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Show i - 7 : , ? By E. M.Hall (Coprrlstit. Smart, Maraard c ; : . The iml wm tndin out on hU f foTPhcmd and hi hnd mm clrr.ched with tho effort ho w mkln but . her head woo burled In her hondm. ond k ahe did hot oeo the torture In Me face, ahe only heard hla aoft. low Totco Inexorably In-exorably decreetn her fat and ahut-ln( ahut-ln( her out from hanplneaa In oulet lmoat Indifferent tone. Hh ahuddered conyulaleely. "Abated! "Ab-ated! I can t o!" ah walled. - He looked up abarpljr. hla faoa IWtd. nd tor her band from her . face. Hood God! Tou don't mean I haven't You aren't " h ped hoaraely, looking down at her with a J a-reat fear In hla eye. She a-ueued what ho meant and tha color roahed Into her face.. The f temptation to II to him and let the f conaequencea ret with th fulur !waa almoat more than aha could re-lat. re-lat. On lltll word and ahe would he in hla arm . . . but afterward 1 It wa tha foar of th afterward after-ward that kept her allent. The T-'-r if iir.ined Xrom. hrrXfe and ah (hook her head mutely. - Ha hit co her wrlata with a quirk lab of relief and wiped tha pr-plratlon pr-plratlon from hla fee. Then he laid hla hand on her ahoulder and pushed her a-ently towerde the Inner room, for a moment h reileied, her wide, deeperate eyee aearchln hla. hut he would not meet her look, and hie mouth waa aet In the hard atralaht line ahe knew o welt and wllh a rry he fl,m heraelf on hla breaat. her Indeed, would benefit considerably And he T HI flrur waa blurrea thruuah the tear that filled her eye. Blowly ahe lifted the weapon clear of the table wllh eteedy - fingere and brouaht her hand atealthlly from behind be-hind her. Rhe looked at It for a moment mo-ment dlapaaalonately. Hhe waa not afraid. Kli wa conacloua only of an overwhelming wearlneae, a longing for rest that etiould mill th gnawing pain In her breaat and the throbbing In her head. . . A flash and It would he over, and all her sorrow would melt away. . . But would II? A doubling f-ar of the hereafter rushed over her. What If suffering lived beyond the border line? But the fear went aa suddenly as It hsd come, for with It I csme remembrance that In that ahari- owy world she would find one who would understand her own father.! who had shot himself, mad with I heartbroken despair, when hr mothr died In giving her birth. Bhe lifted I he revolver to her temple tem-ple resolutely. "-0hM had "been- mi amind to Ijati iy ' what waa passing behind him. hut the extra aense. the consciousness of Itn-mlnet Itn-mlnet danger that waa strong In the desert-bred men, sprang into active fore within the Hhelk. If turned like a Taah and leaped across the spare that aeparated them, catching her hand as she pressed the trigger, and .the hullet sped harmlessly an Inch above her head. With hla face gone suddenly ghastly hs wrenched the weapon from her and flung It far Into far hidden against him. bar hands clinging round his neck. "Ahmed! Ahmed! Tou ara killing ma. I can -ot llv without you. I lov you and J want you only you. 1 am not frald of tha lonellneaa of tho desert. It la tha loneliness of th world out-alda out-alda th shelter of your arms that I am afraid of. I am not afraid of what you ar or what you have been. I am not afraid of what you might do to m. I nevsr lived until you taught I me what Ufa eaaa, here In tha deeert. I can't go back to the old life, Ahmed. Have pity on me. Pon't shut me out from my only ehsnc of happlneae, don't aend me away. I know you joy me I know! I knowl And be-' be-' cauaa I know I am not ashamed to beg you to ba merciful I haven't any ebame or pride left. Ahmad I Speak to mal I can't bear your alienee.... al-ienee.... Ohl Tou ar cruel, cruel I" A spasm trasaed Ma face, but hi mouth aat firmer and ba disengaged her clinging bands with mention flngerm. " have never been anything 'lee." ba aald bitterly, "but I am wllllinj. that rml should tMnk ma a bruta bow rather thaa you should lira to ours tha day you aver aaw me. I atlll think that your greetar chance of happlneaa Ilea away from me rather than with me, and for your ultimate happlneaa I am content is aarrlflea everything" He dropped her hands aad turned abruptly, going back ts tha doorway, looking out Into tha dark noes. "It la vary late. We must start early. Oo the night. Kor a moment they atared Info each other'e eyee In ellenre, then, with a moan, shs slipped from hi grasp and fell at his feet In an agony of terrible weeping. With a low exclamation he stooped and swept her up Into his arms, holding her slender, shsklng figure with lender strength, preeelng her head against him, hla cheek on her red-gold curie. "My Ood! child, don't cry so. I ran hear anything but that." he cried brokenly. But the terrible sobs went on. snd fearfully ha caught her closer, straining strain-ing hen to him convulsively, reining klesee on her ehlnlng hair. "IMnne. Wane,"- ha whispered Imploringly, falling back Into the aoft Krench that aeemed ao much more natural. "Mon amour, ma blen-' .mee. Ne pleurea pas, ja fen