Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-17

be for her to think that. But Miss
| Nourma refused him." ..
although she loved him.
Because she loved him. But she
made him think she didE't care, other.
wise he wouldn't have given her up"
"And now she repentsY"
NO. she doesn't repent. Shed do TN.
same thing over again, though Il near.
! ~ killed her to do II. and she isn't al.
strong even as she was then She re.
FUSED him because she was under SEN
tcnce OF death"
GOOD heaven! What are you talk
ing about?' exclaimed Christopher.
We've just struck the part that ]
| came mere TO talk about" answered
darkness quietly.
tIon?' Christopher asked. "Shc doesn't
look i'll. It's only that she's different
from other girls-seems made Of MOON
| light. or flowers, or something un-
earthly"
That's just the thought one has
about her." said Hardness. ut came to
me the minute ! saw her. My steamer
chair WAS pat next 10 her aunt's on
deck or shouldn't have got acuuaint-
CD haven't much check anyhow. and
should never have mustered up
enough for that. but Miss Dalrymnle
and talked. and so i, all bappened
naturally. ] suppose II was 10 be-
mean ] was TO live my Missing Chan
ter. the oply real one in the whole book.
guess Miss Dalrymple understood
me pretty soon. SO she told me things.
by and by il was the whole history
Miss Nourma's father was an officer,
like the young inan his daughter loves.
lie spent summer in Kashmir on
icaNe. about twenty-one years ago
and had some letters Of introduction
20 hish-up. grand sort OF natives,
princes and noblcmen. Then he some
how don't know how for his siste,
didn't tell me-sot to see girl n.
wasn't supposed TO see. for women
there aren't much on show. are they?
I The two fell desperately in love and
| he stole her away. They married: and
AS 1t wasn't exactly the right sort OF
| thinS for An officer TO have done. when
! he was q kind OF guest. he gave IN
the army. Miss Nourmas mother was
! perfectly beautiful, Miss Dalrymple
says: looked as if she'd been carved
! out OF ivory, with gold for hair and
starry sapDhires for eyes Her hus-
oand brought her TO England but she
( was home sick. and the climate didn't
suit her; so he managed to get some
! ciVil appointment in a remote part OF
lndia. where he's stopped ever since
! not having any money OF his own
/
| the marriage. he didn't leave him much
| Ru, the lovely Kashmiran princess
| aled when her baby was born: that's
/ MISS Nourma. whom they named after
/ her mother. And it seems that the child
! OIL a European man ana 4 Eashmiran
woman. though almost always extra
/ ordinarily handsome is lust the sauna
! as born under sentence Of death They
! loved each other so much those two
that they didn't think Of ANYTHING
else; but afterwards Captain Dalrym-
pie must have had some awful heart
aches, seeing that beautiful angel
| grow up like lily, ana knowing (for
! apparently it's Il thing we'll known)
that she was in all probability DOOM
cd to be cut down before she wos
| twenty one
Il have heard that sort Of thing
from army people whove come back
from India" said Christopher duly.
1T was only just before Miss bal
rEmplc, tho aunt. came on, 10 visit her
brother and niece Gndccd, guess that
was what took her out that Miss
/ Nourma overheard "a converse ION
! which IL: her know what TO expect
! Someone Was giving a dance in honor
Of her eighteenth birthday: and while
| she was sitting on baicony, waiting
| for her partner 10 come back ,the
| young man she'd fallen in love with
! /: was), a couple inside a window be-
| gan TO .alk. NJ first they didn't men
| ton her name. but said what pity
II was, beautiful girl like that GER
! tain to fall into II decline and 20 of
before tho age Of twenty -onc--only
4 three more years to live At most. Then
came the name. and she knew. Eut
think Of her pluck. sir. She just got
/ quietly up and moved OF 10 another
| place ut a little distance. so that when
1 . srfn 4
other side Of tho curtain needn't dis
cover what an awful thing they'd done.
/ But. instead OF saying Yes when the
young officer proposed. as nc did that
very night, she said NO, pretending
not 10 care q bit. and telling him he
must 1nd some other girl better suit
cd TO him than she was
Not a word did she tell her father
when sh, got home, either. bu, went
or living as il nothing had happened
HIS long as she could. Only her bod!
wasn't as strong as her soul She broke
down and finally grew dciirous. 50
that her father heard the truth in
broken kind OF way. which made him
question tho girl when she was getting
we'll. My guess is that something he
must have written abou; il. and the
tragedy OF it. TO his sister, brought
Miss Dalrympie .nyin- out to India
, Shed never seen Nourma before. and
nON SnC plameS ncfScl Tor not gong
sooner: she just adorcs her niece. She
Isn't too rich herself. but she sold
stocks or something, and got hold Of
enough cash TO take Nourna for a
long sea trip. which doctor there
said might possibly give a new tone
to the girls constitution. late rs il waa
10 try experiments. But the day
met the ladies, Miss Nourrna was no
| stronger than the day She left home.
And to-day she's no better than the day
we started motoring. don't think she
cares much, except for her fathers
, sake. fou sec how serene and--a nd
radiant She is always. as if she'd sailed
right UP to the zenith to live with the
moon and stars. Only this afternoon
ii was u little different with her. may
! be: for the trip will he over Tomorrow
ana she and her aunt have been having
talk about-her being worse. and
going back to India. Miss Dalrymple
told me. And she tod me something
else. which she hadn't mentioned he
fore. because as she said, there seemed
no use speaking OF it.
IT'S that ] want to ask your advice
about. Mr.. Race. II seems that when
they got to London. Miss Dalrymplo
took Nourma to sec Il great specialist