The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-09-17

failed any ne-uo once. AS Francois
said, you are "a heart Of gold, a wall OF
rock"
Her voice dropped. She laid her hand
against his shoulder and spoke, in q
quick, cautious way:
But all that is immaterial. I Just
love you-that's the point" A moment
later h spoke again. II want to fin
ish telling you-and then we need new
er speak OF 1t again. / did think you
Were-commonplace. And yet I knew
In my heart you were not, for I resent
into danger. 1 wanted you to be q
hero. L had that echo OF a schoolgirls
romance about Francois in my mind
and | chung, all along, to the idea snar
l loved him n that perhaps he Sc
cretly loved me out would not say 1t
because he was poor and a peasant:
that he was waiting till his future was
made. Then. one day, only the other
day, he told me that he had asked three
wishes of lfe-'of the good fairies he
emperor. one was to be marshal Of
France; the third she stopped.
"What?" Pietro demanded, his mouth
a bit rigid.
Alike flushed and smiled and took
Pietro's big hand and covered her eyes
with it, h l ~should-loye you, mon
sieur. He said he had wished that all
his life"
May heaven grant him his WISH"
said Pietro fervently. n then, reflect
Ing, 1T seems q strange wish for Fran
co.'s. You are sure. Alixe?"
Yes, he said So" AHxe insisted.
Our dear Francois" she went on soft
grew misty. Dear Francois" she re-
peated. ut is only he who could have
had those three wishes. The single one
that was for himself was not because
he cared for 1t himself. but because 1t
was the emperor's prophecy"
Il always thought Pietro spoke
slowly, that 1t vas not indeed for him
self that he wished to be a marshal
some day, but because 1t might make
him, in a manner. your equal. It waa
for you"
For me!' Alike was astonished. "I
never thought of that. I think you
thought Of it, Ptetro, only because you
cared for me-and thought Francois
must care also"
Yes. I thought he cared Pietro
considered. II can not believe other
wise yet"
You may believe it." Alike was
firm. For he said that what he had
wished always was that I should've
you. 1 did it mostly to please Fran
co.'s" she added serenely.
And Pietro's response to that was
apt. but not to be given here. The minds
OF those two happy lovers We're full Of
that third who had been SO close always
to each OF them.
"Pietro," Alike spoke earnestly, com
Ing back to the same subject. you
know that I. love Francois-of course.
But you do not know in what way. I
love him as If he were one of the
saints-but also as If he were a helpless
little child. Yet not-Pietro-as If he
Were-the man I love. J. would give
my life for him in a rush of delight, If
ne needed 1t. But I know now. what
ever were my vague dreams In past
years. that 1t is not In Francois to care
Tor a woman as a human man. Some
how. among all his wonderful uuali-
ties that n thing was left out. He
never could nave cared for me SO that
the touch of my hand counted, or-or
SO that all other women should seem
different. I think, indeed. that If some
dear girl should have loved him he
might easily have married her out Of
pure friendship and gentleness, not
knowing what the real love of a man
to a woman is like. Tha is impossibls
to him"
IT am not 80 sure" said Pietro. and
shook his head.