Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-11

with countenance oddly shadowed In
the staring moonlight by tho heat OF his
! distress.
She tried she meant to give him his
/ answer without delay it were kinder
But she found II impossble; the negative
stuck stubbornly in her throat She knew
/ 1t would stab him deep He wasn't the
man to take love lightly; his emotions
were anything hut on the surface; their
wounds would be slow 10 heal.
And In spite Of the positive animus she
| had all along entertained toward him, she
/ didn't want to hurt him now; perhaps not
| strangely, remembering that this proposal
| OF marriage was direct. downright pro-
| testation of implicit faith in her uttered
| sQuarely on top of a most damnahle in.
| dictment- remembering too. that II was
/ barely two hours since Sally herself had
| been ready, almost eager to believe him
capable OF committing the very crime, OF
| implication in which he eXonerated her
without an instants hesitation.
! True. she had been quick TO exonerate
him I'm her thoughts as soon as the suspi-
| Clon was engendered In them. but she had
I done so almost reluctantly, uugenerously,
not because she wanted to believe him In
nocent, but because the burden Of the evi-
deuCe. together with the counsel OF ln>
stnCt. had been too strong in his favor
to permit more than n moments doubt.
I
peared, was not enough; she must be
punished in this unique way, have her
own unwurthiness demonstrated by thls
artlcss manifestation of his worth. And
however much she might long to make
amends to him, che couldn't.
Tho pain and the pity of 1t! He was
far better man than she a woman. and
he honored her with his lovc-and she
couldn't reQuite him. she couldn't love
him. he was still too far from the mirage
of her ideal.
"Oh." she sighed. why"
lie misconstrued "Ivc told you heaps
of times-bcCause you're n woman, not
man,kin Marriage would mean soms-
thing more to YOU than clothes, Europe,
idlcness and flirting with other women's
husbands, Just as It would have to mean
more to me than hiring woman to live
with me and entertain my friends"
How do you know? How can you
tell? What do YOU know about me?" she
protested almost passionately, and an
swered herself you don't know: you
cant tell; YOU know nothing about me.
You assert things-l only wlsh theE were
true"
"Oh, they're true enough he inter-
rupted unceremonously. TITS no use
trying to run yourself down to me. I
couldn't feel the way | 40 about you tf
Won were not at heart as sound as an
apple no matter what nonsense you may
have been guilty of at one time or an
other as every human beings got to be.
Has nobody told you anything about
me? Mrs Gosnold--"
Mrs. Gosnod tends her own knitting.
And nobody has told me anythinE-ex-
cept Yourself More than that, | don't 20
by other folks opinions when | make up
my mind about n matter as vital to me as
marrying wife,
"Then | must tell you--'
mot until you give me some legitimate
title to your confidence. You've got no
right to confide in me unless you mean
to marry mc-and you haven't said you
would yet"
II can't couldn't without telling you
please let me speak," She drew long
breath of desperation and Erasped the
nettle firmly. II stole the clothes | came
here in. My name isn't Manwarng-it's
Sally Manvcrs. I was n shop-girl--'
Half minute Mrs Gosnold knows
all this, doesn't she?'
"Yes---"
"You told her everything, and still she
stood for YOU "
yes. but"
That's enough for me. I don't want
/ to hear anything more until you're my
wife. After that you'll have to tell me
and If there's any trouble remaining TO
be Strengthened out then, why, II II he
my natural job as a husband to fix it up
for YOU. Till then | won't listen to any
more of your condolences that have moth
ing whatever to do with the fact that L
love you and believe in you and want to
make you happy"
But don't you understand that girl
who would steal and lie in order TO get
into society"
oh everybodys got to be foolish
about something or other. You'll get over