Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-05-02
CHAPTER xxxv.
A Corner of His Heart.

LIE SeCOuu evening dlIeI lue ClUSuIc
Rickard was dining with the Mar
shalls in their car. The Palmyra was
to pull out the next day. Hardin's
name was brought up by Tod Mar
shall. "She was light potatoes" he
dismissed the woman. but she's
broken the mans spirit"
Richard, it was discovered, had
nothing to say on the subject of the
e1opement.
I'm sorry his sister is not here to-
night" began Marshall mischievously.
st did ask her, TOD Claudia has
! tened to interrupt her lord. But she
would not leave her brother her last
evening"
"Her last EVENING"" exclaimed Rick
ard. ''Is she going away?"
Marshall subdued his twinkle. "We
Mrs. Marshall while 1 am on the
road"
Rickard gulped down his coffee,
boiling. Mrs. Marshall, will you let
me run away early?" Why should he
give any excuse? They knew what he
was running away for!
He made his way to the little white
tent on the far side of the trapezium.
Innes, by the door, was bidding good
by to Sonora Maldonado.
He forgot to greet the Mexican. She
stood waiting; her eyes full of him.
Surely, the kind senior had something
to say to her? He had taken the white
girls hand. He was staring into the
white girls eyes. Something came to
her, a memory like forgotten music.
Silently, she slipped away into the
night.
Rickard would not release Innes'
hand; her eyes could not meet the
look in his.
"Come out and have walk with
me! You were not going to tell me
you were going. You were running
away from me?'
You know that I love you! 1 have
been waiting for this minute, this
woman, all these lonely years."
Her head she kept turned from him.
He could not see the little maternal
smile that ran around the curves OF
her mouth. Those years, filled to the
brim with stern work, had not been
lonely. Lonely moments he had had
that was all.
Nothing for me?" He stopped, and
made her face him, by taking both OF
her hands in his.
She would not look at him yet
would not meet the look which alway:
compelled her wiki, stultified hel
speech. She had something to sa!
, first
h eve don't know each other; that is
:. YOU don't know me!''
'Is that all?'' There was relief il
N his voice. 81 don't know you? Haven
h l seen you day by day? Haven't
|, seen your self-control tried, proved
Il haven't I seen your justice, when yol
could not understand Look at me !!
She shook her head, her eyes on tn
sand at her feet. He could scarce
N ly catch her words They did no
Il know each other. He did not know
her!
N Dear! 1 don't know whether yo1
L love red or blue, that's fact; Ibsel
N or Rostahd; heat or cold. Does tha
matter? l know you!"
\ An upward glance had caught hin
smiling. Her speech was routed. "Pn
\ -the-only girl herer
n do you think that's why 1 Low
NJ your"
N "Ah, but you loved Gerty!' Tha
IL slipped from her. She had not mean
10 say that!
~ Does that hurt?' Abashed by he
own daring, yet she was glad she ha
1t dared. She wanted him to deny i
1T For he would deny it? She wondere
if he were angry, but she could no
d. look at him.
Of The minutes, dragging like weighte
ne hours, told her that he was not goin
n. to answer her. 1t came to her the
III that she would never know whethe
III Gertys story were wholly false, c
IS partly true. She knew, then, that II
wheedling, wife's or sweetheart
:" would tease that story- from him.
n did not belong to him.
ed His silence frightened her into a
re ticulateness. He must not think ths
10 she was foolish! 1t was not that,
b. itself, she meant. The words jOstle
,ir one another in their soft swift rus
at He-he had made mistake once b.
fore. He had liked the sort of Woma