Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-08-06

affectionate protection. His complete
selfshness had never impressed
itself upon her. She had never
known thepassionate, self-abnegation
ofintenselo love- and she had not looked
I 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 that 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 sensation-hehad
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 day trip
to Sausalito for some time, and at
last Tom announced himselfto be able
to take a 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. 1t 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 emirences, 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 thesky
AS they neared the turn OF the road
| by the little San Anselnlo station, old
Tamalpais himself burst upon them,
ma estlc, solemn, the central and
dominant point of the picture. He
lies like a giant asleep. The outline
OF a face, a 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
Esther breaking every moment into
| AOoA CliCHuoleISlIo, Wull0 uCGIo NILS.
Whitney" breathed in the exhilara-
ton OF the air, the rapturous beauty
OF the way, with 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 a 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 OH 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 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
ed, wound in and out over little hills
and down again, then round magni.
ticent curve OF the bay, and at last in
to Sausallto.
1t was very warm now, and they
went directly to the Yacht Club House,
where Tom was familiar presence,
and ordered lunch. After lunch they
sat on the shady verandn overlook
ing the bay, Nell in a reclining chair,
Tom smoking, while Esther read aloud
from the latest Century. When it
grew cooler and Nell was rested, Tom
got little boat and rowed them out
over to Angel Island and back again.
They did not return to the club house,
but fastened the boat at point con
siderably beyond, and toward the
ocean.
Esther was anxious to walk, feeling
the need OF active exercise, and Nell
urged her and Tom to go, protesting
that she desired to stay alone a
while, as she WAS very tired. 1t
seemed to her that seeing them
together would become unendura.
bic If she did not have a mo.
ment's breathing time. After some
demur they consented, and Esther ar
ranged the cushions in the boat, and
wrapped her own soft shawl about her
before they left. Nell watched them
as they began the ascent OF the hill
Esther, tall young goddess, erect,
and walking with the easy swing that
tells of STRONG, 1.-the limbs and the
consciousness OF leaping health in
every vein, and Tom, gay, light heart
ed, at her side. They were to be gone
two hours. She closed her eyes that
she might not see them, and took up
the old thread of thought. He had
never loved her. The pam tugged at
her heart until she pressed her hand
there to hold it still. 1t must have
been a half an hour before she opened
her eyes again, and saw that they had
just reached the summit of the hill
As she watched the silhouettes OF
their figures against the golden sky,
there came to her an instantaneous
realization Of what love and health
could mean, a stronga and vivid concep-
ton of what these two might be to
each other, and the possibilities OF
their life
1t was the supreme emotion OF her
existence, as sudden a shifting of her
horizon as though Death had taken
her hearts beloved.
She saw her life with Tom as it had
really been, and his as it might be
with this other woman. That his
character precluded the nobility OF
the lie she conceived for him did not
enter her consciousness. She simply
| realized, with the intensity of a life
time compressedinto a single moment,