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Show lie sanK on nis Knees at ner sitfe.. a. .,. "Ethel, sweetheart, can you forgive aac?' lie groaned, and with the words the flood gates were swept away, and 'he sobbed aloud: "Ethel,, it was almost death it would have been murder, and I your murderer!" "Tom, Tom," she whispered, weakly, "do not frighten me so. I am not dead; I will soon be well now," ; "Forgive me, Ethel; say you forgive mel" She stroked gently the brown head buried in the pillows. "Yes, Tom, I forgive you." And then he raised his haggard face at last, atad a great pity swept over her tender heart; Both hands were outstretched out-stretched to him now, and as he took her reverently in his arms, she murmured, so faintly that he could barely hear it, "And I love you, dear, dear Tom!" George Wilson Prescott in Time6-Deraocrat. you. you must rail over tne ran raw-the raw-the water" "Tom!" she gasped,' staring at hiw with wide eyes. Yes wait. Yoil must fall into the water, you see, and then I will jump over and save your life. It will be easy. As soou as you fall I will be overboard too. Do not be afraid to trust yourself to me; there is really not much danger, because I cau swim as well as I can walk. It is the only way, dear", believe me. Yoa are not afraid?" . She considered a little. "I see, Tom; you think mamma will be so glad to have me brought back to life that she will will let us have our way." "Yes, that is just it," ho agreed. "But, oh! is there not some other way? This is reckless, it is" "Well, Ethel," he said, "I can see no other way. I shall be sure to save you, and then then, little girl, you are mine for always." "But, Tom," she urged, "suppose mamma will not yield even then?" "She will, though," he asserted confidently. confi-dently. Something of his own daring spirit infected in-fected her. The spiceof danger, her full confidence in his ability, their long love, otherwise hopeless Bhe made no further objection, but entered heart and soul into the wild scheme. "How am I to know when to fall?" "You must find your opportunity. Etnei leaned against tne railing ana watched the ripples gliding by. Very lovely she was looking, in the soft creamy folds of her yachting costume, with the bars of gold across it,' and the white wings in the little sailor hat. Lord Fenyll at her side gazed at her in approval, and considered her an awfully jolly little girl, lie had mot her that day for tho first time, and had immediately surrendered. surren-dered. All the morning he had monopolized monop-olized her, and Mrs. Van Zandt, at a distance, dis-tance, was watching the performance with great satisfaction. Already, in her mind's eye, she saw herself installed as mother-in-law in Lord Fenyll's magnificent country house; she saw herself seated in his beautiful carriage, smiling and bowing to congratulating congrat-ulating friends; Bhe beheld in fancy his famous town house filled with her guests; she saw and the rose colored vision floated quite plainly before her eyes, blotting out the sea and the sky, the ship and the scones on deck. Mrs. Van Zandt had dozed off very comfortably. It is possible that her slumbers would not have been so peaceful had she beheld the next act of the drama. My lord, in his eagerness to fetch Miss Van Zandt a cup of chocolate, as he returned neglected neglect-ed his usual caution in holding on, so that the unlucky man, ere he reached her, has succeeded in distributing the entire en-tire contents of the cup over his jaunty yachting suit. The deck was crowded, and even politeness could not restrain an audible smile. His retreat was as precipitate pre-cipitate as his entrance. Here was Tom's chance. He had been fortune as soon as she reached tne age of 22. Mrs. Van Zandt was fully alive to the importance of her daughter's prospects, pros-pects, but the thought of money never troubled either Tom or Ethel. As they both grew older, however, and Ethel was almost 18, the unpleasant fact became evident to Tom that Mrs. Van Zandt disliked him. He had not noticed it as a child perhaps the dislike was passive then perhaps not there at all; but it certainly seemed to be there now. Her bow was frigid, her manner icy; the dear little drawing room had lost its coziness for him. And now, unknown to Tom, the worst had happened. Mr3. Van Zandt had forbidden for-bidden Ethel to have anything further to do with him, and Ethel had heard the edict in silence. Accustomed to obey, her silence was taken for assent; and Mrs. Van Zandt congratulated herself on the management with which she had settled this little affair. Unpleasant it was to her, as trouble of any kind always was, but she considered it a duty to herself that her daughter sliould make a brilliant match. As for the unimportant matter of her daughter's sentiments in tho case, it troubled her not a bit; and as for Tom Kendall I "Pooh! all childish nonsense" and up went the aristocratio nose. The very ribbons iu her stylish breakfast cap bristled with dignity. And Poor Tom! He could not understand, under-stand, at first, why all his invitations were refused by Ethel, why she was no longer "at home" to him; no more delightful de-lightful little strolls; no more rides. What was tho matter? There was only one solution of the mystery, and that was one which he did not like to discuss even with himself. One moonlit evening Ethel had gone down to the garden, and there, leaning on the little wall, was Tom. She started back, but