Part 21 (1/2)

The blood rushed wildly through his veins, but he resolutely put down the temptation No, he would be faithful, he would not allow hi

Reluctantly, as before, the sentinels h the wood to the trysting-place, for such it had colad illu forward to meet him She advanced shyly, a delicate color in her cheek, a trerace in her manner, that he had not observed before; the consciousness of love had come to her and made her a woman Never had she seemed so fair to Cecil; yet his resolution did not falter

”I have come, you see,--come to tell you that I can come no more, and to talk with you about your future”

Her face grew very pale

”Are you going away?” she asked sorrowfully, ”and shall I never see you again?”

”I cannot co cut him to the heart

”It has been much to see you,” he continued, while she stood before hi one of et you”

She raised her head and strove to answer, but the words died on her lips How he loathed hiered to take her in his arain he spoke

”I hope you will be happy with Snoqualht flashi+ng in their black depths

”Do you want ain!”

”He is to be your husband; nay, it is the wish of your father, and the great sachems approve it”

”Can the sachems put love in my heart? Can the sachems make my heart receive hi his daughter to who! And your lips sanction it!”

Her eyes were full of tears Scarcely realizing what he did, he tried to take her hand The slender fingers shrank from his and were draay

”I do not sanction it, it is a bitter custom; but it is to be, and I only wished to s that will help you when I aone”

”Do you knohat it would be for me to be an Indian's wife? To cut the wood, and carry the water, and prepare the food,--that would be sweet to do for one I loved But to toil ae who coarse and squalid with s,--I could not live!”

She shuddered as she spoke, as if the very thought was horrible

”You hate this degraded Indian life as much as I do, and yet it is the life you would push me into,” she continued, in a tone ofhim keenly

”It is not the life I would push you into God knoould givewithin hi it thrill with a passionate tenderness that brought the color back into her pallid cheek ”But I cannot remain,” he went on, ”I dare not; all that I can do is to say so that may help you in the future”

She looked at him with dilated eyes full of pain and bewildero? What will be leftI was here alone after my mother died, with no one to understand me, no one to talk to Then you ca in the darkness; now it goes out and I can never hope again Why o away and leave Wallulah in the dark?”

There was a childlike plaintiveness and si up in his face istful, pleading eyes, the beautiful face wan and draith bewilderment and pain, yet never so beautiful as now

Cecil felt the unspeakable cruelty of his attitude toward her, and his face grehite as death in an awful struggle between love and duty

But he felt that he must leave her or be disloyal to his God