The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1914-03-06

drifting. 1t was wrong Of me to
permit matters to go SO far. For
give me. "
She raised her big, lustrous eyes
to his white, tense face and held out
her hand in token Of dismissal.
'1s it that you do not love me ]?
he urged. us it because Of some
fault Of mine that you say no. he
asked. sYou can learn to love me,
dear. The fault might be explained
away"
ssNo, no. she cried. ct is not
that. 1t is because cannot ex-
plain. Please do not ask me to ex-
plain" She pushed him from her
and sank sobbing upon the Turkish
divan.
For a moment Marsden watched
her undoubtedly. He longed to take
her in his arms and comfort her, to
insist upon an explanation in the
hope of clearing away the trouble;
but, manlike, he could not combat
tears, so he stole softly out.
Alva heard him 60. and she gave
way to fresh accession of grief,
which presently exhausted her, and
she fell into troubled slumber.
From her sleep she was reused
by a knocking upon the door. and
almost before she realized she had
called out "Come in" and Godfrey
stood before her.
81 met that little friend of yours
down the street, he explained awk-
wardly, "and she called me a fool
for leaving you before | found out
what the trouble was, so ! came
back" he added.
81 begged you not to ask" Alva
reminded TREMENDOUSLY.
"But Miss Peterson said to in
sist," he countered. "She is a tre-
mendously clever little woman"
Il am sorry | ever met her." cried
Alva passionately. ''Then might
have been success upon my own
account and not creature Of de-
ceit. Can you love me knowing that
my success is wholly false, an acted
lie %
"You mean that some one else
paints your pictures" he demand
ed. 81 don't care about the pictures.
It's you | want, little girl. | don't
care who did the pictures"
cts not so bad as thatP' she
cried, shocked at the suggestion.
And then, slowly and sobbingly, she
told, bit by bit, how she and Sally
had turned the tide. The sun set
and darkness settled down, yet
neither seemed aware of the gather
ing dusk.
"And that's how my success was
gained" cried Alva as the recital
was concluded. ssNow you under
stand why ! cannot marry you. You,
with your upright business ways,
would forever despise me-
'S1t's merely advertisement" said
Marsden, with laugh. els this the
dreadful skeleton in the closet that
is to keep us forever apart 2"
isn't it enough?' she demanded
miserably.
'sDo you know how the Marsden
soap works were started ?" he asked.
"We're making soap for all the
world now, and good soap too. But
the first factory was kettle in our
back yard. We all used to work it
in the evenings, and during the day
we three boys, Eddie and my broth
er George, who died, used to 60
into groceries and ask for the soap,
and father would sell them box,
and that box would bring new or
ders. Success creates success. We,
too, turned the tide"
''And don't you hate me for the
deception?" she asked in a whisper.
Hate you? r. he repeated tender
ly. Gas though | could ever hate
you, dear! | am most profoundly
grateful to Miss Peterson for max
ing you discovery so early. Think
of the happy years we might have
missed"
ut seemed almost dishonest" she
whispered. 81 thought
But Marsden stopped her words
with kiss.
'We have turned the tide again."
he said. sSLet us not think of the
tides that have ebbed and flowed"