The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-11-09

and fine and free across the water, like
echoes of her song in Heaven. My
heart swelled with a fullness of rapture;
| life seemed too rich, too sweet. too
sacred; and then l saw that man stoop
and kiss her brow. The action turned
me to stone for a moment, till he came
sauntering to the window, and knew
no more what was doing than that
bronze Perseus in the corner would il
he moved. l lifted the hand that had
seemed stone, and as he passed me ]
struck him on the mouth, the mouth
that had done the proclamation"
And Mr.. Fernalde was quiet little
while.
"And that was the end of all things, :"
he resumed. 1.-THE fellow laughed al
me for a mad boy Her father launched
one of the thunderbolts, and forbade
me the house. What a stricken day
and night of wretchedness! what week
of hopelessness, of humiliation! But
perhaps Alicia felt otherwise. Why
should l not discover? Why should ]
suppose she had any other sympathy
with that creature than the sympathy
of the star and the worm? And if my
glad peradventure were true, why Their
we could fly from these places that
should know us no more; the world was
before us, Heavens gates were open tc
us. And l wrote, my hand trembling
at its sacrilegious daring. just dozen
lines, without address, without sigma
| ture. She would know what it meant.
And sent it by the parsons boy. Ald
l waited for her, lying on the grass be-
meath the orchard trees, in the deer
gloom inst gilded by the influence OF
the unseen moon. There came the
rustling of garments, the tipping of 8
foot; my heart beat, my eyes grew dim.
Was it she coming up behind me, as
lay lifted on my elbow, kneeling and
putting her arms about me, raining
swift kisses on my face?-wild, sweet
kisses in the shadow; wild, passionate
whispers in that silence! And then a
great pang smote me, and / rose and
went out with her into the less dim
darkness-and it was Rosalie.
"She never knew" said Mr.. Fer.
nalde, ''she does not know to-day that ]
died that night. I can't say how i
lived through those moments even.
They were but moments she had stolen
away. She had to return at once. We
parted at the foot of the mock-orange
walk, and l went to my bed and lay
there in a trance of despair. Perhaps
sunlight brought some relief. The par.
son told at the breakfast-table the news
that Alicia was betrothed to the army
officer had seen over the hedge.
wrote a word, saying was called away,
and | was gone week or more. But
in tina. blank / must have something &c
love me-to have an interest in. Better
Resale than the absolute negation OF
those days. She thought nothing OF
my absence after my return. She was
as full of romance rs flower of nectar.
And, to sum it up, if she was not the
rose, she had lived with the rose. One
day we married, and here we are. A
long life, happy life, and l have
never regretted the day in it that J
made her my wife. After all, one
can not marry among the angels
clay must mate with clay. What do
you say? Not love her, my child?
You never were more mistaken. Hove
her tenderly, absorbingly. She is a
perfect woman-she has been a perfect
wife. She has made me calmly and
completely happy. If once in awhile
the old hope, the old dream of passion
arises and sweeps before me in its bloom
and light, it is because it means youth
to 1ne--that youth which we do moi
know till we are old-is itself the ideal
it holds up for worship. Yet perfect as
my wife is, fifty years of this smooth
life with her wear something of the
commonplace, and if across their dead
level of same content sometimes CLEANS
the shining of Alica's face, it is not in
any disloyalty to her. l often wonder
what became of the lovely creature.
Once l could not have spoken of her.
At seldom times. when l sit alone by
the fire, she comes and sits beside me,
and CLEANS of light and shadow make
face with her sweetness, her beauty, her
pensive and ETHEREAL grace. Dear girl?
l suppose she sleeps in her grave by
this, but she is shaft of the light of
Heaven in my memoryI'
And Mr.. Fernalde rose, walking to
the window, just as the screen began to
tremble, and smo.hered cough, and
then an undisguised one, betrayed to
me, if not to him, that Mrs. Fernalde
had heard the chief party of the mono
logue.
land had heard it in fragments and
sections more than once before" she
afterward told me, with her pleasant
smile. Il know it means nothing-thst
he is just as wholly mine as am his
that our love is the imperishable sort
that we are welded into one by fifty
years together. And perhaps it was ig-
noble of me to break the pretty bubble,
to take away his little ideal, with which
have my own way too much. Yet ]
thought it was about time"
But she said nothing of this at all as
she came busting round the corner of
the screen that morning.
There is such gale blowing out
side" she said, .'that the dust really
rises in the house fit to choke one"
you haven't caught cold, RosaHe?"
said her husband, turning in concern.
mot the least, but l shall if the hall
door is open another moment. There
she comes now. Make haste, and bid
Alicia goodbye. my love. She is just
going
"Who?' he cried, suddenly opening
his eyes like lamps in their deep set
tings.
sAlicia-Mrs. Talliafero-dear. She
married again, you know. Oh, it has
been fine JEST" she cried, with her
low laugh, Ito think that you should
not have recognized Alicia in all these
weeks and mOnths!''
Mr.. Fernalde was silent for few
moments, looking at the sweet little
lady before him, with her color like the
half furnished rose, with the soft