Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-07-08

to lay it tenderly against his cheek.
You ought to hate me, Joan. I've been
a beast to treat you as l have. But !
do otherwise. I had to do 1t
1 can't let you go on loving me-
She drew away from him, as if he
had struck her in the face. Her eyes
grew wide with pain and wonder
You-you mean, Eric, you don't
want me for your sweetheart any long
er?' she said. scarcely above a whis-
per. That piteous look was more than
he could bear.
II love you-Oh. how l owe you," he
cried. Il shouldn't have said that to
you. IL don't know hat l am say
ing. l do want you. l shall always
want YOU. l shall always want you.
Don't cry. ~Joan-please don't! I"l-In
get down on my knees and beg you to
forgive
She came up to him swiftly, her eyes
cleaning through the tears of van
pushed shame. her lips tremulous
with a smile of perplexity. Her nanas.
both of them, were pressed to his
lips. cutting short the sentence.
Il don't understand you, Eric. How
queer you are. Don't you know-don't
you know that L want o to be-to
be what h YOU said you'd be. My
sweetheart. oh. Eric, I've been so
hiiSSA oplS. NohlclIll1S has happened.
You must tell me-"
He kissed her fingers hungrily.
Then he clasped her slim, yielding body
in his strong arms and kissed her
lips again and again. Her arm went
up about his neck and everything was
forgotten.
Slowly he came to his senses. He
held her away from him, still painting
from the ervour of his wild, uncon-
trolled passion.
Listen, joan" he began DULY. at q
loss for words. II ought not to hold
You to your promise. You don't know
She gave hin a ravishing smile.
Surely, in all the world, there was no
one so lovely as Joan Bright in that
wonderful moment.
Il don't see how you can help your-
self she cried. Il shall hold you 10
yours. How can you say such a thing
to me ~after-after this?"
Suddenly her eyes grew lark with
doubt and misgiving. Something in his
white. drawn face smote out the light
in her ewes.
What is it. Eric? Tell me-" she
said.
He shook his head, dumb with des-
pair.
sit down here With me. dear" she
went on. Il don't care what it is. It
can't change my feeling toward you
NOthlnS can do that
They sank to the soft, green turf, his
arm about her shoulders. his back
against the tree. h waited a long
time for him to speak. 1t seemed to
him that she was holding her breath.
"You-you said we We're sweethearts.
Erie she breathed. II believed you.
Didn't you mean it?"
unconsciously be gripped her hand so
tightly that it must have hurt her. yet
she did not appear to feel the pain.
He was at the point of hurting out
the whole devastating truth. His
honest soul saw no other way out Of
it. 1t was right and lust that she should
know, that she shoul understand why
he had behaved so strangely toward
her.
Then he remembered his compac
With Adam Carr. He recalled his
friends cold. almost soulless admoni
ton: Don't let this little accident of
yours alter a single purpose or hope you
may now cherish. Go on. just as if 1t
hadn't happened. 1t wasn't the strength
of your arm that did it. but the weak
ness of that blamed railing" He was
never to forget that speech. Part OF
it was like Adam Carr. part of it re-
minded him not a little of Mr.. Presbrey
inc~ongruous as it may appear.
o course. ! meant it, he cried. his
handsome young face aglow with the
rebound of blood. I'm never going
to give you up. Joan. I'm not afraid
any longer. Something happened not
long ago-I can't tell you what 1T was
that made it look as though / couldn't
go on being the same. 1t almost killed
me. Something that made it appear
wrong for me toto go on. that's all
But what's the use going on with any
thing. if | can't ave you to think Of
to look NJ to. to wait for and to work
for? You're everything. Joan, every.
thing. and always will be-"
She was smoothing his hair with 8
timid. loving hand. Somehow, the
gentle caress was rubbing away the
troubles that clogged his brain. The
world was growing brighter.
"Was-Was 1t what happened to Chef
wynd?' she asked softly.
He started guilty.. The look in his
eyes passed in a second. however. 81,
had something to do with it," he said
with an in~yoluntarily glance toward the
sea.
: WHY should it make any difference
{ to us?' she asked quickly. you are
not to blame for the awful things he
did"
81 KNOW he admitted uncomfort.
ably.
WAS it because you thought 10,
father. for that matter-would let tina
t alter our opinion of you?'
He smiled YEARLY. streking her hand
!. She went on eagerly: "It couldn't b.
so, Eric. Father thinks you are tn,
} finest boy he knows. He never ap
} proved of Chetwynd. You couldn't pos
, sibly be the-the same as he"
i