The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-07-16
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49, A69N Az 10y
when he felt that the shadow which
hung over them ought to be lifted.
Mollie,' he said, taking the girls
hands in his. I want to tell you, dear,
that love you. l want to ask you
to be my wife. feel that you and |
have something %inseparable, some
thing that makes u lives one. It is
Evelyn, and yet l never cared for Eve
Ign as l love you
The girl looked at him, and then, to
Sotheby's amazement, she burst into
passionate weeping.
"I a never marry you, Jack she
cried: You do not know-Oh, you do
not know, and / cannot bring myself
to tell you
But you love me, Molly?' he cried.
He took her in his arms, and for an
instant her head lay on his shoulder.
"'Yes, l love you, she said. But l
cannot marry you She raised her
head and looked him frankly in the
eyes. Listen, Jack, she said. I have
loved you since l first saw you, and
l have never loved anyone else. That
is why l must send you away. 1t is
because Of Evelyn
He could find no answer to make.
He bowed his head and went away.
It vas another year before he saw
Mollie again. Then he was at Atlantic
City.
He vas seated in a secluded corner
by the Boardwalk when he saw Mol
lie coming toward him. At first he
thought, so striking vas the resem-
blance, that she was Evelyn herself.
Then, as he watched her, he saw Eve
Ign in the flesh, at her side, and, be-
side Evelyn a man.
The trio we're advancing toward
him, and Evelyn and the man we're
engaged in animated conversation.
Evelyn had grown stouter and flesh
Ter; she was still the dashing beauty
Of old times, but the dashingness could
not carry itself so well under that &C.
cumulated load Of flesh. 1t was over'
done, and the woman was obviously
too artificial. The hair was too light,
the eyes too dark. Sotheby stared.
He could not be mistaken. 1t was
Evelyn.
"Sotheby was not superstitious. He
knew that Evelyn was at Mollie's side,
and he rose and followed them to
their hotel. He watched them enter,
and all that day he waited until he
was rewarded at last by seeing Mollie
come out alone. She walked, with her
limping gait, along the Boardwalk un.
til she cam to the same place where
Sotheby had sat that morning. There
she sat dowl, and there he accosted
her.
The terror in the girls eyes almost
unnerved him. She glanced at him
fearfully, and saw that he knew all
You have seen herr she cried
with a quick intake of breath.
"Sotheby nodded. Tell me the
truth, Mollie,' he said, taking her hant
In his. And he knew then that, al
though 1t was not the anne Evelyn
whom ne had loved, 1t was just the
same Mollie who had been so dear
to hil, who had always been in his
thoughts, night and day, since he had
learned to love her.
"'She is not dead, said Sotheby
'But-Mollie, tell me the truth, anC
trust me-.
Eyes, l will tell you the truth an
swered the girl. When you became
Engaged to Evelyn you looked on II
as a serious matter. But to Evelyn
it was just a joke, a summer firta,
ton. She gets engaged at least two
or three times every summer. When
you looked on it as something lasting
Evelyn was-well, just plain scared
She liked you well enough to become
engaged to you, but she never loved
you, Jack. Why, Evelyn couldn't love
anybody. The man she is engaged tC
now is rich, and she will probably
marry him; but she never intended tC
marry you.
You frightened her, Jack, and be
cause she really did care for you II
a way, she was afraid that she nigh
not be able to help marrying you
And you were not a rich man, no
rich enough for Evelyn. didn't know
what she was going to do, but knew
that she was planning to do some
thing, because she was mad with feaI
when you anne down to North Gin
"'You know she can swim. She tolt
me afterwards-she sent me a lettel
while l was in the hsherman's house
before you came up to see me. Shr
had upset the boat, knowing that YOU
would take care of me, because
could not swim. When the boat upse
Evelyn diyed and climbed out AM
hid behind the rocks. She waited Their
until she saw that we we're safe, ant
then she ran home and changed he
dress, packed up and ran away. Tha
was to prevent your knowing that shl
was alive. She wanted you to thinl
her dead, so as to escape marrying
YOU.
"'And you knew all that, Mollle