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Show i HEMH'SjwoiiOtfEHs. i DY ANNA SHIELDS. Jj WAShcRlad? Wna lie sorry? Hid lie feel trtumplmnt? Did lin feel blltcrlj nnlinincd7 Will Spencer naked himself thewj questions over and over, woarylnjr of tho repellllon, and yet never nmV to end It Uy anylnt; henrtlly tlmt he was glad and trliiniplmnt, or bitterly that he was sorry nnd iisliiimril. The plain fuel stnred him ever In Uio fm-e, that Helen ltnyinoinl did not low him. and that Mrs. Jlnyinond had itrtrnl his milt, and exerted her maternnl Inlluencmind cloqitcnco until Helen had consented to ho his wife, telling him cry frankly that her heart was In the grow of her loer, Ocorife Vnnhorn, 'who IumI been kllltt In a railway collision nenrly one year before. "Mother was ncwr willing I nhould marry Georf?e," Helen sold, sadly, "br-cnuso "br-cnuso he waa ioor, nnd wrhnw suffered all that poxrty enn Inflict. He was on his way to Colorado, where his brother has bee successful, when he was killed." Will Spencer winced, for he was rick, ery rich, but then he put to the wounil thnt soothing solve. "I will win her love when she Is my wife," that has wrecked so many lives. It mny come, this love thnt will not be hidden, to n mnu nnd wife, after they are bound together for life, but the risk Is great, nnd Will Sponctr knew It. Yet ho cherished the delusion thnt lore In tho end would win a return, and ho knew his own love to bo strong nr.il endurlnu. Ho hnd stepiied back when George Vnnhorn wns met with sUeb n smile, for ho could never win, hnd kept from pressing his suit when the nnnio of Helen's lover nppenred on the list of the Wiled In the. account of tins railway collision, but nf tcr the lapse of several months he had won Mrs. Hnj moud to Ids side, nnd so, by proxy, wooed Helen and won whnt? n cold, reluctant consent to be his wife. Yet she was, not, cold, this girl of 10, whose heart had been crushed ever since tho dny when Ocorgo Vnnhorn's name was recorded ns dend. He could httTe told how her eyes could noftcn with loe's tenderness, her cheeks burn with love's blushes, her low, Bwcct, voice trnniblo with low's whispered words. Ho hnd won whnt nil tho Spencer Spen-cer gold, tho riches of long generations, could not buy. lloforo that fatal rnll wny collision she wna a bright, beautiful girl, with Inrge, expressive brown eyes, n volco of musle, the step of a fairy, singing ns a bird sings, from sheer joyousnosHof heart, bringing n Jest to all the household house-hold worrlos, laughing merrily owr her qwn blunders In Chs culinary department, depart-ment, turning old dresses, rcuovntlng old bonnets without a complaint, living on lov and hope. After thnt dny she moved about slow-ly, slow-ly, her eyes were dull anil weary, tier duties met with rigid mechanical precision, pre-cision, her lips compressed, her checks polo, a shadow of her joyous self. Mrs. llnymond was often nfrnld that she would yet miss the golden prlresho had partly won. and heartily seconded Will In bis preparations for n sjn'edy wedding. It was Mrs. Raymond who went with him to open the house thnt lie hnd bought to attorn for his bride, who nldcl him in the selection of carpets, car-pets, curtains, furniture, and gmu him Instructions regnrdlnfr tho kitchen department, de-partment, of who needs he wns ns ignorant ig-norant ns most young bachelors. It was Mrs. llnyinoud who received an nnonymous letter containing a liberal sum, which she quietly approprhted for a trousseau nnd a suitable dress for tho bride's mother. flho wns a woinnn of rnro tact. Hnv-Ing Hnv-Ing won Helen's consent to bo Will Spencer's wlfo, she never bothered her by complaints nlout her listless Indifference Indif-ference to hcrlowrorber future pro pects. She simply made nil the arrangements ar-rangements for her, without onco admitting ad-mitting a possibility of change. The betrothal wns spoken of tin till occasions, occa-sions, thu procuration of the house, the solectlon of the trousseau referred to, In matter-of-fact words that inndo llolen feci, as It wns intended she should, that sho had wnlkcd Into a net from which there was no escape. And Will flpenter knew it all, nnd writhed under tho knowledge, being n frank, loyal mnn, w lingo impulses were generous nnd honorable, and w ho a ed Helen with nil tho strength nf htshenrt. Often he asked himself how he could endure en-dure life, If ho found his wlfo a faithful slave, Instead of tho happy companion he hoped to make her. "If she never loves mo!" he thought, bitterly. "If nil my lovo fnlls to win hers, what will my life be?" He did her Justice, Ho knew that If his love failed to win her heart, his gold waa pouerlers to mako her happy. Ho knew that If her mother died or could not ho benefited by liar utnrrlage, she would rather beg her bread hcraclf than be his wife. While matter? stood In this unsatisfactory unsat-isfactory stale, Mrs. Iiajmoml made 11 suggestion! "I wnnt jou to go uwoy for a month,1' she sold to him, "and let Helen miss the constant devotion that she has had ever since your betrothal. Let her feel thnt n void hns come Into her life, and how dull and cheerless It would be If she lost you. The w cddlng day is set for Juno 10, and this is April, Stay away until the 5th or fit h of June." It seemed to him good advice, nnd be hnd business in the west thnt would fill ' 'r t- profitably. It gave htm the ' 1 if riorpc f 1 1 r M , .... .1, t...k..i .--.