The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-10-14
THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE
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., RUBY AYRES - Sjsxaa:.

! "Iou know | am no.-bIt go on,
Peter, want to hear so much more:
how did you--whcn did you .
oh, you know what ! mean"
what are you thinking?" Peter
asked. You don't believe me yet
do u?-you are not quite sure"
He moved closer to her.
"Wha, is it - he asked. passion
ately. "Oh, my dear! What is it"''
Mans lips quivered.
| "lts-it's--only-oh," she said.
with a sudden burst of very real
ANGUISH. "if you haven't loved me
all this time, how can you really
love me now? There will always be
those months and weeks when !
wasn't anything to you-when--
when | didn't count at all"
| 1t seemed a long time before Lys-
ter answered her. He stood there in
the half-light looking past her into
the wood, and there was deep sad
ness in his face.
! Then he said slowly, as if he were
carefully choosing his words:
! IL don't know how to answer that
question, dear. but have always
loved you-I must always have
loved you, Nan, because no other
| woman has ever interested me-
! She did not ruise her eyes; there
! was still something she must say.
| "There is Mrs. Mears ~ she
| said. in whisper.
| There was moment of amazed
| silence; then Peter laughed. He
laughed with such frank surprise
and tender scOrn that tears Of relief
stung Mans eyes.
"iOu're not serious" he said.
"Why ! never gave her a serious
! thought! She was very good to me.
but she always talked about her
| husband. poor chap! If ever wo-
| man loved a man should say that
she loved him.
"Mr. Seton told me" Nan be-
gan hurliedly; but Peter stopped her.
II forbid you to speak that mans
| name. He never spoke the truth in
his life l shall take good care to
let everyone know how he tried to
thrash Claude. and that's not Il
pleasant thing for a man TO have up
against him."
"You forget that father owes him
money. He'll be more bitter than
ever now
"Your father owes him nothing.
Nan. have you forgotten that I'm
not quite pauper!
She raised her startled eyes to his
face.
"You mean that you-you paid
him." she asked in whisper.
81 would do Il great deal more
than that for you" He took her
face in the hollow of his hands.
it up to you-if live to be hun
n 70 alc
She closed her eyes.
IL want to forget them. ! don't
want ever to think of them again"
Already they were slipping into
| the backgrounds; already the dread
full feeling of happiness irrevocably
lost was less acute.
She laid her cheek against Peters
! arm with little sigh.
81 ought to be going" she said.
SLOAN will wGnder where l am.
never told her | was coming out"
you're not going back till you
say that you've forgiven me-tlll
you say that everything is just as it
! was, only bctter-that you love me
quite as well-thut you never cared
a straw for Seton, or John Arnott.~
| His voice grew suddenly grave.
"Nan, supposing you'd married
somebody else, and ! had not found
out till too late that-that you
He put his arms round her with sud-
den fierceness. II think it would
| have killed me-" he said passionate
Nan put her arms round his neck
and laid her cheek to his. Somehow
it seemed quite easy to let him know
| now how much She cared. She mar
| veled that in the old days she had
been so shy and undemOnstrative.
"And darlng--when will you mar
| ry me q Peter asked in whisper.
| She stirred uneasily.
There are the boys; ! can't leave
them.'
II don't ask you to---except for n
! honeymoon; you can't expect me to
! take them all along with US 50 he
| submitted whimsically.
She laughed.
Il don't think ! should mind even
| that--if we were together"
She raised her head suddenly.
| THAT was someone calling--it must
be Joan. Conceive must go
back"
He caught her to him and kissed
her again--a long kiss that swept
away the last doubt and shadow be-
| tween them, then they went back
down the road hand in hand.
| Joan met them at the CATCHER
small face looked pale and startled
in the faint moonlight.
ooh, thank goodness" she said
when she saw Nan. II thought"
Then she recognized Peter, and drew
long sioh of relief.
"And this. suppose" she said,
breathlessly, ''is the end Of the
| story"
Peter Lyster looked at Mana look
that brought lump to Joan's
| throat, and made her long for the
adored Tim more than ever, if such
thing were possible.
"No," he said steadily. ''It's only
the beginning"
THE END