The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-01-02

- OVIy tHdI love you.
been so much together, all day long
together for all these years. that we
are almost like brother and sister, are
we not:'
Go or. Tom" she said. with a quick
perception. almost a pang at her heart,
that they We're not brother and sister.
II am not clever at books he con-
tinued. The professor is. but l am
not. And l don't know how to talk
about things like your cousin. I am
only Il creole, a son of the soil. a sugar
planter; but. N%irginie, l want you to
believe one thing"
II will believe anything, Tom. that
you tell me to believe
1T is Il very simple thing. 1t is only
that l love YOU
But l know you do. Tom"
"And that l shall always love you
whatever you do. mean-because. of
course. whatever you do will be right
and good and the best thing that ever
any girl did-that even if l hear that
you have accepted some man in Eng
land. some clever nan or some great
man, l shall so on loving you all the
same. I am what | am. Nirginie,
but whatever happens. good or bad,
you will remember, will you notch,
my dear-that here at Nor Desir there
is one man who loves you always"
"Oh, Tom" she said, bursting into
tears, why must l go to England at
all: Yes: you all love me. You are
all too good to me-"
"She must 90. Tom" said his father
that night. with her affections free"
Yes, sir" he replied; II have told
her. I thought l ought to tell her that
before she goes. But she will 60 with
Next morning the party broke up in
sadness, and in the early morning they
drove or rode away.
The earliest to go was the professor.
He appeared on the veranda with the
morning tea. Tom vas there and Nir-
ginie in her white frock, always fresh
and sweet as a lily. All three were de-
pressed. but the saddcst of all was the
professor.
1T is my last visit to Mon Desir.'
he sighed. "1n a few days l shall have
left the island. never to see it again.
If l thought" said Nirginie, that
should never see it again l would not
leave it,"
MY most pleasant memories the
professor went on lu~gubriously, will
be those of the days spent here-and
of YOU" he added.
They ought to be-" said Tom, think
ing Of Nirsinie rather than of Mon
Dcsir.
You are ambitious,' Nirginie said
to the professor. 1--WE have always
said that you would not make this col.
ony your home. What is an ambitious
man to do here? wonder, though,
whether you will be any happier in
England than YOU might be here, il
you chose to remain
II dare say not" he said. with a kind
Of croan. after all. we must not be
forever looking out for happiness.
There is no place in the world where
one can laze along so happily as here.
But one must work. and after Il time
one wants to do the work one likes
best"
"Everybody is always going away
said Nirginie. ut is sad for the peo-
pie who live here. Directly we get
fond Of any n he resigns or gets
transferred, and so we lose him. And
now l am going too. At all events we
shall go in the same ship"
Eyes. l shall not have to say fare.
we'll until we get to England. Be-
sides, it is a kind of satisfaction to feel
that if I am going you are going too
One cannot think with any comfort of
Mon Desir without you. 1t would be
too wretched to come here and find no
Nirginie.
THANK YOU. professor" she said,
smiling. you have always been kind
! to me-"