he called her so imploringly that she half hesitated and then was lost, for in another moment she too was leaning lean-ing on the garden fence. "Oh, Tom, Tom," she whispered, "I must go back I must." "New, see here, Ethel," he said, half in command, half entreaty, "what is the matter with you, anyhow? Lately you refuse to see me; you run away if I come iu sight, and nowyou are unwilling even to speak to me. No, I shall sat let you go till you tell me. Out with it!" Aud as the dismal story was told Tom gnawed the ends of his mustache diligently, dili-gently, and then the wretch laughed actually laughed. She looked at him in was confusion ana nasCS. ' , Tom saw nothing of this. He was in the water before tho echo of her voice had died away on the startled air. With firm, rapid strokes he beat the waves, and his eyes were alert to catch the first glimpse. Tho sun glared into his face, but he did not find her. His heart failed him. God! he could not see her! Why did she not rise? "Ethel!" he cried aloud in a frenzy. But what was that white speck yonder? Could he reach it? A moment more, only a momeLt more, with ebbing power, as the white face came to the surface, he threw one arm around the body. His strength all but exhausted, ho was taken with his lifeless charge into the boat lowered to meet him. The glad news was shouted to the waiting yacht, and willing help waa ready to greet the rescued and rescuer. The little figure in its clinging white seemed devoid of life. The soft baby curls around her forehead clustered darkr ly golden; the large drops of water slipped slip-ped off one by one, till there were little pools ou the floor. Pale and pure and still as death itself she was ah! pitifully piti-fully still. The rod, laughing lips were pallid now; the soft white hands limp and inert. "My girl, my little girl!" moaned and sobbed Mrs. Van Zandt, and while they talked in undertones, and while tears fell, they took her below, and toiled for hours to summon back the wavering spirit Tom unhappy Tom was the hero of the hour. But he could not be quiet; he could not wait in patience. Great waves of remorse filled his breast.till the drops stood out upon his forehead and his lips whitened. whiten-ed. The dull boom of the sea seemed to roar in his ears; he felt that lifeless body still lying passive in his arms. Never again to see her smile, never again to hear her voice, with its gentle, tender accent; never ah, no! It could not be too late-she late-she must not die! Up and down, outside the door, he paced, listening to each sound, wrestling with his misery, praying pray-ing to God as he had never prayed before. be-fore. To the excited groups, gathered here and there, he paid no attention at all, nor, indeed, did he even see them. Blind to their curiosity, deaf to their whispered words of wondering sympathy, heedless to remonstrance, alone with himself, him-self, he suffered on his mental rack. Minutes Min-utes passed like hours. There was a little lit-tle hope, a bare chance of life for her; but still it was hope. The glad news spread, but the suspense to Tom became still more torturing. Scream as you fall, and then away I will go. I shall be very near you all the remainder re-mainder of tho day; but do not notice me at all. You will be very careful, so that no one may see that the fall was premeditated. premedi-tated. And there goes the first bell! Eun, Ethel! No one must know we have been talking. And, Ethel, do riot let that Lord" but she was gone. - Slowly passed the day. Luncheon was over two hours ago and the afternoon was slipping on. In the saloon the tinkle tin-kle of a guitar mingled with the sound of merriment and singing; only a scattered scat-tered few were left on dpek. Watching the waters were Ethel and the inevitable Lord Fenyll with his inevitable eyeglass. She could not get rid of him; the miser able young man was too infatuated to perceive her abstraction. Little by little she drew near to a part of the boat where she thought she might make the dreaded plunge most easily. Tom, in the shadow of a sail, appeared to be absorbed in a novel. No one, not even himself, knew that the book was upside down. Ethel stole a glance at him. Will he be in time? she wondered hovering iu the distance hko a mru oi prey, and now he swooped down on Ethel with alacrity. His face was wreathed in smiles as he half coaxed, half compelled her to follow him to a corner, where for the present they could bo comparatively alone. "But, Tom," she pleaded, "mamma-she "mamma-she is watching me. I can't stay here." "Just wait a minute," ho began, imperatively. im-peratively. "I have been trying to speak to you all day, and that glass eyed little cad would not give any one else achance. You must listen to me for a moment. I have an idea, a thought. I have e vol wd a plan which is really a stroke of genius." And then, abruptly: "Ethel, is your mother fond of you?" "Why, yes, of course" in surprise. "But I mean very fond. What would she do if she were to lose you if you were drowned, for instance?" Sho looked at him askance. "Tom." she said suddenly, "you look .A REPENTED HEROISM. L It was not poor Ethol's fault in the least. She could not prevent Tom Kendall Ken-dall loving her any more than she could help being the dimpled, merry little body that she was. Tom could not have told you when he began to care for her, because be-cause as far back as be could remember Ethel had been the prettiest girl in the world to him. When she was only a very little girl, whose lontt yellow curls fell down to her waist, it was her school books that Tom carried; it was to her that he brought his offerings of apples and sticky taffy; to her that he sent all his valentines valentines with impossible impossi-ble cupids shooting arrows through magenta ma-genta colored hearts but Ethel thought I they were perfect, and side by side the ' two would spell out the stupid little verses. 