Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-09-23


no~ that he bad not lived her. He I'D
married her out II pity.
WhiEe the other two were talking sale vent
On with her own train ct impressions She
uss always quiet, and they did not ncsire
that she xazeyes 4aiete- than usual She bad
never done anything ike systematic thi1k-
ing, and Il gave ber . kind cf ps.aszre low
to imagine that she was carrying On persist
eut line Of thought But urierneath it all
was always that dali ache, that sickening sn-
safion--he had married bar cut Of pity. She
went back TO that A. said, the fact THAI
her money bad assisted that pity did not o.
cur ~ her.
They bad h.en planning a DAYS trip 70 San-
xaiito for some time, and at Last Tom an
nouncsi himself a. abie to take q holiday.
They lift san kafaa early one delicious
morning, Nell and Esther sitting side By side
in the ofen carriage. with Tom In front, driF-
ing. I. was barely 5 oeiock ~h@n they
turnad into the level Ross Valley rad that
Lsnis westward out Of San Rafael The SIN
wa. at their backs, and the horses travsissi
gzyly over the hard ground The wooslei hiiAs
r,sse high and solid On their left. and On their
right were s1n-brown=d lover efninsnces.
with an occasional rolling gap between In
front, and far away, lay in blue perspective
the mountains leading up to TaEnslIais,
against the paIer blue Of the sky As they
neared the turn OF the road by the Little san
Ans.elfso station, Old TaInaipais himself burst
upon them, ma jestic, solemn, the central ard
dominant point Of the pictGre. He lies hks a
giant asleep The outline Of . face. massive
profile, can easily b traced In the summit,
and. having once become manifest, remains
the most impressive feature Of the noun
tain
They drove rapidly down the road, south
ward no~, Tom iubilant and Esther break
ing every Ilonssit into fresh enthusiasm,
while ~ut,ie Mrs Whitney" breathed in the
erhilaration II the air. the rapturous beauty
Of tbs, way, with a curious dull wonder that
the worll should still be 50 fair. Still south
ward past the yellow fields and tie dusty
willows with an occasional harsh salute from
a brilliant feathered blueJay, or shy trill
from an Unseen meadow lark The stream
that runs along by the road, through winter
and spring, in a trimming giadness bal
dwindied now 10 its meager summer habit,
and the dry stones on its edges stood out bare
and ugly, even in that tenderness Of early
morning.
A few carts logged past with sleepy drivers
and nieditatiys stee,ls their way to San
Rafael, a suriy nnwashed tramp plodded
unheeshngiy along the roadside and the city
bound tram shrieked and whistled by them
into the distance.
Still onward till Tamalpais was far behind
and the low Land on their left became
stretch Of reedy marsh, with wandering
laguons that showed more and more and
finally widencl into San francisco bay The
road left the borders Of the water and then
returned, wound in and out over little hills
and down again, then round a magnificent
curve OF the bay and at last into Sausalito.
IL was very warm now and they went
directly to the Yacht Club house, where
Tom q familiar presence, and ordered
lunch, After lunch they sat on the shady
veranda overlooking the bay, Nell in
clining chair, Tom smoking, while Esther
read aloud from the latest Century When
it grew cooler and Nell rested Tom got
a 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 considerably beyond and
toward the ocean
Esther was anxious to walk, feeling the
need OF active exercise, and Nell urged her
and Tom to 90, protesting that she desired to
stay alone while, she was very tired 1t
seemed to her that seeing them together
would become uncomfortable if she did not
have moments breathing time. After some
demur they consented, and Esther arranged
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, a tall young goddess,
erect, and walking with the easy swing that
tells Of strong, 1.-THE limbs and the conscious
ness Of leaping health In every vein and Tom,
gay, light hearted, Mt her side. They were to
be gone two hours She closed her eyes that
she might not them, and took up the old
thread OF thought lie had never loved her
The pain tugged at her heart until she pressed
her hand there to hold it still. 1t must have
been 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 sillIouettes of their fig
ures against the golden sky there came to her
an instantaneous realization of what love and
health could mean, a strong and vivid con
ception of what these two might lie to each
other, and the possibilities of their life. 1t
the supreme emotion of her existence, us
sudden 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 it might lie with the other
woman. That his character precluled the
nobility Of the life she conceived for him did
not enter her consciousness. She simply
r..t;,I ,,,;.b H. ;,..--;.,. -, . t;,.;o -.
,,.os.al int, a s;,,,l, ,,,o,,o,,, ,h., ,or I,ar
a,,o.,.,,,,,,, ,.as =. -,
81 haJ ,nas,,,, cha ,,,,., .,,a ,,,,,,, s,o ,.,
It'll, I,,., -. Il, - III.
no,,,, mo-, s.,a ha,. + a,a,,r5 d., my, ,,o. 49,,
n L.If Io,or., ~, ,o,,,.no,I ,f.ar ~. 49,.
t,a,rondnrs ,,,n,,,,,,t cow, .ho ,.,a>t;f,, 81
IA mo-, s,,,,, to thi,L a, Oh ,S,a,, ,o
over and acain.
ar. l., ho,,orsor
ri, hn,t r,,,,ad ,,or,,, ~, tho s.;I, ,,,o,o.
,.;s,o. and t,,rn,, 81 a,,,,,.,. ;,,,,,,..;II,,'
th. I;.,,no., ,,.;,,,',oJ -, h.. ny, ~
h. Tho ,;Ia ,,,as r,,,,,,;r,. 49,, ,.s-,.
ra,dl,, a,I ,ha hoa, ,,o,,t snf,,,. .',a III,
-. 81 :. ~. 49,, r., -
',;','7,', ~. e., 80 a. ~ ,:i ,',
- ,I,,.,, a,,,,I ,,,a - -. , n,' e
- ~, -, ,,.'',.'