Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1914-05-14

maybe you can't care for me-yet.
But II you will marry me, I'LL be
content with so little, till--you do"
She shook her head, her hair max
ing dim flashes In the freight. mo,
Chilly" she said. 1T makes me
wretched to give you pain. but I must
Il mustl Love isn't like that. 1t
doesn't come afterward. ! know.
could never give you what you want.
You would end by despising me. as
should desplse myself"
Il won't give up" he said incoher-
emily. Il can't give up. Not so long
as know there's nobody else. At the
ball l thought thought perhaps you
cared for Valiant-but since he told
me-"
He stopped suddenly. for she was
looking at him from an ashen face.
He told me there was no reason why
! should not try my luck" he said diff
fcultly. II asked him"
There was a silence, while he gazed
at her, breathing despair. Then he
tried to laugh.
"All right" he said hoarsely. TT
it doesn't matter. Don't worry"
She stretched out her hand to him
in a gesture of wistful pain. and he
held it a moment between both OF
his, then released II and went hur-
riedly out.
AS the door closed Shirley sat
down, her head dropping into her
hands like storm-broken flower. Val
liant had accepted the finality OF the
situation. With a wave of deeper
hopelessness than had yet submerged
her, she realized that, against her own
decision, something deep within her
had taken shy and secret comfort In
his stubborn masculine refusal.
Against all fact in face Of the impos-
sible, her heart had been clinging to
this-as though his love might even
attain the miraculous and somewhere.
somehow, recreate circumstance. But
now he, too, had bowed to the decree.
A kind of utter apathetic wretched-
ness seized upon her, to replace the
sharp misery that had so long been
her companion-an empty numbness
in which, In a measure. she ceased to
|
feel.
An hour dragged slowly by and at
length she rose and went slowly up
the stairs. Her head felt curfously
heavy, but II did not ache. Outside
her mothers door, as was her custom,
she paused mechanically to listen. A
tiny pencil Of light struck through the
darkness and painted spot OF bright
ness on her gown. II came through
the keyhole; the lamp in her mothers
room was burning. "She has fallen
asleep and forgotten II" she thought
and softly turning the knob, pushed
the door noiselessly open and entered
A moment she stood listening TO the
low regular breathing of the sleeper.
The reading-lamp shed shaded glow
on the pillow with its spread-out sill
yer hair, and on the delicate hands
clasped loosely on the coverlet. Shir-
ley came close and looked down on
the placid face. II was smooth as a
child'e and a smile touched IL lightly
as If some pleasant sleepthought had
Just laid rosy fingers on the dreaming
lips The light caught and sparkled
from something bright that lay be-
tween her mothers hands. II was the
enamel brooch that held her own baby
curl, and she saw suddenly that what
she had all her life thought was a
solid pendant, was now open locket-
wise and that the two halves clasped
a miniature. 1t came to her at once
that the picture must be Sassoon's,
and quick thrill of pity and yearn-
ing welled up through her own dejec-
ton. STOPPING, she looked at 1t close
ly. She started as she did so, for the
face on the little disk of ivory was
that of John Valiant.
An instant she stared unbelievingly.
Then recollection of the resemblance
of which Valiant had told her rushed
to her. and she realized that II must
be the picture OF his father. The fact
shocked and COMPOUNDED her. Why
should her mother carry in secret the
miniature of the man who had
killed
Shirley's breath stopped. She felt
her face tingling and curious weak
ness came on her limbs. Why, indeed,
unless-and the thought was like
wild prayer in her mind-she had
been mistaken in her surmise
Thoughts came thronging in panic
haste: the fourteenth OF May and the
cape observation-disclosures might point
no less to Valiant than to Sassoon
But her mothers fainting at the sight
of the son-the eager interest she had
displayed in Shirley's accounts OF him
from the episode of the rose and the
bulldog TO the tournament ball
; seemed now to stand out In a new
light, throbbing and roseate. Gould
1t be? Had she been stumbling along
; blind trail, misled by the cunning
dovetailing OF circumstance? Her
heart was beating stiflingly. II she
should be mistaken now! She dashed
her hand across her eyes as though to
compel their clearness, and looked
again.