The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-06-19
SELECT STORY.
AFTER MANY DAYS,

singing in the parlor, and one of the
voices thrills her rs no ether voice
has ever done-Kingsley Dunham's
voice.
''He is singing with her." she says
and a shadow crosses her face and set
ties in her eyes, making them look as
if tears are not far away. She puts out
her hand with gesture of repulsion,
IS ii to put away fate ''She does not
need his love as do," she cries, with
a bitter, rebelious feeling at her heart
81 more than half believe she does not
care for it, But he thinks she does.
And she will accept it, while /, who
would value it more than all the world,
or thousand worlds, am left to re-
member and regret that the only
mans love / ever cared for was not for
me-" -.a..'
Then the outstretched, rebelious
hand drops heIvily at her side, and
tears come. Hot, passionate tears,
fresh from the heart that is full of the
dumb ache that comes to those who be
lieve that their love is valued as light.
ly as a wayside flower would be by the
man to whom it is giver.
Then she listens again. She hears
Mary Grayle's voice, clear and flute
like n its sweetness, but it makes no
such music in her heart as that other
voice does. Years may come and go,
but the sound of that voice will linger
there forever. Her heart will be haunt.
ed by it as a life is haunted by the
ghost of dead but unforgotten love.
Hers will be haunted heart and a
haunted life, she thinks, as she hears
Kingsley Dunham's voice ring out in
silver melody in the song he is singing
with Mary Grayle
81 am foolish creature she says
presently. "Aren't you ashamed of
yourself, Alice Crawford! TO love a
man who cares nothing for you and be-
have in this silly way about it! Haven {
you any pride If you have it's time
you began to make use of it. A wo,
man is fool TO give her heart to any
man uuasked, and yet
And yet Alice Crawford knows, as
many other women do, that many a
woman's heart is given without the
asking A feeling of shame comes
over her to think it is so in her case,
but she knows it is useless to deny the
| truth
She brushes away her tears and
forces herself to be calm. She then
goes down the stairs and enters the
parlor.
Miss Grayle looks around from the
piano as she comes into the room, and
says:
"Kingsley has just been wondering
why you did rot come. We want your
help. He has brought us some new
music
Alice Crawford hardly dares trust
herself to look at the man who stands
by the piano. But she feels his eyes
upon her, and it rs as if he compelled
her to look at him. In the look she
gives him there is something like de-
tiancc. He has made her love him
without knowing it, perhaps and she
will not let him see how her heart re
spends to his slightest touch if she can
help it. She has resolved to conquer
her heart. Pride shall help her to do
it.
All! but it is easier to talk of con-
quering hearts than to do it. She will
find it so.
Kingsley Durham bows, with a smile
frightening his eyes as sunshine
brightens a spring that has been in
shadow.
"We have missed your voice sadly
in our singing" he says. "Shall we go
over the music again, now that you are
here to try it with usa"
"If you please" she answers, and
goes to the piano and puts Miss Graylc
between the man she loves and herself.
1t is fitting action. Had not Miss
Grayle come between their lives?
Then they sing.
Alice Crawford has never sung more
brilliantly, bnt there is something in
her singing that Kingsley Dunham has
never noticed before-something that
jars like a discord. They are ont of
tune, as many other voices and lives
have been.
Once she looks toward him and
catches him watching her with an
earnest, puzzled look in his face. He
seems to be trying to comprehend her
or her mood.
A flush OF color comes into her
cheeks and she turns away abruptly.
Does he guess her secret The thought
brings with it kind of fierce anger. 1t
is hard enough to know that she loves
him she cannot bear to feel a mans
clation over her weakness. Anything
but that.
by and-by they tire of singing.
They sit down together and talk of
this and that. She feels that Kings
ley Durham is watching her, and she
is on guard over her heart Her mood
is changeable. One moment she is
gay and her conversation sparkles with
wit and jest. Then, suddenly, she
seems to shrink back into cold re-
serve,
He has never felt that he understood
her, and less tonight than ever be.
fore. She is puzzle to him. 1t per.
plexes and fascinates and battles him,
Miss Grayle gets up and goes out of
the room. An awkward silence fol-
lows her going. lie breaks it by say
ing:
Il missed your face at church last
Sabbath"
81 am not going any more she an
swers sat least not TO your church.
| do not like DIR. Canfield's sermons
She does not tell the truth. For the
truth is she is not going there because
she has made up her mind to conquer
her heart, and the work, which will be
difficult at best, will be more difficult
if she sees him often. She must keep
away from him as much as posi-
BILE.
81 am sorry he says, 81 have
grown accustomed to seeing your face
there, and / always find it hard to give
up familiar faces-when / care for
them"
His voice is low, almost tender. She