Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-19

He asks her to marry him. to take tn.
place of the dream girl he can neve
win. Angered. h dismisses him., ans
injuring his head When he resains con
seriousness a woman is nursing him.
CHAPTER xvI.-(Conttnued.)
THE girl. I heard her last time
Miss .Arlof. Get her!"
A step both light and rapid, finger.
that brushed his hand like the brush
of a birds wing.
Il am here" said the delicious, ir.
regular voice of the dancing girl
What can I do?
Give me your hand. Tell me the
coward. Am I blind?"
The hand did not tremble in hi,
grasp. Wv
mo. You are not even badly hurt
Soon you will be quite, quite we'll. To.
morrow the doctor will take off the
bandage now over your eyes"
Take it off now" .
She hesitated.
Tomorrow"
"Now!"
ut would have to go on again until
the doctor comes"
"All right"
The bandaEe fell away like a black
curtain. Dazzled, Noel saw through
a mist of pain the face of Rosalind
Arlof. luminous with beautiful com.
passion. - =
Not even the face of the little Con
stance. as she held to him her gift
was more lovely with pity. Never the
hand of comEade had lain so close and
strong with comfort in his clasp az
this frail hand Of hers. After his Ions
! njohf shn "a Hk& c,,~~~ 1T.
heart.
Sunrise, indeed!
For the first time in his life the mar
met love and looked it in the face, and
distinguished it from the boys dream.
Love common Is humanity, and az
rich with life; love; mot as a star, but
as n fire on the hearth-this was the
revelation that shone upon him like
the unbandasing Of his y
A princess for his palace-was that
the prize of life? No, but this girls
palm warm upon his-this girl beside
him for his wife!
When she would have drawn away,
he moved his head in protest. He did
not speak. Once before he had spoken
too soon. THE nurse was present, too.
and he was physically weak. He could
Rosalind could also wait. it seemed;
for she yielded with adorable patience
to his mute protest. leaving her hand
in his. But now she did not look at
him. No matter! He could look at
her; and next time he awoke-
He did not awake perfectly re-
covered. as he had anticipated. He
gradually emerged from that hazy
realm of dreams into which he had
drifted while looking at Rosalind
Arlon, to find the bandage again
covering his yes. BY that fact, he
knew that the promised tomorrow of
its removal had not yet arrived.
Once more he had awakened to
darkness shot through the brightness
of music: this time, the music of a
v1oloncello. The player was at some
distance, he judged. The music was
like none he e before had heard;
strong, like a strong heart in tumult,
full Of dfscord that fed the eager ear
as mere sweetness could not: barbaric,
beautiful.
Presently some one near his bed
sighed and stirred. Instinctively he
knew it was some one who listened to
that poignant music, also: instinctively
he knew who it was His heart beat
in eager recognition Of the oppor-
tunity. Only, we're they alone?
Miss Arlon?" he ventured. This
time he was determined not to 70 too
fast. /
Yes" came the prompt answer. in
"It is nieht?"
Eyes. and no! 1t is morning, but
It is still night. It is half-past three"
And I keep you watching 50 long?
II sent her to lie down. IL was
not tired. I did not want to sleep to-
night"
Thank you"
He gathered hope from her pres
ence. Not tired? Not wish to sleep?
She was healthy, young, she worked
hard. no doubt-surely. it was not
insomnia which detained her by his
bedside. Blu he must not let her see
that he suspected her awakening to
love had been twin with his own.
Not yet! He must 90 warily for Q
while: he had wounded her before;
all but lost her by his haste.
Y Miss Arlof. may 1 come here
again after I am well " he presently
asked, quite humbly for David Noel.
many mistakes; I want to repair some
OF. them. I should like to know your
father better. and your
Abel She supplied the name quite
seriously. unaware that he had for
gotten the old mans existence. "Abef
makes the most beautiful music in
the world. / think. You hear him
now. do you not? He Is what they
call an improvisatore. He plays as
he ceases. he hardly knows what he
has played. Often, he could not play
1t again. He cannot write music. But
once. they say my father used to
write 1t down A. Abel played. He can
no longer do that, although he loves