Show CUPIDS STRATEGY liThe theorv of love in a cottage is somewhat exbanaitd in these later days my dear Helen Still if you BO infinitely prefer the fostering of acme such romantic idea to accepting a man young handsome and with a rent roll of ten thousand a year I only beg you 10 remember when too late to retrieve the irretrievable that you bHve naught to blame but your own wilful obstinacy And Mr Dunham having delivered de-livered heraelf of the above sentence accompanied it by a eng and profound pro-found sigh What impreeeion the profound wisdom of her remarks had made was difficult to gl an since only toe back of he listener very straight and graceful back bi u observed was viaible due was standing by the window looking down into the street below A halt ebrug of the pretty shoulders indicated that shE bad beard at least Mrs Dunham coud not Euppreee her impatience You are incorrigible Helen she continued Do let me know bow you intend to receive Arthur Rugby and why you are so unwilling to accede ac-cede to your uncles wiehei The young girl turned now revealing reveal-ing a lace ol more than usual loveli l net but there W8 a scarlet flush upon her cheek and an ominnu light in her eyes an she at last replied re-plied 11 am not a piece of merchan I dise she said to be bought or sold simply because an old man has taken it into his head that certain family i interests are to De benefited thereby Doubtless this plan is as repulsive to Arthur Rugby as myself He he i not in absolute need of money If he ie i a man he would rather work for a woman whom he loved than to live in ease with one forced upon hir heartForced Forced Helen You use auch strong expressions my dear Remember Re-member that you and your cousin have nut met since you were chldren What is to prevent your falling in love with each utber At least hJ1d look your prettiest tcnight and receive re-ceive him in your own charming way and I will answer for the resulc as far aa he is concerred It is arranged ar-ranged that he is to take you to dinner din-ner nerWith the understanding that it is the first of many dinners where we arc to be thrown upon each others society a sort of experience as to toe mutual entertainment of which each is capable Really aunty I dont think the conditions will be inspiring inspir-ing And with a fascinating little air of disdain the young girl swept from the roomHe shall see that I am not a party ito i-to this conspiracy at any rate she thought to herself as a slight stir in the corridor outside her door a few hours laterbetokened the new arriyai If I fascinate him and she laughed scornfully it will be through no fault of mine Meantime a young and handsome man making his E toilet for dinner allowed his thoughts to be somewhat similarly occupied Twenty thousand a year Uncle Reuben and a wife of your choosing or three thousand acd the charms of a bacnelorhood or at least a free choice Really I believe the latter prospect to be more enticing I hope I the girl does not entertain any foolish fool-ish ideas It would make it embarrassing embar-rassing I neednt have feared he added mentally some sixty minutes after the above soliloquy the formal introduction intro-duction having been gone through with and the third course in order at the dinner table She hasnt an idea upon any subject Beyond a few remarks on the weather and the hope that I will find the shooting good she has not honored me Evidently Evi-dently a school girl unaccustomed to society Oh no Uncle Reuben a pretty face is not all I desire in a wifeNor Nor aa the dinner progressed did he find reason to change his mind Spite of the warning glancen sent by Mrs Dunham across the table to her niece there was no relaxing of the stiff politeness so different from the usual gracious demeanor which made her so general a favorite Thus a week wore away until the last day appointed for Mr Rugbys visit had arrived Quite by accident Helen fancying he bad already started for the daya bhoouug ntered the library to find him seated there engrossed in writing a letter She would have withdrawn but that at the rustling of her dress he raieed his head and instantly sprang to his feet uDo not let me disturb you I beg I came in search of a book How happens it you are not shooting today to-day I was writing to Uncle Reuben he said and then a wave of blood moanted to his face I He remembered that ho had inscribed I in-scribed that the fulfillment of his pet ambition was impossible Helen was not slow to detec his embarrassment em-barrassment and divined its cause For the first time the stiffness which characterized her fled She held out her hand with bewitohincr frankness and a little light laugh Is there any reason we shouldnt be friends Cousin Arthur ehe said because they wished to force us into being lovers against our will None in the world he observed catching her finger in his own strong warm grasp uIt was an absurd ab-surd idea wa3 it not Bat now that we have broken the ice regarding it I we can afford to treat it aa the absurd jke i it in reality is But when you do select the fortunate man cousin minA let me know and I promise to officiate as beat man on the occasion occa-sion I will certainly call upon you if you do not first Bet me the example she replied And snatching her hand from his detaining grasp she ran