Vic. Your experience should teach you that; this kind of thing
don't pay."
" Oh; get out 1"
"This is purely platonic—purely pla-tonic, I assure you. I'm
not falling in love again, ' old fell.' I'll not go too far."
It was the last evening of his visit. She proposed that they
talk a walk along the beach. It was a clear moonlight night, and
they strolled along laughing and chatting gaily as though neither
thought of the morrow. He looked superbly handsome that
night. She was bewitchingly entrancing. A white, gauzy wrap
around her shoulders, the soft moonlight making her hair like
gold and adding lustre to her eyes, and her sweet confiding man
ner were enough to quicken any man's pulse.
Their conversation had drifted from one subject to another and
now, much against his will had taken the usual trend, on moonlight
nights, between two young people of the opposite sex—that of
friendship and love—he was becoming decidedly uncomfortable.
" Victor," she said, " do you believe in love ? "
" With all my soul," he answered with a fervor in his voice.
He had almost forgotten Marion Langford when he made this re
mark.
She smiled and blushed, and perhaps it was only his fancy that
she looked sad and wistful.
They stopped, seemingly by common consent. He moved to
ward her—but stopped.
The clear, trustful eyes of Marion Langford appeared before
him, a lump was in his throat and his voice trembled as he said:
" Let us go back."
" But sometimes we can't go back," she said, and her voice
was low and plaintive.
He moved toward her again, but again he saw the eyes' of
Marian Langford, trustful and loving, regarding him as though
she were standing between them.
She was toying with a shell with her dainty little foot, which
peeped out under her dress. Her eyes were busy regarding the
shell as though that were the most interesting object in the world.
His brain was in a whirl and he was beconiing more undecided every
minute. If he remained there another five minutes he knew that
he could not withstand those appealing eyes and that low, har
monious voice, if she. chose to use them.
Evei : Ything was against him and in her favor. The night air
The Free Lance.
[ rEBRUARY,