Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-19
CHAPTER XII
A Brutal Donmciation

all the evening.
II thought you told me that YOU
were no longer baby! That you had
grown up
Ny lips quivered, and the tears
rushed to my eyes. II don't know
what you mean" faltered.
DO you want me to tell you?" he
asked hoarsely.
And though he did not really move,
his tall figure seemed all at once to
be very close to me.
Tell me-" I whispered.
He laughed shaky laugh that
sounded the unhappicst thing on earth,
as he said:
'You are pretending to bc-jealous--
of your sister," And he laughed again,
harshly. jealous. BY God. After all
that's happened !"
l laughed wildly. For the moment
l was mad with my own unhappiness.
Jealous Yes, I am jenlous!" said
nassionately. II hate to see you with
hher-you belonged to me at first .
You--you Oh. l don't know
what I am saying" added, with u
heartbroken sob, and for n moment
there was tragic silence. Then Mark
said, in queer. broken voice:
Il cant understand you. Sally.
You're engaged to Champion. and yet
yet you look at me as If
if ="
"As If loved you," broke in, sob
bing. Il do love you. I've never loved
any one lese What does Il
stupid engagement matter? I'd rather
marry you without a shilling to your
name than-than anything else. ."
My pride was down. had forgotten
that it was he who had sent me away.
l only knew that he was the man for
me, and that without him l could not
bear my life. And I waited for what
seemed an eternity of silence. broken
only by his hard breathing. Then he
gave littlo inarticulate sound and
moved toward me.
'Sally 80
1t was his voice that spoke my name.
but il was another voice that caught 1t
up from the curtained door of the
greenhouse-caught it up on note Of
unbcarablc pain and disbelief-and
swinging round with stified cry
saw Lionel Champion standing there.
For n moment nobody spoke, then
his face was white, but he spoke COM
posedly.
This is my dance, think"
He absolutely ignored Mark.
/ drew back putting my hands behinG
mo I can't dance with you
again." said breathlcssly.
My heart was beating like q wild
thing. hated him for having come
at that moment; wanted to be with
Mark, to hear him say that he love
me. and to forget the misery Of the
past weeks.
Lionel drew himself up. He looked
at Mark for the first time, and then
back again at me.
This is not the time or the place
for a scene" he said. and I knew thar
1t was hard work for him to speak 50
quietly. You nre engaged to Inc for
this dance. Sally, ond II there is any
thing you-or this gentleman here
wish to say to me it can be said af-
tcrward, at a more suitable time"
looked at Mark. but he stood un-
movable and broke out painfully:
"It must be said now-at this mo-
ment, Lionel. /" / stopped. anA
looked at Mark with agonized eyes.
Would he never speak?
There was a tragic silence; then
Lionel said:
"Sally, I beg of you, for your own
sake, come with me now. This man can
never be anything to you. IL you knew
as much as do about him you would
not be here at this moment, humiliat-
ing yourself. I beg Of you 6"
I ran past him and clasped my hands
round Marks arm.
"Why don't you say something
why don't you say something" | asked
him, sobbing. You hear what he says,
and you know that If you want me /
will marry you rather than any other
man in the world. ="
sally, for Gods sake--' Lionel
broke in.
! turned and faced him.
"It's true" I said pRSsiOnatcly. 81
love him, and I've always loved him
Mark-oh, Mark -
We disengaged my hands from his
arm very gently, but he kept them both
in his AZ he spoke.
II think It Is for Miss Slater to
choose" hc said "Anl, as she has
done me the honor to choose me-
Lionel gave nm enrngcd cry.
1.-THE honor to choose you. you black
guard !" he shouted. II don't know how
you've got the Internal ilnpudence to
stand there after what happened
month ago down in Devonshire."
He was purple with rage, and he
could hardly articulate az he turned
unce more to me.
"You never krew why he gave you
Nd" he stammered. "You never knew,
but you shall know now He gave you
up because your family offered to buy
him of, that's why They knew he
was no suitable husband for you. aud
ns they offered to buy him off he let you
think that he did not care for you
ionul savage voice tore my heart like
some sharp tongued instrument, md !
gnve a .tcbbing cry of disbelief.
II don't believe you--l don't believe
lcu!"
"It's the truth !" he reiterated fir.
iously. "It's the truth ! AS k him II
he didn't agree to let YOU so In return
for enough money with which to pay
the mortgage of his farm Ask him.
II you won't take my word Look at
him, and see which Of us Is speaking
the truth,
l raisel my eyes to Mark. Two dull
patches Of crimson stood out In his
palor. and lts eyes were like steel.
Mark, is 1t the TRUTH l could
hardly spsak, and l should have fallen
but for his hands. to which l clung.
"Tcll me-if you've any pity at all
is it ths TRUTH"
"Yes." He Hung the word at me.
"Yes, It's the trrth--if that's all you
care for! / did agree IN let you go
as he says-,'for money.Tt
CONTINUED To Ne "