The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-05-25

she gloried still in it; only now-now,
II he wished her, he must make that
plain; she could 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 her?
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.
II will come back to you as you haev
never known me YETI: To 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 been asking for you con-
tinually, Miss Santoine. 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
dent than when he had been talking
to her father. AS she stood watch.
| ing him. she felt her blood coursing
through her as never before and
warming her face and her fingertips !;
and fear-fear of him or of herself,
1
! fled from her; and love-love which
she knew that she need no longer try
| to deny-possessed her.
| Harriet" 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; if
he had been sleeping, he had been
dreaming she was there; if awake, he
had been thinking of her.
"What is it, Hugh?" She was be-
i side him and he was looking up into
her eyes.
"You meant it, then? 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 too! Dear, it was
only to me that you could come back
only to me?"
| "Only to you'll" He closed his eyes
| In his exultation "Oh, my dear, l
] never dreamed-Harriet in all the days
and nights I've had to plan and won
| der what might be for me If every
thing could come all right, I've never
/ dreamed l could win reward like
! this
"Like this?"
He opened his eyes again and drew
! her down toward him. Like your
She bent until her cheek touched
| his and his arms were about her. He
felt her tears upon his face. ''Noto
thata; not that-you mustn't cry,
DEAR" he begged. "Oh, Harriet.
aren't you happy now?'
That's why. Happy! didn't
know before there could be anything
like this"
"Nor t.. No, it's al right
Harriet; everything is all right now?'
"AIl right? Oh, it's all right now,
if / can make it so for you," she
answered.
ITgE end
Freaks of Nature.