Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-12-05

l tried to be your friend and I
tried only to defend you. And
yet from the beginning | felt that
for you l was the object of. an
aversion that was both instinc-
tive and deliberate. Never did
l see in your eyes anything but
GOODNESS, dislike, contempt, and
even repulsion.
"At moments of danger, when
your life or liberty was at stake,
you risked committing any i'm
prudence rather than accept my
assistance. l was the enemy, the
man to be d%istrllsted, the man
capable of every infamy, the man
to be avoided, and to be thought
of only with a sort of dread. Isn't
that hatred? Is there anything
but hatred to explain such an at
titude?n
Florence did not answer at
once. She seemed to be putting
off the moment at which to speak
the words that rose to her lips.
Her face, thin and drawn with
WEAKNESS and pain, was gentler
than usual.
Yes" she said, "there are
other things than hatred to ex-
plain that attitude"
Don Luis was dumfounded. He
did not quite understand the
meaning Of the reply; but Flor
ence's tone of voice Disconnected
him beyond measure, and he also
saw that Florence's eyes no long
er wore their usual scornful ex-
preston and that they were filled
with smiling charm. And it was
the first time that Florence had
smiled in his presence.
"Speak, speak, l entreat you!''
he stammered.
II mean to say that there is an
other feeling which explains cold
ness, mistrust, fear, and hostility.
1t is not always those whom we
detest that we avoid with the
greatest fear; and, if we avoid
them,' it is often because we are
afraid of ourselves, because we
are ashamed, because we rebel
and want to resist and want to
forget and cannot"
She stopped; and, when he
wildly stretched out his arms to
her, as if beseeching her to say
more and still more, she NODDED
her head, thus telling him that
she need not go on speaking for
him to read to the very bottom of
her soul and discover the secret
which she kept hidden there.
Don Luis staggered on his feet.
He was intoxicated with happi-
ness, almost suffered physical
pain from that unexpected hap
piness. After the horrible min
utes through which he had passed
amid the impressive surroundings
OF the Old Castle, it appeared to
him to admit that such extraor-
binary bliss could suddenly
blossom forth in the commonplace
setting Of that room at a hotel.
He could have longed for space.
around him, forest mountains.
moonlight, a radiant sunset, all
the beauty and all the poetry Of
the earth. With one rush, he had
reached the very acme of happi-
ness. Florence very life came
before him, from the instant of
their meeting to the. tragic mo-
ment when the cripple, bending
over her and. seeing her eyes filled
with tears, had shouted:
She's crying! She's crying!
What madness! But I know your
secret, Florence! And your Q
crying Florence, Florence, you
yourself want to die!"
1t was a secret of love, a pas
sionate impulse which, from the
first day, had driven her all trem-
bling toward Don Luis. Then it
had bewildered her, filling her
with fear, appeared to her as a
betrayal Of Marie and Sauverand
and, by turns urging her toward
and drawing her away from the
man whom she loved and whom
she admired for his heroism and
loyalty, rendirg her with remorse
and overwhelming her as though