Evening star., 1925-11-15

next one. And now I've seen YOU
and-and now I-I-I-am-''
He looked up and for just flash
she saw him as he was. She saw the
passionate, weak mouth. the line of
cheek and jaw too near beauty for a
man. Then the revelation was with
drawn and its memory effaced He
touched her clasped hands on the desk.
Anna" he said. marry me. Marry
me and hold me with those strong,
wonderful hands. Make me so straight.
A woman with hands like yours has
a thousand strengths to hold and
guide a man. Use those strengths
for me. Marry me"
Trembling. she got up and went to
the little mirror in the cloakroom.
Warmth lay over every feature of the
face reflected there. 1t was as though
a lamp. once dark and forbiddng had
been lighted and rendered lovely. A
thousand strengths-he said a woma n
like her had thousa nd strengths
But had she? And II she had, would
she know how to use them? The bar
rem years behind her, the grim and
lonely and unlovely years. rose like
ghosts gibbering disaster.
NT CAN'T" she said when she came
back to him. II can't-until I'm
sure"
But, Anna" he pleaded, Its the
only way you'll ever be sure. A mo-
ment ago / said should have married
a virago. l meant it. l mean it now
It's because l see strength and
straight thinking in you, and even a
latent shrewishness, that I'm begging
YOU to marry me.
II can't she repeated. II couldn't
tal- l.,,N ,,i,- n
gracefully. I'd he afraid of myself
of what I would do
He went to a window and stood look
ing out for moment. When he came
back his manner had changed. Il
think I'll leave Nome he said. Il
think III go on TO the new strike al
Copper Entrance up near the Cana
dian border"
Jealously Of the distance to Copper
Entrance suddenly assailed her with
bitterness. Why" she asked, sharply
: He studied her face for a moment
MY dear girl" he said, for the same
Dawson, and later to Nome. Gold
Having spe--t my patEi
Nome is still a safe investment
The wildcat days are over here. Re
liable people hold all the property"
They certainly do. All of 1t.
conditions were the same when l
came 10 years ago. But l found op-
portunities- to buy in, and now / have
money enough to keep me for the rest
of my life. This Fall another teacher
Is coming to take my place, and then
/ am going-'' She hesitated with
the familiar catalogue-Rome, Athens,
Paris, pension some place, on her
lips. And in the repetition of four
words she reconstructed her future.
and then l am going to use my
influence to make Nome more profit
able for you than Copper Entrance
could ever have been"
Anna" he said, you are making
a mistake. If you'd marry me, it
would be different. II should be
afraid of your rolling. pin" He
laughed a short, nervous. tormented
laugh, and once more the look of
trouble and appeal shot from his eyes
to hers. You could use the thousan
strengths you have to hold me and
keep me straight until I learned to
go right of my own accord A woman
like you won't use those strengths un-
less she's married to a man. Another
kind of woman might-but you-you
never would. However, If you want
me-if YOU want me here
He stopped to kiss her hands, and
it upon his head. Once she had read
of mother who after long years
knew the child she had lost. 1t must
have been by some such aching of
the heart, by some such searching,
enveloping pain and joy.
n MA did not recognize selfishness
in Wandell's demands upon her
To her his selfishness was not selfish.
rightful claim of child upon it's
mother. The only reason for her re-
fusal was that the ghosts of unloved
and unlovely years stood behind her.
croaking that the demand would not
last, could not last, and that the claim
would be withdrawn. Standing at her
mirror and seeing the bloom of beauty
which love had grated upon the
austere stem of her slenderness and
health and regularity of feature, gave
her only hope and not assurance
Caution and preservation were
lifelong habits. She had to know the
perma nence of the gift which had
brought her love before she accepted
the love irrevocably.
Wandell spent the long, light eve
nings of the summer in her cabin on
the beach, appropriating her time.
her wing back chair and her attention
with equal complacency. He made
boxes to set on her window lodges and
planted lettuce in them-and came and
ate the salad they produced. He took
charge of her appearance, and dictated
her clothes. Rumma ging through the