out of the roomBy Jove I aa a friend shes not to bad It was only the idea of matrimony matri-mony which made her insupportable insupporta-ble thought the young manreturn ing to bin writing Bu somehow the letter to Unole I Reuben dragged the outdoor atmosphere atmos-phere seemed to invite him to its enjoyment en-joyment So thrusting away the unfinished page he sallied forth with a lighter heart than he bad known in many days now that the burden of future possibilities been lifted To morrow he would be amid new scenes but at least he could remember remem-ber Helen not as an awkward debutante de-butante forced upon his liking but a girl frank enough to break down the barriers which hitherto had mde even friendship between them imp > > a Bible To morrow How little one known of the to morrow I Tossing on bis bed in feverish delirious de-lirious pain Arthur Rugby noted not time nor recokened when that morrow mor-row to which he had looked Forward I became today He had been in the midst of the I enjoyment of his days shooting when the barrel of the gun he carried car-ried burst seriously injuring his arm and shoulder i In the dusk of the evening he had been borne back senseless and bleeding bleed-ing to spend long weary days and wearier nights of pain and wakeful res t ml ness How glad Helen was that all possible pos-sible misconstruction of eny act of kindness was done away with They BO fully understood each other now so entirely comprehended the mutual aversion with which they regarded the future folly others had wished them to perpetrate that she might take her place in the sick room without a moments check upon her hearts impulse Therefore it was she who adjusted the light so that it might not be too strong it was her hands which knew best bow to arrange and cool the heated pillows beneath his aching bead it was her voice which whiled away the hours of convalescence reading to him the books he ObOE it was Her step which never jarred as it glided to and fro across his chamber cham-ber it was her coming he grew to i watch for her going he learned to miss until the slow weeks glided by bringing with them returning health and strength which for the first time in his young life had been BO suddenly stricken from him But although now able to leave the house where so long he had been an enforced guest he still lingered A full month had now elapsed since his accident when one evening even-ing sitting in the library bia unfinished unfin-ished letter to Uncle Reuben met hid eye He took it up and read it all Full well he remembered the sentiment senti-ment of almost HVCIHUII whicii IIn a filled his breast us be peruaed IPM lines To what had u giv a p jvo Oday Never btlore had hf Hk u hi rat elf the queeuun It preyed upon him with ovrwnelraing torce Had he been blind that waeu be might have reached out his band for tnia most priceless gift he wilfully thrust it one side How bare how empty how desolate his future life looked I And because But ju there t-here his reverie was cut short The library door opened and the blonde head of his cousin was thrust inquiringly in la aunty in she asked uNo he answered but come m I have something to sbow you and he held up the letter he had pennei I wrote this the day I was hurt Read itll he said Wonderingly she took it from him The room was half in shadow butaa she gleaned its meaning the semidarkness semi-darkness could not quite conceal the pained flush which rose to the lovely face and the hurt amazed look which erow in the dark eyes Her heart gave u throb of pain as through its sufferings ii i realized its own existence but its anguished cry was stifled and only a ecornful anger was in her tone when at last she spokeDid Did you eo entirely fail to comprehend compre-hend me and the nature of the bond between ua that you find it necessary to remind me of it thus she questioned ques-tioned You wrong yourself he said Can yon not understand a mans committing BO great a folly that he feels he must confess it Helen you bold my confession in your hands Oh tell me is there for me no absolution abso-lution Oan you not forgive my blind arrogancemy selfconceited Euicide of my own happiness Helen you took the smart from my wounds as no one else could do Will you not likewise take the smart from my heartthe heart which has learned to know that you are its Eole sovereign sover-eign Darling those weeks of pain and suffering have been tempered with an exquisite happiness They have tauchC me the beauty of true womanhood I cannot hope to gain my pearl of great price by this sudden sud-den wrong bat in time Helen may I not hope to teach you the lesson which came to me untaught unsought un-sought The darkness had fallen now and the lovely color in her face was hidden hid-den even from his hungry gaze bat the letter to Uncle Reuben had fla tered to the ground j p Answer me Helen he aid impatient im-patient iu hB greg longing Will you never love meP Never he whispered Aye forever and hid her burning check upon his heart The next mail took to Uncle Reuben Reu-ben a joint letter and though ho never received the old one I think he nrver regretted it less thotieh chuckling over thp elad news his old eyes read he little knew bow Cupid bbd to report to gunpowder isstead of arrows to cain bin forced entrance into two obstinate hert ° I |