The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-06

1Aduy- Last Wlnter!"
Knlght-"You see, Helen, you were
q widow with two children. Isupposed,
of course. you were old and faded"
Lady-Gndignantly)-"Old! and fad
ed!"
Knight(most Alphabetically dearest
Ellie, / said supposed, ed; you did not
perhaps notice the edP If I had
thought it possible you could still be SC
deliciously pretty-Qady bushes most
charmingly)-Id-why, I'd have flown
to youm
Lady-"And last winter?"
Knight saw Jim the other day of
the Philadelphia Club, and he hap
pened to say, Il met your old flame,
Helen, Thanksgiving, when I was over
in New York. She's as pretty as a
picture and looks about the same age
as her tall boy and girl Oddly enough,
while that was fresh in my mind I came
across a photograph Of you in some old
traps"
Lady-"Sitting by a Window"
Knight-"No, standing with your
hands behind you and your head
turned"
Lady-"O,y yes, in a blue silk dress
made with apeplum. I had quite for
gotten it! l must jock awfully old
fashioned. 1t was one Of Sarony's be.
fore he was the rage"
Knight stuck it in my glass and
you looked at me so saucily while !
shaved that l felt quite young and rath-
er lonesome; there's not much in q man's
life when he's owe 40 and without a
home. I thought it all out, and when
Ned told me you were here I made up
my mind to call and if you were"
Lady-"Not too old and faded"
Knight-"Thanks; L dared not put it
so plainly"
Lady-"And if you had found me
ray-haired and wrinkled-"
Knight-"Gray hair Is charming on
a woman; wrinkles | do not like"
Lady-"If / had been unattractive in
the eye no matter how good and sweet
and clever and loving ! might have
been you'd have bowed yourself out.
That is a mans honest, u~nyarnished
idea of Lowell"
knight-'Helen, be merciful. You
women are born missionaries; the poor
er, sicker, forlorner a man is the more
you coddle and love him; but Tn a man,
and we are SO made as to enjoy bright.
healthy, happy surroundings. 1t would
be hard to give You up now if you broke
out all over with wrinkles, but last
evening""
Lady (pensivelD-"Why do I sit
here and listen ?"
knight-''Perhaps because your train
isn't made up. CA slight pause.) Ishall
take you abroad in August"
Lady Sitting suddenly erect and
gasping out word)-"In-"
Knight very politely
Lady CLOSING and opening her fan
nervously)-"Tom, you must be crazy.
You are joking. Why. the children
Knight-"Forgott the children, oh no,
I don't; 1 only wish 1 could; but I sup
pose they are too real to be forgotten. "
Lady-Why, Toni"
Knlght-''What?"
Lady-"Won't you love them?"
Knight-"Them?"
Lady Gmpatlently)-"Yes, them,
them, the children, Fred and Nellie. If
| should mean if we should-of
course it's all nonsense"
Knight-"What's all nonsense?"
Lady-"Well, if we should, wouldn't
you love the children?"
Knight (stolidly)-"No."
Lady (horritied)-"No?"
Knight-"Now look here, Helen, be
reasonable about this. I'll agree to
love You all the days of my life; but
when you ask me to love a couple of
children I have never seen-children
that ought to have been mine and are
not, children that will constantly re-
mind me of the very unpleasant fact
that you We're for years the wife of an
other mani positively refuse to make
any such foolish promise. I'll tolerate
them in our house when they must be out
of that excellent place-school. I'm not a
brute dear. Don't look so grieyed if
they are nice children.
Lady-"They are very nice"
Knight-"Very possibly III time I
may, when I forget they are yours, grow
fond of them. Now, sweet one, do
something for me. Take off your
gloves q minute"
Lady-"Here, in the s%tation?"
Knight-"Here, in the station
quick, dear, its time for your train"
Lady drawing off gloves slowly and
barring two pretty, dimpled, white little
hands, the right wearing a solitaire di-
amond ring; she looks wonderingly on
the knighD-"What in the world"
knight-"Now put that koh-i-noon
in your pocket for Nellie, and put this
in its old place" (Takes from his
waistcoat pocket a velvet ring-box,
somewhat faded, which he lays in the
lady's lap.)
Lady (whose eyes suddenly fill with
tears, as she opens box and takes out a
pearl and sapphire ring)-"My little
ring; my dear, dear little ring! after all
these years!"
Knight-"Put it on"
Lady-"Here, now? I can't, Tom.
You must put it 0 n as as-you did be-
fore"
Knight (rising and standing so as to
shield her from the rest OF the room)-
mo, Helen, dear, you ask too
much, it is too late for that. From my
heart / love you, and 1 believe I
can make you happy, but Tn a world
worm man now, cynical, unbeleiving in
most things. [ believe in you, my ear-
ly, only love. l believe you ran give
me the missed happiness, the lost con-
tent, but eve you cannot make me
young again! As | did then! I had
wooed Il fresh, inocent child, with boy
ish vows and protestations. [ put on that
ring withm my first kiss, it was moonlight
and romance, youth, and fairyland; you
were not IS, I just %. Perhaps this is
better; we are wiser now. It is not
likely we will again throw aside our
happiness without a cause; but you are
a widow of 36, 1 a club man Of 40.
The summer of our lives is past; there
isn't any illusion left US. Past midday,