The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-07-08

to lay It tender1y against his cheek.
You ought to hate me. Joan. I've been
a beast to treat you as I have. But I
couldn't do otherwise. / had to do It
! can't let you go on loving me-"
She drew away from him, as II he
had struck her IN the face. Her eyes
grew wide with pain n wonder.
.You-you mean, Eric, you don't
want me for your sweetheart any long
err" h said. scarcely above a whis-
per. That piteous look was more than
he could bear.
Il love you-Oh, how / love you,' he
cried. II shouldn't have said that to
you. IL don't know what / am say
ing. / do want you. / shall always
want you. I shall always want you.
Don't cry, ~Joan-please don't! I'll-IM
get down on my knees n beg you to
forgive
She came up to him swiftly. her eyes
quished shame, her lips tremulous
with a smile of p~erplexity. Her hanas,
both of them, were pressed to his
lips, cutting short the sentence.
! don't understand you, Eric. How
queer you are. Don't you know-don't
be what what you 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 n 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, uncop-
trolled passion.
Listen, JOAN" he began DULY, at a
loss for words. I'll 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.
i don't see how you can help your
self" she cried. st shall hold you to
yours. How can you say such a thing
to me after-after this?"
Suddenly her eyes grew dark with
doubt and misgiving. Something in his
white. drawn face smote out the light
in her eyes.
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. II don't care what it is, 1t
can't change my feeling toward you.
Nothing can do that"
They 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.
"You-you said we We're s~weethearts,
Eric" 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
1t. 1t was right and just that she should
know, that h should understand why
ne mad a so strangely toward
her.
Then he remembered his compact
with Adam Carr. He recalled his
friends cold, almost soulless admont-
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
never to forget that Speech. Part Of
1t was like Adam Carr, part Of it re-
minded him not a little Of Mr.. Presbrey
incongruous as it may appear.
O course, I 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 it was
that made 1t look as though I couldn't
go on being the same. It almost killed
me. Something that made 1t appear
wrong for me toto go on, that's all
But what's the use going on with any
thing, If I can't have you to think Of
to look up to. to wait for and to work
for? You're everything, Joan, every
thing, and always will be-"
She was smoothing his hair with g
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 guiltily. The look In his
eyes passed in a second, however. "I,
had something to do with it," he said
with an involuntarily glance toward the
sea.
"Why should it make any difference
to us?' she asked quickly. "You ar
not to blame for the awful things HI
did"
IT know" he admitted uncomfort.
ably.
WAS it because you thought 10,
father, for that matter-would let tina
alter our opinion OF your"
He smiled YEARLY, stroking 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"
n