A Day on Trial (Continued).

Waikato Independent, Volume V, Issue 327, 22 January 1907, Page 6

A Day on Trial (Continued).

reniiii.'t'd him thai he ought to apeak "Iluih," lie said, a little ssuiiy and humbly, "what you have said is true in a w.iy, hut yo<|, do not know all. You have poi a:-ked me to it'll you, hut ! .will tell yiiii what you do not know. 1 was ii.l'utual"d wilh Maude Arc! ihald. i .-poke my love hastily imde: the iiilluence ol' a moment : I regretted it no later than the following day. When ] came to know her' belter, all hough .she is a good woman. I came to know that we were not and could never bo suited to each other. What ought I to have done? Ought I to have gone on pretending, 'trying t 0 make the best ot a mistake and make her life and my life unhappy by entering into a marriage that could never have been anything hut a union of hands ? Ruth, I know what your ideals are. 1 ask you—ought I to have clone that ? If not, ought ] to have told hor all and done as I did. You give me no credit for having suffered remorse for what I did hastily. You think that I am just like many other men—that I have only taken a fancy to you, as I did to her. Ruth, I have known you ever since you were a little girl, and I have loved you more and more as I have come to know what a precious, true woman you are. lint you are. afraid to trust me. Won't you tell "me whether you love me or not ?" She was silent a while. "I think I have answered that question once," she said scarcely audibly. He put out his hand to say goodbye. His voice seemed a little braver since he had told her all. "Ruth, 1 oil! going away tomorrow ; it may be for years. 1 will go away believing you love me even if you will not admit it. I will come back when I feave stayed long enough to prove the constancy of my love and when I come, to know there will await me the sweetest and noblest woman on earth. He bent over that warm little hand that trembled in his, and was gone before she could deny what he had said was true. As the iron-gray whirled him past the gate, he caught a Heeling glimpse of her snow-white form leaning against one of the porch pillars, bathed in moonlight, and he wondered what her thoughts were then.

Silo wa« loaning over the yard gatt the next evening when the iron-gray and his master came down the lawn, us they had so many tvines before. It was nearly dark, but, he knew that white figure well and knew she was laughing and wondering at his quick return. She remained in her position with her hands on top of the gate. He drove up close to the gate, smiled a little awkwardly and waited for her to .speak. "You havn't changed much since, you went away," she said. "I'm very glad to see you again : don't you remember what good friends wo were once ?" He sprang- out. "Ruth." ho saia sternly, "don't jest. I was going away today but the steamer had a break-down and I can't get away now for two days." "What a pity !" she answered pro-voking-ly ; "it must be dreadfullytiresome to have to wait that long." "Well," he retorted grimly, "1 save something by the delay. I got a check tonight from the president of the company to cover 1 all expenses of the trip to my new home." She looked at him shyly, then leaned over the gate and whispered : "Then could you afford to take, some one with you '?" He caught hold of her hands roughly. "Are you teasing me, or trying to drive me mad ? Do you mean what you are saying-'?" She paused -a, moment, with her eyes fixed on the last golden tint of the sunbeams in the West. "0. dear! I don't know, but T suppose 1 had just as well tell you that 1 knew what you said last night was true. Your sister told me all about it longago, but I just wanted to be sure you would not. repent your words in a. day as you did before. Hut 1 think it would be so much nicer to take a drive while we are talking it over than to stand here." The iron-gray did not get impatient that night. He trotted, walked and stopped just as it suited him. But he possesses his full share of horse-sense and keeps what he knows to himself.