Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-07-16

/ lClSe-nal never crossed his mind And
now, as he looked down into her troubled
! eyes, his own, which were dark brown, and
very speaking in their way. lcamoi out
steadfast rays Of love aHd truth There was
little surprise. little sadness I'm the ex.
preston; hut the clear. strong g"zc could
never have come from any but true man.
/ Sophia felt it. Before he opened his lips sh,
knew she had misiudged him. Already she
was beginning to hate herself for her doubts.
A moment longer he gazed at her, not as il
would seem wishing to hurry her kiss; and
she grew so impatient to expiate her fault
that she was going to kiss him first He
gently held her back
sophia" he said do you remember the
day we said good-by at the Beeches.'
She nodded her head in answer. She could
not speak. Her eyes were running over.
VI could not say good-by. | was too broken
far too broken"
She pressed his hand to tell him how well
she remembered all
"But," he continued in his Quiet voice.
while held you to my heart / vowed a vow
that when took my lips away from yours [
would never touch "A womans lips again until
ours met once more"
He stopped
81 understand" Sophia said to herself. with
n sudden flash of new interest in his words
HE is going to confess to me about Mrs
Laniganl darcsay he only flirted with her
bit; and he must have been very lonely in
Australia; and no doubt She was very for
ward-lke an actress"
All this ran through her mind. not only
faster than it runs from my pen but faster
lar, reader than your eye travels along the
line of words. Without a pause Percival
went on:
And have kept that vow, Sophia
wanted to tell you before | kissed you You
can take your good-by kiss back again; for
the lips have been all your own since then -
on, wait-Wait one momentl' she cried
She wished to collect herself for the COM
ing joy. Besides, ought she to kiss him with
her eyes wet with tears, SO she made ready
Then she turned her warm and melting lips
upward, and, rs she drank his long kiss. she
sighed sigh Of rapture too deep for words
almost too deep for thought. IL am his, and
he Is mine Oh, how that pure embrace re-
warded her, in or" great spell of bliss, for all
her waiting AMI her pain. She forgot every
thing but her de. p happiness She was in a
trance of joy, and all beside JOY faded out
of her consciousness. There was neither
past nor present, neither hope nor fear.
neither wish nor rcgret-al was merged in
the full and blessed NOW.
declare | will not have my lovers peeped
at for the next few minutes. And | shall
tell you nothing at all, but let your fancy
paint what passed on that sofa
Glance back over your own lives Have
you ever had such a moment of love after
years of pain just recall YOUR own sensa-
tons ana leave Percival and Sophia to enjoy
theirs unGisturbed, as happy lovers should
Even when their first transports are over
there they sit, exchanging at slow intervals
one low spoken sentence for another
80 at full tide on some quiet coast a wave
breaks with a low plash of music on the
shore, and then there is silence, and then
another wave answers in the same murmur-
ing note, as in its turn it lays its head on the
golden beach Or so, deep in the woods at
summer noon, when all beside is rest and
stiffness, one singing bird trills out a few
deep notes of passion, and then the golden
stiffness recurs, until the mate answers from
another tree in notes as laden with music
and tenderness. Break shining sea, wave
after wave of joy! Sing, birds of love, and
let the voice of your passion go to and fro
from breast to breast! And you two pure
and faithful hearts, touch each other at last
and tell i'll what language you please that
earthly paradise is here within your clasped
arms.
But Sophia" Percival says at last, "for
what possible reason did you behave yourself