--. -." ,,--'-jt )' - with a shudder: "I cannot bear to think of you on railway rail-way trains, Will.. Write often, that I may know jou are rnfe." Her lips met bis In n tender pressure, such ns n Invlntf sister might bestow, but with fnr morn affection than she hnd ever before given him. Wns ho winning her? The hope made Ihls unexpected un-expected absence endurable, nnd tor two weeks life held more pleasure thnn It had dono in nil the days of his court ship. Then enmc a blow, sudden, shnrp, overwhelming! Ho was in n largo westcrelty,whcn,nf tcr night, returning to his hotel, a man on crutchcx asked for charity. The volco was fnmilinr. and, In ft shock of horror, the fr . struck him. One gapping cry cscnj ed him: "George Vanliornl" Tho mnn would have hurried nwny, but lie followed easily. "Let mo go, Hpenccrl" (lie crippled man pleaded. "I did not recognize you I Don't you know I nm dead?" "I Know jou arc coming In here with me," Will said, gently, substituting his arm for one of the crutches, nnd entering enter-ing the hotel where ho hnd u room. "Steady now!" and ho led him, feeling how he trembled, until he hnd him seated In n great nnu-chalr In his room, and felt his heart stirred with deep compoislon nt the havoc pain nnd poverty pov-erty had made. He would not let his guest speak until un-til he had ordercil a supper and mudc him comfortable. Then, turning to him, ho saw Hint ho was weeping. "See w hat n womnn you make of me!" the poor fellow said, "You thought I was dead?" "Yes! All jour friends think so." "It wns a narrow escape, and I won-wonder won-wonder why I wns spared. Nine months In a public hospital have left me crippled crip-pled nnd Incurably 111. They would not keep 1110 nfter I could get nbout on crutches, but I hnvo begged or starved, and It will not bo for long! I would not let unyone know for fear It would get toto Helen!" "You wnnt to hide from her?" "Yes yes! Whnt would her life be tied to mine? You will not botrnj- me, Spencer?" . "Hut you mny recover." "No! I should be. only a wreck If I could, hut 1 ennnnt. I have Internal injuries thnt tho cold and hunger of Inst winter hnve Increased, fatally." Will Spencer literally could not speak. This man nskeil of him only tho silence si-lence thnt would give him Ids wife. Could lie let Helen remain In ignornnce of this strange adventure the memorj-of memorj-of her old love might die nwny in time. When ho could speak again he led tho conversation to Helen. Ho wns wry finnk, telling George Vnnhorn how truly tru-ly he had be.cn mourned, but naying nothing of Ids own hopes, and It wnt ensj- to Fee how George had loved her how uttcrlj- self-saerltlclng his silcnct had been. To sparo her pain, he hnd kept from her all knowledgo of his own suffering. Hut his nrlde yielded to Will's cntrcnt les to bo allowed to befriend him. Ho was verj wenk, verj" III, and ho nllowcil Will to get ldra a pleasant rdom In n quiet honrdliifr house, to furnish him with necessary clothing, to engage a doctor, nnd to tako n brother's pioce beside him. And then true, unselfish lovo triumphed. tri-umphed. "She will never marry me," Will thought, ruefullj', tu ho folded a long, long letter, "but sho shall not be cheated nut of what little happiness Hfo mny still hold for her." He wrote, too, to Mrs. Rnymond, n letter let-ter that caused that respectable lndy to grind her teeth, but which she obeyed, packing her trunk nnd accompanying Helen In tho journey westwnrd. It wns Will Spencer who met tho two nt the depot, and accompanied them to tho boarding house, where he kept Mrs llaymond In the parlor after bending Helen upstairs, nione. It was Will Spencer who smoothed nwnj' everj- dltll-eultj-, engnglng rooms for mother nnd daughter, nnd quletlj effacing himself. It were far too long a story to try to record the three months that followed. Georgo Vnnhorn was resolute on one point. He would not tnnrry Helen. He lind no tiopc of rccovcrj-, but If the unexpected un-expected should happen he would not rlsh ruining Helen's life by binding it to his. "Oh," she would crj-, "what am I to deserve tho lovo of two such men? Mother, It humbles mo to think how they lovo me!" And by this love her courage wns sustained sus-tained through the three months, when sho and her mother smoothed George Vnnliorn's pnth to the grave. Suchliap-pliibhs Suchliap-pliibhs ns could be hers, she knew that she owed to Will Spencer, who showed his love only by hlscnroof the Invalid. Ho never spoke of lovo to her, giving her up cntirelj', but upon her lover he lavished every kindness wealth could procure, or friendship dictate. He gave 1dm n brother's devotion until the last parting came, nnd when he wnslnld In the cemetery Will Spencer took Helen nnd Mrs. llaymond back to their home and left them. It was three years later when he enme home from a r.uropcan tour and called . on Mrs. Itojmond, "The old lndy, sir, Is dead," the servant serv-ant told lil tn, "nn' Miss Helen's llvln' In street. Mnjbe yces didn't bear she's come Into some "money from her uncle, sir, nnd Mrs, Orady, she's took this house, sir," Como Into some monoyl Well, she did not need blip. Ho would wnlt awhile. Hut In a few days n little note reached him: "It wns unkind to let me henrof your return bj" accident. Will you not come to sec me?" Would he not? And when ho went he could not keep the love out of his eyes or hi voice, nnd she nt Inst! Herejes drooped under his gaze, her cheeks blushed for hlin, her voice f nil ered, with tciidernci-s. Ilchndwnnlilsbrlde! And he hnd no M-crcV.lddcu fromhrr loving eyes, 110 treachery he would dread n hnvo liar discover, llv tlio frankness ho hod thought would alienate her forever ho had won her true, faithful lore, n devotion de-votion ns entire (11 that sho had given In '.I'n ,II-i)k 1 vf.p inludroinb!j CI |