The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-06
louise shrahk back.
"He told you that?"
John was on his feet.

ne tOlu YOU lHul!
John was on his feet. The fever
was blazing once more.
"He told me that, face to face"
"And yOu?"
"If we had been Alone" John an
swered simply, 81 should have killed
him. I drove the words down his
throat. threw him back to the place
he had left. and hurt him rather badly,
I'm afraid. Sophy took me home
somehow, and now I am here"
She leaned little forward on the
couch She looked into his face search
ingly, anxiously as If looking for
something she could not find. His lips
were set in hard cold lines The
likeness to Stephen had never been
more apparent I3'' '.. 49, $50
"Listen !" she said. "You are Puri-
tan. While admire the splendid self
restraint evolved from your creed. it is
partly temperamental, isn't it? I was
brought up to see things differently,
and l do see them differently. Tell
me, do you love me?"
"Love yon?" he repeated. you
know it! Could suffer the tortures
of the damned II didn't? Could !
come to you with mans blood upon
my hands If I didn't? If the prince
lives, it is simply the accident Of fate.
I tell you that if we had been alone I
should have driven the breath out of
his body. Love you"
He rose slowly to her feet. She
leaned with her elbow upon the man.
telpiece, and her face was hidden for
q moment.
LET me think" she said. II don't
know what to say to you. I don't
know you, John. There isn't anything
left Of the John I loved. Let me look
again"
She swung around.
'You speak Of love-" she went on
suddenly. "Do you know what it Isl
Do you know that love reaches to the
heavens. and can also touch the meth.
ermost depths of hell? If I throw
myself on your knees before you now.
if link my fingers around your neck
If I whisper to you that in the days
that were past before you came had
done things l would fain forget. if ]
told you that from hcncefOrth every
second Of my life was yours, that my
heart heat with yours by day and by
night, that l had no other thought. nc
other dream, than to stay by your side
to see you happy, to give all there was
Of myself into your keeping, to keep
it holy and sacred for yOu-John,
what thenf'
Never line in his face softened. He
looked at her a moment as he had
looked at the woman in Piccadilly, into
whose hand he had dropped gold.
Are you going to tell me that it is
the truth?" he asked hoarsely.
"Think for a single moment of that
feeling which you call love, John !"
she pleaded. listen! I love you. It
has come to me at last, after all these
years. 1t lives in my heart, a greater
thing than my ambition, a greater
thing than my success, greater thing
than life itself. 1 love you, John Can't
you feel, don't you know, that moth.
ing else in life can matter?'
Not a line in his face softened. His
teeth had come together. He was like
q man upon the rack.
ut is true? 1t Is true, then?" he
demanded.
She looked at him without any reply.
The seconds seemed drawn out to an
interminable period. He heard the
rolling Of the motorbuses in the street.
Once more the perfume Of the lilac
seemed to choke him. Then she leaned
back and touched the bell.
"The prince spoke the truth" she
said. II think you had better COL"
(To be continued)
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