The Crux

your eyes w

world vani

your eyes a

the sun

ward him change with his changed circumstances-she had been so much with him, had been so k

ed her long auto rides or other expensive entertainment. She saw men on the piazza stop talking as he came by, and s

said to this ever-willing confidant,

ot on, to lean over from behind, arms on the back; to tip up in front of him as if he needed a barricade; and when he was persuaded to sit in one, it

re old friends-do tell me; if it is anything w

lace than his heart. I wouldn't betray a friend's confidence for any money, Ma'

rry! But surely with a man of his abiliti

to a confidential rumble. "Andy had a bang-up mine, galena ore-not gold, you understand, but often pays better. And he kept on putting the money it made back into it to make

estern men are so wonderful

may, Ma'am. Not that he found

nother, there are

But Andy's got no more money to buy any mines. What he had before he inherited. No, Ma

n their parlor, could not help hearing. Miss Elder gave a little gasp a

eman?" she questioned abru

tic anxiety, as to what was making Andrew H. Dykeman so down in the mouth. Yes'm-he's lost every cent he had in the world, or is likely to have. Of course, among friends, he'll get a job fast enough, bookkeepi

turned her look with unflinching seriousness. "Have a chair, Ma'am,

dy. "It seems to me a little-

to find Miss Orella fur

! Just because a man's lost his money? T

think of his having to be provided for by his friends-and having to

r. Dykeman made no complaint, uttered no protest, gave no confidences; but it soon appeared t

d in far finer raiment than he had hitherto affected; developed a pronounced

know anything definite, but all were certai

d entertainments. He produced two imposing presents for Susie; o

st; "but I understand it's the thing. In fact I'm sure of it-f

. Saunders-"one of these Farewell to Egypt affairs," he said. "Not

ink the girl looked worn and ill? Wouldn't it be

re somewhat in his way. How many books did she think a man ought really to own-to spend his declining ye

a ticklish job. Lo! these many years I've been perfectly contented to live wherever I was at; and now that I'm considering a real Home-

ticeable suddenness, but in soft graduations, steady and continuous. The one wore his new glories with an air of

uccess, she spoke bravely of the beauty of limited means; and when it was time to present her weekly bills to the boarders, she left none in Mr. Dykeman's room. This he took for an

t her in spite of her urging him to be seated, observing the warm color in her face, the graceful lines of her figure, the gen

and dropped them, flushing.

couldn't conven

rrassed. And I want you to feel sure, Mr. Dykeman, that to your real friends it makes no difference in the least. And if

t eyes wet with shining tears that did not fal

at I've lost all m

dded s

-shall have to do clerk's work at

she

and forth in the quiet pa

u marry a man not young, not clever, not rich, but who loved you dearly

with a long sigh of utter satisfaction.

ll keep us both. If you'd rather have a little one-I can live so happily-on so little! And there is my own little home

've made here for all of us was enough to make any man love you. But I thought awhile

tiously Miss

surprised when Miss Elder's was announced. Some there were who protested that they had seen it

e foolishness to Mr. Dykeman, in marrying an old maid. Others again darkly hinted that he knew which side his bread was b

nd, which finds not even a Minotaur-had thus triumphantly escaped from their ranks and achieved a husband; this was flatly heretical. T

face, and the decorous bliss of Miss Elder's

ouble wedding; without success. "One was enoug

lone in a strange new horrible world, was still glaring across her consciousness, the end of one life, the bar to any other. Its small events were as clear to her as those

on. The boy she had known so long, the man she was beginning to know, had changed to an unbelievable horror;

him again. She thought of the man's resource of running away-if

ere not in Bainville, surely. Then the sickening thought crept in that perhaps they were-only they did not know it. Besides, she had no mo

come a horror and marriage impossible. She pushed the id

scribed evil which was in the world, and which must be avoided. She had kno

astray," as being "fast," even perhaps "wicked." Wickedness could be forgiven; and she had fo

family entirely that evening, avoided Susie, went to her grandmot

said Mrs. Pettigrew affectionately. "B

, only patted her softly from time to time, and said, "There! There!" in a pleasantly soothing mann

intimately; and the wise old head straighte

Pettigrew. "They are so used to all kinds of ghastly things they forg

dma. She did it beautifully. And it hurt her

It was an awful blow-and she took it hard. It has made her bitter, I thi

d as she said? Seventy-five per cen

ess. Our girls are mostly clean,

e a man again!" said the

ace yourself and look it fair in the face! The world's no wor

it's like uncovering a cha

peakable Villains. They are just ignorant boys-and nobody ever tells 'em the truth. Nobody used to know it, for that matter. All this about g

ince Morrow in New York, with that society of his-(I can never remember the name-makes me think of tooth brushes

id, "but I couldn't b

e them. Proper!-Why my dear child, the young girls are precisely the ones to know! it's no use to tell a woman who has buried all her chil

have passed laws requiring a medical certificate-a clean bill of health-to go with a license to marry. You can see that's reasonable! A man has to be examined to enter the army or navy, ev

's so awful-abo

Europe-not yet-in this line. Then just think of this, child. We have lived, and done splendid things all these years, even with this load of disease on us. Think what we can do when we're rid of it! And that's in

Gran

y dear. By not

a lastin

le soft whistling sound through her parted l

nd, though not an easy one, by any mea

th it. He did not even say, "When will you marry me?" to which she could answer "Never!" He merely took it for granted

d, by turning from him with a shiver when he met her on t

opped

matter, Vivia

nothing further, b

e been-different-for several days. H

exactly to the point; and so exq

to let anything stand bet

n the upper hall-come a

indow seat, and he turned his handsome face toward her, with that newer,

is wrong betwee

tell you the worst, Morto

he lips, but ask

have-Oh, I ca

e a man of me. I love you with my whole heart

d her with what he had not; with the unspeakable fate to which he would ha

of the state of y

ashment, but he did nothing of the kind. What he did do astonis

ving me away?" he demanded. "Be

t by the faintest hint, ever.

od-

leave him, s

lize that she was goi

fit to touch your little slippers! And I wasn't going to ask you to marry me till I felt sure this was all done

t," sh

ope of a life. Things he had never thought about before had now grown dear to him

you!" he sai

re with a white set face and her

e burst out again. "I believe it's th

not a question of who told me. The important t

s. They do, really. It's not so awful as you seem to think. It's very common. And I'm nearly well. I

er heart smote her; but there was someth

ry," she said dully. "Bu

rse than other men. It seems so terrible to you just because you're so pur

ook he

uelly-for that? I can't live

," she said gently. "Nor myself. It is not the

ever found in her before. He looked at her with despairing eyes. Her white gra

'll be straight all the rest of my life-I mean it. I'll be true to

of years old, and as

the first of it!... Oh, Morton! It isn't right to let us grow up without knowing! You never wou

on she found that her grief ran back into the far-off years of childhood. But she had made up her mind with a finality only the more a

ied with a bitter derisive little laugh. He did not rise to her appeal to "help the others." So far in life the happiness

ward so earnestly had been suddenly withdrawn from him; his good

at are over and done with-that he's sorry for and ashamed of-do you know what you

n! I love you! I can't live without you! I can't be g

future, to forgive the past, to come to those outstretched arms an

lear low accusing voice-"Will you t

Morton. I am sorry-you will not believe h

ed to darken visibly as she watched. An expression o

feeling fell from him; and even as she pitied him she thought with

I wish you could have made up your mind so

out her ha

y! I am-fond of you-I always was.-Won't you let

Miss Lane," he said. "We distinctly cannot. Th

ead in silence,