WHEN SHE CHANGED HER MIND

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1651, 21 October 1903, Page 10

WHEN SHE CHANGED HER MIND

(By Lloyd Wells.)

The strains of a dreamy waltz wer© filling the big ballroom when Guy Maxwell camo to claim his partner. It was the beginning of the winter season in. Southern Oa.litornio, and the Hotel del Cornado was filled to overflowing with guests escaping from the cold eastern winter. The dance was merely the ordinary Saturday overling one, but the floral decorations had the appearance of some largo function. Neither Maxwell nor bis partner spoke, and before the music ceased playing he stopped rather abruptly and saying: “Shall wo go outside?” led her through the door 021 to the glass verandah which runs tiio whole length of the hotel on the side fronting the sea. A sudden shudder on her part broke the spell that held them, and she turned strangely toward him. “it is strange that wo should meet like this,” ho said, striving to keep the passionate longing out of his voice, “When we last danood together—do you remember?” “X remember everything,” -she answered, softly. “It is two years ago now, isn’t it?” “Two years ago,” ho repeated, “and to mo it seems a lifetime.” Delaunay shivered a little and her figure | lost some of its haughty alertness. “I—l hoped you had forgotten,” she said, tremulously. Ho laughed bitterly. “I heard you had left New York, but no one seemed to know where you had gone.” “Yes I left Now York, gave up my profession and oame here, as far away as I could get, my one desire being to escape from anything and everything that reminded mo of you.” “You live hero, then?” “Near here, in the mountains. I have a ranch.” “You are happy now; you have forgotten ?” sho almost whispered. “I thought so until to-night. But when I saw you I knew that was hopeless; that all tho flight, the striving to keep back the jjiehrsries and put you out of my life were in vain. You are and always will .bo the on© woman in the world for me.” “Don’t you think,” she said, a new tome in her voice and speaking very slowly and softly, “'that.—if you had waited a little —had not been in such a hurry to get away—it might have been better? Women do not always know their own minds, you know.” Her voice was so low that he had to bend down to hear, and then he saw her face and a now light flashed into his own. He put his hands on her shoulders and, turning her around, forced her to meet his eyes. “Do you mean it, Sybsj ? Oh, my darling, don’t mislead me again; don’t say it out of pity, or— *—” For answer she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. Still he held her away from him and continued in the same eager, passionate voice. “You know what you are doing—you will come to mo, live as a ranchers wife in the mountains, give up society and your work that was so much to you ?” “For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until SIIO got no further, for his arms were around her and her face was hidden on nis shoulder. The hand still played and the dancers whirled as they had done half an hour ago. Miss Delaunay’s discarded partners searched anxiously for her, and finally and very wisely gave up the search and consoled themselves with less evasive attractions; the moon shone brightly as ever and the waves rolled up and broke with their steady, monotonous sound, but for two people standing at the window the world had changed*