Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-07-07

W llS 1ccI, u VAST SGI1S0 VI dldTII1 dSs
sailing him.
Not 20 feet away stood Joan Bright,
her gaze full upon him. Something in
her eyes told him that she had been
standing there for some time, shy and
uncertain as to whether she should ac-
He game to his feet in an instant. pail
inG and flushing by turns. Her serious
dark eyes wavered and the lids were
lowered for a second; then she met
his gag resolutely.
II saw you from the road. Eric she
said simply. He was struck by the
hurt. appealing look in her eyes. 1t
shamed him. What have 1 done, Eric?
What has happened Toto" She
flushed %piteously and could not go on.
He sprang forward. clasping the
hands that were raised as if to ward
him off.
""Oh, JOAN" he cried, casting his re-
I swear I haven't. I love you 1000
times more than 1 ever did. IL would
die for you. 1t breaks my heart to
She broke in plaintively: What have
1 done, Eric?"
you? What have you done?" The
tears were swimming in his eyes. She
withdrew one of her hands, but only
to lay it tenderly against his cheek.
You ought to hate me, Joan. I've been
d peaSt 70 treat you us L nave. But 1
couldn't do otherwise, / a to do it
I 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 I love you," he
cried. Il shouldn't have said that to
you. IL don't know what I am say
ing. I do want you 1 shall always
want you. I shall always want you.
Don't cry, Joan-please don't! Ill-Ill
get down on my knees n beg you to
forgive"
She came up to him swiftly, her eyes
cleaning through the tears of van
quished shame, her lips tremulous
with a smile of perplexity. Her hanas.
lips. cutting short the sentence.
II don't understand you, Eric. How
queer you are. Don't you know-don't
you know that I want you to be-to
be what what o said you'd be. MY
sweetheart. oh, Eric, I've been so
miserable. Something 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 fervour of his wild, uncon-
trolled passion.
Listen. JOAN" he began DULY, at a
loss for words. IL ought not to hold
you to your promise. You don't know
She gave him a ravishing smile.
Surely. in all the world, there was no
one SO lovely as Joan Bright in that
wonderful moment.
II don't see how you can help your
self" n cried. II shall hold you TO
to me after-after this?"
Suddenly her eyes grew dark with
doubt and m%isgiving. Something in his
white, drawn face smote out the light
in her eyes.
What is it, Eric? Tell me-" she
He shook his head, dumb with des-
pair.
Sit down here with me. DEAR" she
went on. II don't care what it is, It
cant change my feeling toward you.
Nothing can do that"
The sank to the soft. green turf, his
arm about her shoulders, his back
against the tree. She waited a long
time for him to speak. 1t seemed to
him that she was holding her breath.
ou-you said we We're sweethearts.
Eric. she breathed. II believed you.
DIDN'T you mean it?"
Unconsciously be gripped her hand so
tightly that it must have hurt her. vet
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
1T. 1t was right and just that. she should
know. that she should understand why
he had behaved so strangely toward
her.
Then he remembered his compac
with Adam Carr. He recalled his
friends cold. almost soulless admonf
tion: Don't let this little accident of
yours alter a single purpose or hope YOU
may now cherish. Go on. just as If it
OF your arm that did it. but the weak
ness of that blamed railing" He was
never to forget that speech. PART OF
1T was like Adam Carr, part of it re-
minded him not a little of Mr.. Presbrey
ns..ongruous as 1t may appear
course. I meant it, he cried. his
handsome young face aglow with the
rebound of blood. "I'm never goine
to give you up. Joan. I'm not afraid
any longer. Something happened moi
long ago-I can't tell you what it was
that made 1t look as though I couldn't
go on being the same. 1t almost killed
me. something that made 1t appea
wrong for me toto go on, that's all
SUI what's the use going on with any.
thing, II I can't have you to think OF
to look up to. to wait for m to worl
Ior! You're everything. Joan, every.
thing. and always will be-"
She was smoothing his hair with a
timid. loving hand. Somehow, the
gentle caress was rubbing away the
troubles that clogged his brain. The