Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-24

looking at her with his placid blue eyes which
certainly were not dimmed by want OF sleep.
YES " said Persis with a sad emphasis. az
! have spent the whole night i'm thinking. | do
not blame YOU for being what you are; but |
shall not give up my erutch. Stanley, and so
can never keep pace with YOU. For the future
| you and | must go separate ways my friend.
:" Ny sweet Persis. you have never so much
| SIS limited at this before. Your nerves are
shaken. Let US walk in the fresh air and talk
| this over little" o.
The tone was kind but there was Just enough
patronage in it to irritatc Perss and confirm her
| in her new resolve.
my nerves are as firm as steel Oh. Stanley.
it is not that 1t is that you are willing to let
me do it! Don't you talk to me Of love!
have had vision Of what real love is, and it is
something quite quite different from yours.'
Persis' voice quivered, and words came with
difficulty.
Poor child" replied Mr.. Warner. indulgcnt-
! ly: "as il had ever advised az il | wished"
But the girl had fled. Out of the room. out OF
the house, anywhere just then, to escape the
presence of the man she had determined tn
breath. but otherwise composed and quiet. she
| stopped at the end Of the corridor near an o,,eu
door, and casually glanced out at the street. In
doing so her eye fell upon a familiar face and
she turned suddenly away, but not before she
had been observed.
''Perss! Miss Persist" cried an eager voice
and Ephraim Zee rushed UP the stairs with both
| hands extended.
She had not thought of seeing friend from,
| home. and when he came forward and greete
| her with such unusual warmth of manner. & re-
| vulsfon OF feeling swept over her. the fearful
calmness gave way. and she sobbed like child
Dear Persis, if l could only do ANYTHING fol-
yOu, said Ephraim, hanging over her tenderly,
and in his earnestness forgetting to be awk.
| ward.
| He never doubted she was weeping at thought
OF the outrageous suffering before her and he
could have fought his daStardly rival with rood
will. He did not tell her that he had come to
Boston for her sake, just to learn how it Jared
with her; much less would he have had her know
that he slept as little last night as herself and
was now on his way to the surgeons on a fools
errand: to beg him to have pity and STAY his knife
IF there were only something | could do for
you, y repeated Mr.. Ze,ie in an agony not daring
to speak more explicitly, for be was supposed
to be profoundly ignorant of the whole affair.
You can't help me. you can't help me-" said
poor Persis sitting the sudden wish to contide
| in him. At that moment their old friendship
asserted its half-fOrgotten sway she was car
RED back IN feeling to the years when she had
gone with all her childish @riefs to this awk-
ward, worthy" sympathetic Ephraim, But no.
1t would never do to tell him what she was
suffering now; pride forbade. She only said:
I'VE have been here at BostOn-father,
mother and for few days. We are going
|
l cannot tell you what-which makes me un-
happy; but it is all for the best Ephraim and
one Of these days shall see it So"
God grant it, calculated Mr.. Zelie, having
no ldea OF Persis meaning, but secretly cXult-
ant that she was going home, and the object OF
the Journey had not been accomplished
The days and weeks which followed were
dreary ones for Persis She could far better
have borne the surgeons knife than the luke
warm regrets OF Stanley, who felt that gallantry
HD1
OF time with prOtcstations OF his undiminished
regard.
NO" replied Persis firmly. and feeling more
and more that she was in the right, Il will not
make it possible for you to repent and be ashamed
of me-"
At last Stanley made final bow and with
drew, little relieved, perhaps, to find his per
sistence all in vain Pefsis was cert anly a
charming creature but he had all along been
conscious that his feelings had BETRAYED him
INTO rash engagement. A lame wife would be
rather a milestone around mans neck as she
had the good sense to perceive He married
six months afterward fair Girl with little feet
like MICE" which could trip faultIessly through
quadrille.
That was the way he loved me-" said Persis,
bitterly; and she caressed the worn gold at the
top of her crutch as if that enchanted wand had
saved her from broken heart.
Time brought back the lost roses to her cheek.
and more than one lover came to sue; but she
did not care for love-" she said
Mrs. Talbot watched her daughter anXiously.
She was surprised one day to see her face light
up as Ephraim Zee bowed in passing
"EphraiIn is a rising young man. he will make
his mark in the world" said she syly; but look.
PersiS. how awkward he isl
"1es, mamma" was the quick reply; ':but for
my part am tired of elegance; consider awk-
wardness SO refreshing"
''Ah ha! Blows the wind in that ouarter:''
thought mamma, and went on demurely with
her knitting,
Persis and Mr.. Zelie had grown to be fast
friends again; but it was long time before
Persis understood the nature of their friendship
or came to any knowledge of the deep love
which lay concealed beneath Ephraims rough
exterior, like a pure fountain underground
She had grown little distrustful ''Men were
all alike" she said.
But somehow when Ephraim spoke she lis
tined and rejOiced. She believed in him; and
SO at last the worthy young man. was re-
warded for his years of hopeless constancy
st took bitter experience to teach me the
difference between gold and tinsel," said the
happy bride, hopping up to her husbands chair
one day and stroking his rugged eyebrows with
her slender hand; but nowadays / must say.
Ephraim, lump OF the genuine ore looks good
to me even if it is half buried in quartz"
THANK you, laughed Ephram, ''if you mean
mel"