Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-13

"Where Is that?" she asked.
ITO that great fountain in the
park; to see the moonlight shining on
the water. There 1 will tell you why
1 go away. Come, let us go to the
fountain" he concluded rather abrupt
ly.
Half an hour later they crossed the
s~tone-paved square in the midst OF
which a fountain played refreshingly,
sending up into the air tall jets Of
water that fell back with a cool
splash into the great basin and rip
pied away softly to its outer rim.
"Ah, what a relief to escape the
noise of the city streets ]" exclaimed
Eleanor, seating herself on the stone
seat that surrounded the basin. Now
tell me what you are going to do
when you go back to FranceT
81? Oh, my uncle, he offer me a
very fine position in his business In
Paris with re great salery-and l
must not refuse. And so l go for
some years. But I think l cannot live
always, there"
"No?" she questioned. at is your
home. You ought to be contented."
81 love my country" he said, on
more thar l can say. But what
makes home? 1t is those we love-
is it not SOP"
But you have told me of your
mother and sisters, and of the happy
life you led together"
"Ah, yes; and 1 delight to think OF
meeting them again. And snail
make my mother more comfortable
than she has been for many years.
It will be a great joy to me"
81 am sure it WILL" said the girl,
rising and leaning over the basin OF
the fountain, in the waters of which
there was a dim, wavering reflection
OF her face. LIE Visconte rose and
stood beside her.
"What a dreary place this would be
In winter" murmured Eleanor with a
little shudder.
"But it is now summer and you will
not come here in winter"
"No," she replied with a laugh.
I'm not likely to-"
A silence followed, broken present
" by LIE V~isconte, who said In a low
voice:
"Miss Dean, it has been a joy to me
to know you. You have made my life
happier. l wish to tell you this and
to say that 1 shall think of you-ah,
when will you not be in my thoughtsY"
Eleanor was silent.
81 cannot hope that you will very
much miss me when 1 go away. But
T."
"Not miss you'll" she exclaimed
with sudden energy. "You who have
been a friend to me; almost the first
I made in this great, desolate city!
You who have done so much to make
the six months 1 have been here hap
py! Why should I not miss you? 1t
is not fair of you to doubt it." she
concluded, a mist of tears gathering
before her eyes.
She felt his strong fingers close
over her hand as it grasped trem-
blingly the edge of the stone basin.
She did not withdraw it, and he
raised 1t and held 1t against his
breast.
"Will you turn your face to mel"
he pleaded gently, and as she did so
and lifted her eyes, still luminous
with tears to his, he went on softly,
zone dream has been mine since l
first saw you-that you might some
day love me well enough to be my
wife. When I find today that I must
go back to France, I think of all that
has passed between us, and / see not
one leetle sign, that you love me.
Like me. yes-but that is not enough.
So, 1 think If she cares. it is but a
Ieetle and she would not leave her
country for mine. She will forget me,
soon. I will say nothing. But, oh,
dear heart, my love is too strongl 1t
will speak. 1t says that you are my
dearest on earth-that life without
YOU is bitter-bitter. 1t cries out that
we belong to each other. and some
thing most precious that / see in your
dear eyes tells me that you would not
wish me to be forever silent p
The fountain s~plashed and sparkled
in the moonlight-how many times
had it overheard such words before?
and the sound of laughter and
voices in a distant part of the square
rose and fell unsteady.
-
"Well," said Mrs. Franklin at din
ner. ten days later, 81 suppose the
happy couple are far out at sea, by
this time. I can't for my life under
stand his infatuation. She's not even
p~retty-hadn't a cent in the world nor
a relative to leave her anything-just
a poor, ordinary struggling creature"
81 always found Miss Dean a per-
feet lady" interrupted Mrs. Frazer
stoutly. "She worked hard and paid
her board regular. And she's pretty
as a picture. Sarah" to the wait