault
quill les touche, 81 je les laisse sur
lie plancher. Va-t'en! Je me moque
de lui. Canaillei L'homme du peu-
pie, tout a fait du peuple!"
A loud slam-the skurrying of feet
through the hail. accompanied by the
slower and heavier tread of the so
called brother, then silence, and such
silence that Sweetwater fancied he
could catch the sound of Brotherson's
heavy breathing. His own was 81
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