The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-04-06

HzrnstT ma you again. rye
been waiting all this time 10 Ind yout
"a hAard Ward apeak o. slGiss FieEd.s
sof courseI Hut Ii never meant you.
p me. I've been thinking AZ you all
night
aTve been thinking. too" she said.
simply.
IFS after SIX Blondin said with
i glance about. we can't talk here.
Can you get awayf Can w SO some
where?'
Without another word she deserted
her seat, pinned on her hat, and
picked up her gloves.
There's a very quiet back road
straight down 10 Grownlands,s she
said, considering. I'VE might walk"
"AnythingI" be assented, briefly.
Guided by Harriet, who was familiar
with the place, they slipped through
the hallway, and out q side door. They
had no ooner gained silence and soli-
tude than the man began deliberately:
Harriet, I have not thought OF any
thing else since i came upon you yes
tsrday, after all these years. I want
you to tell me that you-you aren't
angry with me. You knew-you knew
how desperately I tried to find you,
Harriet? What a hell I went throughf'
IL she had steeled herself against
the possibility Of his shaking her. she
failed herself now It was with IN
Involuntary and bitter little laugh that
she said:
"You had no monopoly Of that,
Roy"
. "But you ran away from me" he
accused her. "When 7 went to find
you, they told me the Davenports had
moved away. Won't you believe that
/ felt terrible-that I walked the
streets, Harriet, praying-prayingl-
that I might catch a glimpse Of you.
It was the uppermost thought for
years-how many years? Severn"
"More than eight" she corrected,
in a somewhat lifeless voice. 81 was
eighteen. My one thought, my n
hope, when I last saw you, in Linda's
house." she went on, with sudden pas
sion, twas that I would see you
againi But Pm glad to hear you say
this, Roy" she added, In a gentler
tone. "Tm> glad you-felt sorry. Our
going away was a mere chance. Fred
Davenport was offered a position on
a Brooklyn paper, and we all moved
from Watertown to Brooklyn. I was
grateful for it; / only wanted to dis
appear! Linda stood by me, her chill
dren saved my life. I was a nursery
maid for a year or twoI never saw
anybody or went anywhere! I look
back" Harriet said, talking more to
herself than to him, and walking
swiftly along In the golden sunset that
streamed r the old back road,
and I wonder I didn't 90 stark, star
Ing madI"
"Don't think about It," he urged,
with concern. s
mo; I'll not think about 1t. Royal,
don't think that AL my nsslins was ~
myself. I thought Of you, too. I
missed you. Truly, I missed what you
had given my life"
A dark flush came to the mans face,
and when he spoke It was with an
honest shame and gratitude in his
voice that would have surprised the
women who had only known him in
his later years.
"You are generous, Harriet" he
said. "You were always the most
generous girl In the world!"
More stirred than she wished to
show herself, Harriet, walked on, and
there was a silence.
LINDA and Fred made 1t hard for
you?" he asked.
"Oh, no! They were angels. But OF
course in their eyes, and mine, too
/ Was marked"
Silence. Royal Blondin gave her q
glance full Of distress and compunc-
ton. But he did not speak, and 1t
was Harriet who ended the pause.
"WelI, that's what q little girl of
eighteen may do with her life!" she
said. II have been a fool have
made a wreck of mine!"
"You are the most beautiful woman
In the world" Royal Blondin said,
steadily, "you are established here,
they all adore you! Why do You say
that your life is a wreckf"
"a" am the daughter Of Professor
Field" said Harriet, land at twenty
seven I am the paid companion Of
Mrs. Richard Carriers daughter! Oh,
well-I was happy enough to have the
opportunity. What of yourself7 Where
have yod been?" ,. -
But he was not quite ready to drop
the personal note.
Harriet, now that we. have met,
well be friends? My life now is among
these people; you'll not be sorry II We
occasionally meetT'
"In this casual way-no. we can
stand that I" she agreed. The fears
OF the night rose like mist, melted
away. It was bad enough, but II was
not what her Unnamed and fantastic
apprehension had made II. He was
no revengeful villain. after all. He
did not mean to harm her.
tive been everywhere" he said, an
swering her question. T made two
trips to China from San Francisco. /
was interested In Chinese antiques.
Then I went into a Persian rug thing.
Will. : We handled rugs ]
,pov.t an ouor ~. r1rson Aftor tah.%