The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1885-10-24

deal 10 each other, and when, at last,
she left the church to take her way
homeward, he said to her:
IF you should feel like reading. ]
have tolerable brary; and, though
am an old bachelor. my housekeeper,
Mrs. Pratt, is very good. old woman,
and viii do her best to oblige you in
every way. This is my little home,
you know" and he pointed to the
tiny house that hid itself among the
trees.
She thanked him and went her way,
ful of new softnesS, and he looked
after her.
Il should have liked so very much t.
kiss her." he sad to himself.
1t was the first time he had said it o.
any woman even thus. and the blood
flew to his smooth brow as he spoke.
and he blamed himself very much; for
he knew it was no fatherly kiss oi
which he thought, did that old curate.
And so strange, sweet friendship
grew into existence The difference in
their ages AMI his Office gave them
privileges else impossible in decorous
England. Lettice cou'd d walk and talk
with that old curate as much as she
chose. and she chose to do it great
deal. The library was an excuse, and
there was the garden. and what more
even ng prayer?
And the old curate began very soon
to watch for her; to count the mo-
ments of her absence. and to know
that that which had never come to him
in youth had come to him in age; too
late for him to taste its sweetness, but
not too late to feel the bitterness that
love must ever bring when it is moth
ing but an unrequ.ted longing.
Oh, if he could but keep her thus! he
said to himself. If only she could love
no one else. And they might be friends
forever. Then he could be happy But
tn could not be. Young. sweet,
beautiful, some one must claim he1
soon. She would be the wife of a
young man. She would love him, and
have for the old curate only kind
memory.
All that she knew was that he was
graver, and that he did not seem to
like her as well as he had done at first.
This troubled her, and at last moved
her to shun the old library and even
the church. and she even shed tears
sometimes, wondering how she had Of
Tended him. So, in the end, they saw
little of each other, and thought great
deal; but his heart gave wild throb
when one day he heard that Lett:ce
Lee was going home to America
Would she go without bidding him
oI: 1.o u -
not be better that she shouldP" But
she did not. She could not. He had
been too KIND to her. even though he
were cold to her now. One morning
she came.
She opened the door of his library
as he sat staring at blank of sermon
paper, thinking of no text, unless it
were this: Love is strong as death, and
jealousy is as cruel as the grave; and
coming up to him. put out her little
hand and said, softly:
Il have come to bid you good-by,
sir. l am going away"
He took the hand and arose and led
her to seat, and then they sat quite
silent for a while. 1t was not right
for an old heart to beat so fast, and
he knew it. At last he spoke:
Il am sorry. knew that you must
go. but am very sorry"
She gave little start, and looked
full into his eyes. What shesaw there,
two tears that quivered on the lashes
made her put both her little palms
upon his arm.
"Sorry?' she said. .'Oh, are YOU
really sorry, sir? II thought You
d d not like me any more-thatI bored
YOU with my chatter; and SO l kept
away"
Two hands upon his arm, two blue
eyes fixed upon his own. a sweet, quiv.
ering, red mouth parted with such
childish sweetness-do you wonder that
the man forgot that he was an old GU,
rate?
People are really never old, you
know; only this fieshv dwelling of
theirs decays. not the heart-the soul.
He forgot h gray hairs and his fifty
five years of lie. and in a moment he
stood almost transfgured before her,
flushed with youths color, bright with
loves passion.
''Oh, my little girl, my little girlr'
he cried. Gould you not see? Did
YOU not know? Sorry! All, when YOU
leave me you take my life with you.
|. who never loved any one before,
loye you madly. My little one. my dar-
ling!''
And then it passed. The truth came
to him. He turned from her; his face
grew gray. He flung himself into a
chair and hid his face.
Good bye" he faltered. Forget
what the foolish old man has said. and
don't think i'll of him.. :"
He did not look at her, but he heard
the rustic of her dress upon the floor.
He felt her close to him. He knew
that she knelt down beside him. and
again the little hand touched him.
Goodbye" he faltered.
Then he heard her sobbing and bent
over her.
NV child. do YOU weep for the old
man?" he said. You weep and do
not laugh. God bless you.
And choked voice answered.:
Il cry because l am happy. 1 did
not want to go away. l want to stay
with you. People that are nice are
always ni2e. even if they are old. /
only wonder you could Ike a little
thing ike me-so silly and so young
but l am very glad you do"
And then he opened his arms and she
crept close to his breast, and he held
her there; and whatever people sa
when the bans were published in AM
berlv Church, it was no sacrifice; for
within that old breast and that young
one dwelt unaccountably the twin souls
whose bodies should have been of the
same age, and no two married people
aver loved more fondlv than the cI1rate