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Show THE PIONEER A Story of Bonanza Day in EY OERALDINE BONNER. Nevada and San Francisco. (Copyright by Bobbs-Merrill Co.) in his and. in the sentimental phrases of which he had such a mastery, toid her of his love. Sho listened with down-drooped eyes, nale as the petals of the lilies round the fountain, the laco on her bosom vibrating with the beating of her heart. "Say you love me," he had urged, pressing press-ing the hands he held. "1 want to hear you say It." "You know I do," she whi.iered. "I don't need to say It." "But I want to hear you say those very words." She said them, her voice just audible above the clear trickling of the falling I water. "And you'll go on loving me. even though wo don't see each othor except in these crowded places, and I hnrdly dare to speak to you, or touch your hand?" "I always will. Separation, or distance, or time will make no difference. It's It's for always with me." She. raised her eyes and they rested on his in a deep, exalted look. She was piia-hting her troth for life. lie. too, was pale and moved, and the hards clasped round hers trembled. He cared for her with all the force that was in him. He was neither exaggerated nor untruthful In what he said. When he told a woman he loved her he meant it. There would, have been no reason or pleasure to Jefry : In making love unless the feeling be expressed ex-pressed was genuine. Now his Voice vv hoarse, his face tense with emotion,- he said: f"v. "It's for life with me. too. There's nsV woman In the world for me but you. June. Whatever I've done In the past, in the, future I'm yours, forever, while Tm here to be anybodv'e. Will you he true?" "Till I die," she whispered. Their trembling hands remained locked , I together, and eye held eye In a trance- ' like steadiness that seemed to search the soul. To both the moment had the se: credness of a betrothal. "Some day perhaps we can be happy," he murmured, not knowing what he meant, but anxious to alleviate the very , f enuine sunering he experienced. She " ramed some low words over which her lips quivered, and In his pain he Insisted: "But you will wait for me, no matter what time passes? You won't grow tired of waiting, or cease to care? You'll a!-' ways feel that you're mine?" "I'm yours forever." she answered. (To Be Continued.) CHAPTER VIII. i-'.ir the past six or seven years ho had e.it some five thousand per ann.im on .t.-.ntlt. the rest on certain cliaritlt-s and aiit lie lumped togeuier uniit-r tn- cou- .-nnriit htad of "suuiliics." It was a r.id whlcn covered among olr.er tninKb -.;:erous presents and tiats lor June d lloainaiil. 'S.indrn-h" had con-r.ei con-r.ei a great d'-al of ready money, arty as much as Allen's diamond tirac-t.s tirac-t.s and theater suppers, and the Colonel tT.-.ed as he iealned they must suftor liailmfnt. Tho prh'ute clia;-itis were Inetiented by a few written worc's with .1 affixed line of njures: "Carter's girl . c convent;" "Joe's boy," "O. T.'s . idow." When the figures were added .) they made a formidable sun;, i'he Colonel locked at It for another cried of frowning cogitation. Then on ;e edge of tl,e pajer he put down, the in of his own private account. There as only one which was large the rent f the sunny suite on the Kearny street i rnor. Through that item he drew his n. The next time he dined with the Aliens " told them he was going to move. He nd found his eld rooms too Urge ar.d he 'd decided to take a smaller suite in "i" Traveler's hot. The girls stared In lnk surprise. Allpn looked at htm with i'.:irk. sid!on? cur'or.lty He wondered t the move. Ho knew that Parrish f.d ben hard hit, but he rtill must v.' encusth left to live on comfortably n t'r.o slyle he had maintslned since his t-.trn from the war. The Traveler's nel was a come-down a place on the iil!t-out land below Montgomery street. spctabl-s enough, but far diferent from ha luxurious rooms on the Kearny ' ''t corner. The girls were amazed, distressed, had evdlss questions as to why TTncle Jim Should do such a strange thing. He 'rushed and parried their queries. Had th.y forgotten that he was a pioneer, who v.nd slept undr the stars on the American Ameri-can river In 'J9? In those days the Trav-''ir's Trav-''ir's hotel would have been regarded es tJ- rime of ''ixury. "nd whv," be said, "should the old van tod.iy turn vn his rose at whit would have been magnificence to the young men in '49?" During this winter of storm and stress June stood on the edge of the excitement looking on. The selfishness of a purely indlvidunl sorrow In id her imck from that vivid interest anil participation that would once have been hers. She was tender and loving to the Colonel, and she bore patiently with the moody Irritation that often marked her father's manner; but for the most part she gave to the matters that once would have been of paramount Interest only a shadow of her old hlithe attention. Yei she was not entirely unhappy. She had accepted the situation and. knowing the worst, tried to readjurt her life to an altered polrt of lw. Her comfort lay In the thought that Jetty loved her. The enchantment of the days when she had dieamrrl a maiden's dream of a life with the one chosen man was forever gone. S'.ie marveled now at the rainbow radiance of that wonderful time when mere living had been so Joyous and happiness so easy and natural. But Jerry loved her. Tn the rending of the fabric of her dreams, the shattering, of her ideals, that remained. She hugged it to her heart and It filled the empty present. Of the future she did not think, making no attempt to penetrate its veil. Only her youth whispered hope to her, and her natural buoyancy of temperament repeated re-peated the whisper. Of Jerry's ffe-llngs toward her she knew without being told, but one evening late in the winter he again tpoke of them. It was at a party at Mrs. Davenport's. Daven-port's. For the first time during the season sea-son they had danced together. As a rule their intercourse was limited to the few words of casual acquaintanceship, greetings greet-ings on the stairway, conventional commonplaces com-monplaces at suppers or over dinner tables. Under this veil of Indifference each was acutely conscious of the other's presence, thrilled to the other's voice, heard unexpectedly In a lull of conversation conversa-tion or the passing of couples in a crowded crowd-ed doorway. At Mrs. Davenport's party Jerry had drunk freely of the champagne, and the restraint he kept on himself was loosened-. Moreover, Lupe was not present, and he felt reckless and daring. After a few turns among the circling couples they dropped out - of the dance, and he drew June from the large room into a small conservatory. Here In the quiet coolness, , amid the greenery of leaves arid the drip of falling water, he took her two hands |