The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-09-17

failed any one-nok once. As Francois
said, you are a heart OF gold. q wall Of
rock"
Her voice dropped. she laid her hand
against his shoulder and spoke. In q
quick, cautious way:
But all that ~ immaterial. / just
love you-that's the point" A moment
later she spoke again. II want 70 fin-
ish telling you-and then We need new
er speak Of IL again. I did think YOU
were-commonplace. And yet I knew
In my heart you were not, for / resent
ed your seeming so. So / urged you
into danger. / wanted you TO be .
hero. / had that echo OF q schoolgirls
romance about Francois In my nina
and / chung, all along, to the idea that
/ loved him and that perhaps he Sc
cretly loved me but would not say II
because he was poor and a peasant;
that he was waiting till his future was
made. Then. M day. only the other
day, he told me that he had asked three
wishes OF llfe-'of the good fairies no
seid. One was to make Prince Louis
emperor. one was to be marshal OF
France; the third" she stopped.
'rWhatf'' Pietro demanded, his mouth
q bit rigid.
Alike flushed and smiled and took
Pfetro's big hand and covered her eyeg
with Il. THAT / should-love you, mon
sieur. He said he had wished that all
his life.%
May heaven grant him his wish"
said Pietro fervently, nj then. reflect
ing, 'Tt seems q strange wish for Fran
COTS. You are sure. Alixef'
Yes, he said so" Alike insisted.
ly, and the blue intensity Of her eyes
grew misty. Dear Francois" h re-
peated, sit Is only he who could have
had those three wishes. The single one
that was for himself was not because
he cared for It himself, but because IL
was the emperors prophecy"
1T always thought Pietro spoke
slowly, that II was not indeed for him
self that he wished to be a marshal
some day, but because II might make
him. In a manner, your equal. IL was
for YOU"
For mel, Alike was astonished. tT
never thought OF that. / think you
thought Of Il, Pietro, only because you
cared for meEand thought Francois
must are nlso."
Eyes, / thought he cared" Pietro
considered IT 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-love
you. I did Il mostly to please Fran
coils" she added serenely.
And Pietro's response to that was
apt, but not TO be given here. The minds
Of those two happy lovers were full OF
that third who had been SO close always
to each OF them.
"Pietro," Alike spoke earnestly, COM
ing back to he same subject, you
know that / 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 II he were a helpless
little child. Yet not-Pietro-as IL he
were-the man I love. / would give
my life for him in a rush OF delight, II
he needed II. But / know now, what
ever were my vague dreams In past
years. that II is not in Francois To care
for a woman as a human man. Some
how, among all his wonderful quail
ties that n thing was left out. He
never could have cared for me so that
1.-The touch Of my hand counted. Orr
so that all other women should SEEM
different. I think, indeed. that IL some
dear girl should have loved him no
might easily have married her out OF
pure friendship and gentleness, not
knowing what the real love of q man
to q woman is like. That is impossible
to him.
II am not SO sure" said Pietro. and
shook his head.