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Show HER NOBLE MAN By ALVAH JORDAN GARTH. "You are the noblest man I ever knew!" Her fair soul in her eyes, Evelyn Snow stood before the man who at the risk of his life had saved her brother from a terrible death in a runaway. She was trembling all over. In her eyes was the warm ardor of more than gratitude, and Bertram Morse read what it was and his heart seemed bursting. Evelyn ewayed toward him. Closer came the cherry lips, bent on bestowing bestow-ing upon him the kiss of utter thankfulness, thank-fulness, the reward for his courage and manliness. "No!" he said, and his voice was hoarse and restrained and he held her at arm's length. She deemed that his expression conveyed a charge of un-womanliness. un-womanliness. She tried to break from him and hide her face for shame, but he held those struggling hands imprisoned. impris-oned. "Wait!" he said, sharp pain in every accent of his voice, but tenderness tender-ness and decision, too. "You and I need not misunderstand. Your troth is plighted to Amory Kendall. He is my best friend. I dare not be treacherous treach-erous to him. You must not. My love!" and his great frame was shaken "oh, my love! This shall be the supreme moment of my life until I claim the kiss I only defer." "What do you mean?" she fluttered, and longingly. "That I am going away, that I hope you will be happy with the man whose glory is In claiming you as his wife. "You Will Not Send Me Away, Will You?" But through all the lonely future I wish to feel that you owe me that kiss. It may be years, but some time, some place I 6hall ask what honor bids me now postpone. When I ask, will I have that kiss?" "Yes, yes oh, you are breaking my heart!" and Evelyn ran from the room in. sobbing distraction. Bertram Morse hurried from the house and its vicinity. He thought only of reaching the outskirts of the town, of being alone in some secluded woodland wood-land spot where he could think out and wear out the great grief that was consuming con-suming him. He tried to Blip down a side lane as he saw coming toward him Amory Kendall. But the latter had espied him. He ran up to Bertram, affectionately entwining the arm of the loyal friend he loved next best to Evelyn. "You big, brave fellow!" cried Kendall, Ken-dall, "I've heard all about It. The whole town Is talking of the fearful risk you took, and well they may. Oh, how grateful Evelyn will be! You must come at once and see her." "I have just left her," said Bertram as steadily as he could. Amory, she is a rare-, Jewel. Cherish her as the apple of your eye!" "Why, how grave and strange you act!" commented Amory. "I feel so," responded Bertram gravely. "Sort of ehaken up after your lucky escape I see," remarked the light-hearted light-hearted Amory, and let his friend pass on, little dreaming of the wild turmoil going on within that loyal heart. Till the dews of evening covered him, till the distant bells chimed out the solemn midnight hour, till the first twittering birds began the greeting greet-ing chorus to dawn, his face buried In the grass, Bertram Morse fought out his great battle. He loved Evelyn he was even sure that she loved him. He was unfortunate unfortu-nate In not coming on the scene until Amory had proposed to her. Good old Amory! They had been like brothers. He was not strong and muscular like Bertram, and that had made Amory always lean toward him protectingly. Then, too, he needed a woman's tender care, for there were times when his frail frame could not ithstaud a chronic illness he had inherited. So, with the early dawn Bertram Morse quietly, sadly turned his back on the world that had been, arjd the ones he cherished. And all through the searing ordeal he whispered to himself: "When she is old and I am old, and Amory will not care, I shall claim that kiss." Bertram visited a widowed sister In a town at a distance. He wrote only one letter. It was to hie friend Amory, telling him that he counted on a better working chance out West, and had started on his journey, thus abruptly to spare the pain of parting with his good, kind friends. Then for three years those friends heard nothing of Bertram nor he of them. He went away from civilization. civiliza-tion. With a body of sturdy prospectors prospec-tors he braved the hardships of two trying Alaska winters. One day Bertram Ber-tram turned up at the home of his sister, a tired-out man, bronzed, roughened, rough-ened, but breaking down with a fever. There were weeks of lonely Illness, then a protracted convalescence. He was seated in his invalid chair one sunny afternoon when he called his' sister to his aide. "I am getting nearly well enough to move on again, Bertha," he said. "I want you to call in the lawyer tomor- ( row. I did quite well out West and brought a tidy little fortune home with me. I want to settle It on you, for I may not return again." That was his determination. The old tugging had come at his heart when he realized that he was comparatively com-paratively near to Evelyn. When desperately des-perately 111 he had thought of sending for her, but had procrastinated the ordeal. or-deal. Now, however, he said: "And mail this letter, Bertha," and It wss directed to Evelyn. . He had asked her to come and see him and bring her husband with her. "I am going away never to return," he wrote. "I want to make Amory a little present out of the fortune I have made and don't know what to do with. And I want your parting benison" the kiss! The lights were low at eventide two days later when the Invalid heard a rustle at the front doorway and a voice that thrilled him in converse with his sister. It was Evelyn. "Bertram!" and a welcome form came into the room. "Oh, why did you not send for me before during all your lonely illness?" "This moment compensates for all," murmured Bertram unsteadily. "And now I am here," continued Evelyn, "you will not send me away, will you?" "But your husband, Amory?" "Did you not hear? He died a year ago," explained Evelyn In a subdued tone. "Bertram, I was his true wife, and I told him all. He died blessing me as his faithful, devoted companion and you as the truest friend heaven ever gave to man." One hand rested caressingly across the fevered brow. The other held his hand and the contact thrilled him. "Father is dead," she said mournfully. mourn-fully. "There were no children. Often I have wondered " her voice died down and her head sank low. "Wondered what?" he asked softly. "If you would ever come back if if" "I would claim that dear kiss?" he supplemented. "Yes" her voice was the merest whisper now. "Its memory has made my life sweet and beautiful," he - said thrlllingly. "Dear Amory! we both loved him, we both were true to him. Yes," added Bertram clearly, "you can stay, you must stay, for I cannot live without you." "And the kiss?" her Bhy face was half averted, but every pulse was fluttering. flut-tering. "I wish it now," he Bald. (Copyright. 1914. by W. G. Chapman.) |