prle. Je fulme. Je t'adore. Tu reeteree pre d mol, tout a mol." Bh seemed only half coneclnue unable to check th emotion that, unloosed, averwhelined her, Bho key Inert against him. racked with long shuddering aoba that shook her. His firm mouth quivered aa ha looked down at hla work. Gathering her up to hla heart ha carried her to the divan, and tha weight ot her aoft ellm body eent tha hlood racing madly through he veins. He laid her down, and dropped on hla kneea beside, her, hla arm wrapped round her. whispering whisper-ing worde of passionate love. Gradually (he . terrible ehudderlng Passed end the gasping aobe died away, and aha lay still, ao still and I white thst he waa afraid. He tried to rise to fetoh eome reotorative. but at tha firet movement she clung to him. preeelng rloeer to him. "I don't want anything but you." aha murmured mur-mured almoat Inaudlbly. Hla arm tightened round lier and he turned her face up to hla. Her eye were clneed and tha wet lashes lay black against her pale cheek. His lips touched them pitifully. "Diana, will you never look at me again?" Hla . voice waa almoat humble. Her evee quivered a moment and then opened slowly, looking up Into his with a atlll lingering rear In them. "Tou won't send me away?" ahe whispered pleadingly, like a terrified ter-rified child. A hard aob broke from him and he kleeed her trembling Mpa fiercely. "Never!" he aald stemlv. "I will never let you go now. My God! If you knew how I wanted you. .If you knew what it coat me to eend vou sway. Pray Ood f keep you happy. Tou - know the wfirst of jne. poor child you will have a devil for a huahand." The color atole bark alowly Into her face and a little tremulotte emlle curved her lips. Bhe alld her arm up and round hla neck, drawing hie head awn. "I am not afraid." ahe murmured elowlv "I am not afraid of anything with your arma round me. my deeert lover. Ahmed! Mon-eelgueur!" Mon-eelgueur!" THE END. ' e and lie oown, no eei i,n,, waa an order In spite of th genUe- neaa of his voice. Hhe shrank back trembling, with piteous, etrlcken face and eyee filled with a great despair. Bo knew hint and ahe knew It was the end. Nothing Noth-ing would break hla resolution. Bha looked at him with quivering llpa through a mist of tears, looked him ' with a deeperate fixedness that sought to mamartae Indelibly bis beloved image In her heart. Tha dear head ao proudly poised en the broad ahoulder. the long strong )lmba. tha slender, graceful body. He was all Kd to look upon. A man of men. saelameurl Monselgneur! Mon msJtre et seigneur No! It would never be that any mora. A rush of tears blinded her and she stepped back uncertainly and stumbled agalnat tha little writing table. Bhe caught St It behind her to eteedy heraelf. and her finger touched ths revolver he had laid down. Th contact of tha eold metal aent a chill that aeemed to errlhe- her- heart.- ethe stood right, with startled eyee fixed en tha aaottoaleea figure In the doorway door-way one hand gripping tha weapon tightly aad the other clutching the allkeet wrap acroaa ber breast. Her mind raced forward feverishly, there were only a few boura left before the morning, before the bitter moment whea ahe must leave behind her for ever the aurroundings that had become be-come so dear, that had been her home aa tb old caatle In England had never been. She thought of tha long journey jour-ney aorthward, tha agonised protraction protrac-tion of her misery riding beside him. the nightly campa when -she would lis alone In the little traveling tent, and then the final parting at th way-aide way-aide a tat Ion. when she would have to watch him wheel at tha bead of hla men and ride out of ber life, and ahe would atraln her eyea through the duet and aand to catch tha last glimpse of the upright figure on the spirited black horse. It would be Th Hawk, aha thought auddenly. He had ridden Ylhaitan today, and ha alwaya used one or other ef the two for long Journey. Jour-ney. It was Th Hawk he had ridden rid-den the day ahe had made her bid for freedom and who had carried the double dou-ble burden on the return journey when aha had found her happtneeB. The coii treat between that ride, when she bad lain content In the curve of bla atrong arm. and tha ride that Bhe would take the next day waa polgn-aat. polgn-aat. Bhe ctoeed her teeth on her trembling Hp, her flngera tightened on the atock of th revolver, and a wild light came Into her aad eves. Bhe could never go through with It. To what end would be the hldeoue torture? tor-ture? What waa life without htm? o'othlng and lees than nothing. Bha could never give herself to another enan. Bhe waa neceaeary to no one Aubrey had no real need of her: hla elflshnese wrapped him around with a complacency that abundantly satisfied him. On day, for the aake of the family, be would marry perhape waa already married If he had been able to find a, woman In America who would accept bio egoiam along with hla old Bams aad poeeeeeiona. Her life was her own. to deal with. Nobody would be injured by it termination. Aubrey. 1 . . . |