1 Only a low garden wall separated the i two houses, and it was quite natural that Tom should come over it every day. It was a little shorter way than around through the gate, he would say, and Ethel gazed admiringly at him as he cleared the wall at a bound. It was lonesome lone-some at home for him with only the old housekeeper and his father, and they did not take the lively interest which Ethel did in kites and doad insects. Tom's mother had died in giving birth to him, bo he load never known the tender words and loving touches for which in his childish child-ish way he had unconsciously hungered. His father, a somber, studious man, lost all his interest in the world in losing the one woman who understood him and brightened bis home like a sunbeam. Though he was very fond of Toiu'and kind to him, in his own quiet way, yet the child stood a little in awe of him, and gave his father none of the childish confidences or merry chatter which might have roused the siliiiit man. They were not rich, but Mr. Kendall had a small income from certain properties proper-ties be owned, and on that they lived; the father among his books and studies and the son growing up as children will. It is a way they have. , Ethel's mother was a tjidow and wealthy. Besides being the only daughter, daugh-ter, Ethel was an heiress in her own ' lieht, and would be mistress of a laree surprise. "Do not be angry, Ethel," he said. "Of course, it is rather serious; but do you think it will stop my loving you? Why, Ethel, dear, nothing on earth can do that. I wish, though, I had known this sooner, although 1 bar suspected aa much from the Hrst. I shall set my wits to work at once, and we'll see, Ethel we'll see! So don't cry. Certainly you must obey your mother as well as you can; but I have not made any promise to her, nor do I intend to give you up. We'll see!" And a little later, as Ethel went softly up stairs, she thought to herself bow wise and brave he was. II. The day was glorious; the salt breath of the sea rwept over the yacht; the gulls dipped and rose; the little craft danced along yes, it was a glorious day. The gay party ou deck were enjoying it to the utmost, and the laughter and chat mingled with the plash of the white canned waves. e.. Suddenly the door opened again, and Mrs. Van Zandt came out. He dropped into a chair and hid his I head in his hands. He heard her coming com-ing directly toward him; to tell him to tell hira what? And then Mrs. Van Zandt's arms were around his neck, she was calling him her dear boy, her hero; she was thanking him through her tears and sobs. Ho a hero! He could have laughed aloud bitterly at the mockery mock-ery of it. She was telling him that Ethel had come back to them; she was awake again; she wanted to see him; would he come? With a choking in his throat, he made his way to where his little love was lying. Mrs. Van Zandt softly closed the door, and they were alone. White she was, like a bent lily; the damp yellow hair lay over her pillow and brushed back from her white forehead, where his eyes saw the mark of a cruel bruise, a blow as she fell; but her lips were smiling,' and one hand was out-atretched out-atretched to biat. Ha could not take it: in an agony of fear and anxiety. How blue the water was and how deep! What if but no! no! she would not think of that. Now was the time, she decided feverishly. "Is not that a sail, Lord Fenyll?" she asked. "A sail! In which direction?" Eagerly he took up his telescope. This was just the opportunity she wanted. Slowly he swept the horizon with the glass. "Why, yes," he says. "I see it quite plainly. I can even read the name on oh, Miss Van Zandt! Help! help!" With a shriek of terror she had disap-peated disap-peated over the side; only one terrified scream, but in an instant the deck was filled with eager, frightened faces. ". Lord Fenyll was rushing from one end of the place to the other, dragging with him an immense coil of rope, tangling up himself and every one else, crying out the awful accident at the top of his Toice. Mrs. Van Zandt and another lady had faiuted; the eavetT had. vanished: all sane, but you do not act so. What is tho matter with you? Is the sea breeze too much for you?" "Ethel, do you love me?" he queried, irrelevantly. All the laughter had left his face, and Bhe saw only the passionate love and magnetism mag-netism in his blue eyes deeply, darkly blue they were now, almost black. She turned a little pale, her quick breath came yet more quickly. His face was very near hers, so near that a wanton breeze blew a Btray tendril across his check. "You know it," she said simply. Was that a kiss? The sea gulls could have told, but they never did. "Then, Ethel," he said, "I haveaway. It is a little dangerous; I will not deny that If you love me, dear, as well as I do you, you will not fear." The hand in his trembled slightly, but she made no protest. "I cannot give you up. This is a desperate des-perate remedy, but desperate cases need c-toh. I am jzoing to make a heroine of |