Ainslee's Magazine, February 1913 — page 108: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Wea Sure it glorious? can hardly believe it myself, as yet! I’m afraid every min- ute I'll have to wake up. Amy, Leila is going to marry me! You understand, dearest little friend? Leila is going to marry me!” The ghost of Amy’s voice came out of a great darkness, whimpering bleakly : “Leila? Leila?” “Leila, Leila, Leila!’ Gordon ca- ressed the pretty name lingeringly, with a lover’s naive delight. ‘So surprised, Amy? Little Gray Dove, why don’t you lift those great eyes of yours and see Love—when he comes so close to you, too!” She who had loved him entirely, all her life, lifted her eyes to his wonder- ingly. Love had, indeed, walked so close to Amy that she had needed to lift her shy glance to find him mirrored in a stranger’s; and the beloved never knew! “Don’t receive my great news so placidly, Amy.” A hint of injured pride was in his voice. ‘As usual, I’ve raced home to tell you, you first of all. And you’re taking it as a mere matter of course! I thought you’d care, you know, a little bit.” Amy steadied herself gallantly. She could hear her own natural voice in quiet and earnest reply; but she won- dered at the dullness which overlooked ; O Good Lord, I " etinmssheadiiniisiiieiaamatniitet ont ihe MP7 es : =% ——}} Pees 2 { surely, she thought, her ears had been keen to detect that poignant quiver in Gordon’s voice! As usual, they walked up the broad old stairs together, parting with pleas- ant good nights; but all the while her heart was clamoring insistently: ‘This is good-by. Gordon Joes not love you! Gordon does not love you!” After the manner of women, she laid by her shy dream in the lavender and rosemary of unselfishness. Since Gor- don wished it, she forced herself to be one of his bride’s attendants. Gordon came home, five years later, to attend his guardian’s funeral. Leila was not with him; for, of course, a great and famous beauty and _ social leader has too many calls upon her time to expend any of that precious com- modity upon an old professor’s ob- sequies. Gordon had grown: stronger, colder, harder. In his eyes burned a new light—the cold, clear light of calcula- tion and of dominion; the lips were straight and smileless, the brows con- centrated; he seemed to incarnate in himself that fierce and intense force which seeks, and attains, success. He felt, and expressed, a sincere sor- row for his old guardian’s death; and he was very kind, and very patient, with the old man’s old wife, who had moth- ered him and Amy, two orphaned chil- dren left to her care. But he was as a (E00) 0)(0)(0) CS (C@ im