The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-06

uS T6tillLdLlOu III
what 1T was did not come abruptly TO
Nell. Her awakening was gradual
From the first faint intimation
she passed, by Fastening stages,
into q sickening conscious
ness OF this new influence. She began
to watch them when they were togeth-
er-when either was alone with her.
She saw Toms eyes constantly direct
ed toward Esther She appreciated the
thrill that passed through him when he
touched her hand, by chance her dress.
She felt no bitterness for Esther. She
had begun to love her dearly, and she
telt still the same stirrings of affection
whenever the little girl came near her,
smoothed her hair, or did for her any
OF the little kindly services she render
ed daily. She did not cry out at the
bitterness of her cup. She did not
call it cruel or undoserved. She began
to recall the past, and look at bygone
events as she had never done before.
She studied herself, as she thought,
from every point OF view. She was
deformed, there was nothing to her,
she had given Tom no real sympathy,
no responsive appreciation-only an
atfectionate dependence. She did not
wonder why he had given her only an
atfectionate protection. His complete
selfishness had never impressed
itself upon her. She had never
known the passionate, self-abnegation
ofintense love, and she had not looked
for it from Tom. She believed now
that he had not loved her. He had
married her out of pity.
While the other two were talking,
she went on with her own train of inn
pressions. She was always quiet, and
they did not notice thai she was even
quieter than usual. She had never
done anything like systematic think
ing, and it gave her kind of pleasure
now to imagine that she was carrying
on persistent line of thought. But
underneath it all was always that dull
ache, that sickening had
married her out OF pity. She went
back to that. As said, the fact that
her money had assisted that pity did
not occur to her.
They had been planning days trip
to Sausalito for some time, and at
last Tom announced himselfto be able
to take holiday. They left San Ra-
fael early one delicious morning, Nell
and Esther sitting side by side in an
open carriage, with Tom in front,
driving. II was barely eight O'Clock
when they turned into the level Ross
Valley road that leads westward out
of Sam Rafael. The sun was at
their backs, and the horses Travelled
gayly over the hard ground. The
wooded hills rose high and solid on
their left, and on their right were sun
Drowned lower emipences, with an oc-
casional rolling gap between. In front,
and far away, lay In blue perspective
the mountains leading up to Tamal-
pals, against the paler blue OF the sky.
AS they neared the turn of the road
by the little San Anselmo station, old
Tamalpais himself burst upon them,
majestic, solemn, the central and
dominant point of the picture. He
lies like a giant asleep. The outline
OF face, q massive profile, can easily
be traced in the summit, and, having
once become manifest, remains the
most impressive feature of the noun
tain.
They drove rapidly down the road,
southwark now, Tom jubilant and
Esther breaking every moment into
fresh enthusiasms, while little Mrs.
Whitney" breathed in the exhilara-
tion of the air, the rapturous beauty
of the way, with a curious dull, won
der that the world should still be so
fair. Still southwark past the yellow
fields and the dusty willows, with an
occasional harsh salute from a bril-
lant-feathered blue-jay, or q shy trill
from an unseen meadow lark. The
stream that runs along by the road
through winter and spring in a brim-
ming gladness had dwindled now to
it's meagre summer habit, and the dry
stones on its edges stood out bare and
ugly even in that tenderness OF the
early morning.
A few carts logged past with sleepy
drivers and meditative steeds on their
way to San Rafael, surly, unwashed
tramp plodded unheadingly along the
roadside, and the city-bound train
shrieked and whistled by them in the
distance.
Still onward till Tamalpais was far
behind, and the low land on their lett
became q stretch of reedy marsh, with
wandering lagoons that showed more
and more and finally widened into
San Francisco Bay. The road left the
borders of the water and then return
81 xynt,yd IL, or,6 ont over little hills
and down again, then round a magni.
ficent curve Of the bay, and at last in
to SausalIto.
1t was very warm now, and they
went directlyto the Yacht Club House,
where Tom was a familiar presence,
and ordered lunch. After lunch they
sat on the shady veranda overlook
ing the bay, Nell in a reclining chair,
Tom smoking, while Esther read aloud
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