Arizona state miner., 1926-06-26
CHAPTER XIV-Continued
Is


her voice was so low 1 could scarcely
hear it as she said:
II told you once that should you
feel the same as you did that time on
the river-that second time on the
second river-there could be no
harm All. 1 put shame on myself to
speak more"
"And I repeat I am a very foolish
man and must have love where love-"
I stammered
"Such hard mani" she sighed, with
a quick uplift of her eyes; and could
swear she was laughing at me.
"You broght me here to have me
propose marriage to your" I bluntly
demanded.
at is shameful to make me say
that But it is true" she mumbled
Even then 1 feared she was sacri-
ficing herself to me because of some
absurd sense of gratitude.
"But your pride"
Enough Of that word!" she flercely
cried, clutching both my hands and
turning eyes filled with tears for my
inspection. Then humbly:
'Does monsieur find pride in me
now? Or does he find a poor, home
less, homesick girl with no friends
no peOple?"
My arms would have closed about
her slim form had she not had sec
ond thought. Withdrawing from me
and holding her head high and
naughty she accused me:
you dared to think wrong Of me
on that island off Biloxi! You dared
to think weakness of me because
came on that terrible ship! Not n
word, monsieur! / will listen to no
defense !"
AS poor Joe Labrador would have
said, "Ah, that Mademoiselle Dahls-
gaarde!" In her moods she was as
irresponsible as a butterfly, and as
irresistible as sunbeam. l lied
bravely and sternly, and severely
lectured her for presuming to read
my thoughts and then to convict me
on whatever conclusions she might
happen to form. The rigidity of her
pose gradually relaxed while I talked.
BY the time / had finished q discourse
on the evilness of pride" she was
quite limp. And when for the third
did not refuse.
Our wedding was two weeks old and
I was still as ardent a believer in
fairytales as any Frenchman. Then
my host demanded my attention, and
informed me that the man who was so
insistent on seeing Mrs. Brampton was
again calling.
Il believe the fellow must be crazy,
William, but it's for you to dispose
Of him. He bothered her some be-
fore you came"
l vowed l would scalp him, and
directed the butler to bring him into
the rose garden back of the house. He
came, and behold he was the man who
had yelled to me as I furiously gal
loped up the plantation road in search
of wife. What was more astonish-
ing he was Jules Mattor, my boatman
when 1 escaped from Pascagoula bay
sternly inquired his business with
Mrs. Brampton, and with much
squirming and twisting, he told me
how he had brought her message
from Biloxi, it being written by no
one less than his excellency, Sieur
de Bienville
".And, monsieur, 1 have waited six
weeks, and she will give me no an
swer to carry back. If | go without
an answer his excellency will believe
| did not do his business, and he will
use a hard hand. Madem0iselle would
not give me an answer Cannot mon
sieur, who is SO big and strong, in
duce madame to write just a word ?'
/ sent boy to fetch Mrs. Bramp-
ton. AS she entered the garden and
beheld MattOr sne smiled slightly, but
there was nothing but happiness in
her face
Madame this man, Jules Mattor.
says he brought you a message from
Sieur de Bienville and fears he will
be punished if he returns without an
answer.
"So?" she softly answered. "Then
he should have an answer. And has
monsieur, my husband, been told what
the message Icontained?'
Il doubt if the messenger knows /
certainly have not asked him"
turned aside and became inter
ested in a rosebush. With a swish of
skirts she was at my side and ex
planning:
"They found out directly after 7
sailed. Word came by the very boat
which followed the Marie, the very
boat Bienville went out to the island
to meet that night you escaped from
Biloxi Think of it! That very night
Bienyille had his orders from nv
uncle, the marquis, and if YOU mad
been day late they would have
bundled me back to France and you
would have no little wife to make
you happy this day."