Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-05-24

line of vision.
Santoine rose; he stood an instant
waiting for his daughter. then sud
denly he comprehended that she was
no longer In the room. "Afr. HfIward,
must ask your help" he said, and
he went out with Hlllward guiding
him.
Eaton, turning anxiously on his pill
low and looking about the room. saw
no one but his sister. He had known
when Harriet moved away from be-
side the bed but he had not suspected
that she was leaving the room. Now
suddenly a great fear filled him.
why did Miss Santoine go away?
Why did she go. EdithT' he CUES
toned.
"You mus sleep. Hugh" his sister
answered only.
Harriet, when she slipped out of the
room, had gone downstairs. She could
not have forced herself to leave be-
fore she had heard Hugh's story. and
she could not define even to herself
what the feeling had been that had
made her leave as soon as he had
finished; but she sensed the reason
vaguely. Hugh had told her two days
before, 81 will come back to you as
you have never known me yet'-and
1t had proved true. She had known
him as a man in fear, constrained,
carefully guarding himself against
others and against betrayal by him.
self; a man TO whom all the world
seemed opposed so that her sympa- |
thy-and afterward something more
than her sympathy-had gone III to
him. To that repressed and threat
ened man, she had told all she felt
toward him, revealing her feelings
with a ~frankness that would have
been impossible except that she want
ed him to know that she was ready to
stand against the world with him.
Now the world was no longer
against him; he had friends. a place
In life was ready to receive him he
would be sought after, and his name
would be among those of the people
of his own sort. She had no shame
that she had let him-and others
know all that she felt toward him
she gloried still In 1t; only now-now,
If he wished her, he must make that
plain she cHald not, of herself, return
to him.
So unrest possessed her and the
suspense of something hoped for but
unqualified. She went from room to
room, trying to absorb herself in her
daily duties; but the house-her IA
theirs house-spoke to her now only
of Hugh and she could think of moth
ing but him. Was he awake? Was
he sleeping? Was he thinking of her7
Or, now that the danger was over
through which she had served him,
were his thoughts of someone else?
Her heart halted at each recur
renee of that thought; and again and
again she repeated his words to her
at parting from her the night before.
~ will come back TO you as you haev
never known me YETI 70 her he
would come back, he said to her, not
to anyone else. But his danger was
not over then; in his great extremity
and in his need of her, he might have
felt what he did not feel now. If he
wanted her, why did he not send for
her?
She stood trembling as she saw
Edith Overton in the hall.
Hugh has beer asking for you con.
~tinually, Miss Santolne. If you can
find time, please go in and see him."
Harriet did not know what answer
she made. She went upstairs: she
ran. as soon as she was out of sight
of Hugh's sister; then, at Hugh's door,
she had to halt TO catch her breath
and compose herself before she opened
the door and looked in upon him. He
was alone and seemed asleep; at least
his eyes were closed. Harriet stood
an instant gazing at him.
His face was peaceful now but
worn, and his p~aleness was more EVIL
dent than when he had been talking
to her father. AS she stood watch
ing him, she felt her blood coursins
through her as never before and
warming her face and her fngertips;
and fear-fear of him or of herself,
fear of anything at all in the world
fed from her; and love-love which
she knew that she need no longer try
to deny-possessed her.
@Harrlet 7" She heard her name
from his lips and she saw, as he
opened his eyes and turned to her.
there was no surprise In his look; IL
he had been sleeping, he had been
dreaming she was there; If awake, be
had been thinking of her.
what is 1t, Hugh?" She was be-
side him and he was looking up into
her eyes.
"You meant 1t, then7 All you said
and-and all you did when we-you
and I-were alone against them all
It's so, Harriet You mean IT."
"And you did tool Dear. it vas
only to me thai you could come back
only to mef"
"Only to youl" He closed his eyes
In his e~xultation. "0h. my dear,
never dreamed-Harriet In all the days
and nights I've had to plan and won
der what might be for me IL every