Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-10-04

| even fancy the quivering raulatiohS VI
hoat In the air, and see the lizards sun
ming themselves by the wall. But within
that old Enclosure, grim as fortress,
would he brightness and welcome, and
hest of all, cool, refreshing rest. 1t was
ALWAYS cool in the dim sala, where her
mother's hammock used to swing, the
great silken hammock with It's fringeS
of parti-colored tassels, at which Anita
had pulled as child, calling them
flowers. Time wosld have forgotten that
quiet sala; nothing ever changed In that
fair dreamlAnd, where lie slumoered on
| in eternal slumber.
The old hammock was hanging there
to-day In the lulling half lights, and the
perfume of heliotrope and jasmine was
stealing in among the shadows, as fresh
and sweet as a dozen years ago. BEFORE
| the wide arched doorway the same olo
diminishing triangle of sunshine would
be suread on the worn red tiles; and as
one lay in the hammock he would look
out into the patio, where the palms were
grudgIngly sitting the Sunbeams through
| their 1.-the fingers, and purpllng ngs were
bursting with sweetness among their
escaIopsd leaves. One would catch the
red flash of the pomegranate blossoms
like lunches of crumDled SILK; roses
would be crowding their red cheeks To-
gether, wantonly begging the hot KISSES
OF the sun; and al the warm air would
seem senSuously aquiver with the mower
| bells ringing out their sweet summons
70 the heart Of man to rejoice and be
glad.
Yet even into this dream the thought
Of Donald must intrude. They had so
often talked of taking this trip to-
Qether, in some happy holiday time!
Would he guess at once where she had
gone. and follow, she wondered, cold
disgust creeping over her at the thought
Of looking upon his face again. Her
heart seemed numb and cold, only dead
ashes there In place OF love that had out
Yesterday burned so fiercely. Anything
but the one thing he had done, she Bit
terly told herself for the hundredth
time, she might have forgiven him.
! Had he but come to her In the master
full spirit OF man, and said, 81 ike
these people, and l will have nothing TO
do with your whims aud prejudice; l
shall 20 with them and amuse myself "
Had he but been bravely honest about
II, however her jealous heart might have
protested, she could still have looked
up to him with the doglike love or Wo-
man. But when he had driven her 10
desplse him, with his pnerlle, caJoling
lies, IL was as II that part Of her nature
that had thrilled in response to his had
been suddenly stricken with paralysis
What would he say, what new lie
would he invent, when he came and
found her? For she was perfectly sure
that some day he would come and ind
her, with clumsy, masculine endeavor to
smooth 1t over. He would say that the
hunting expedition had disappointingly
fallen through, aud the Rogerses had
been so pressing In their kindly hospi-
talitY that he had not been able to es-
cane them; or he had merely stopped
with them for the night to make an
early start for the ascent OF the peak,
trip he hnd always been longing to make,
and which he could scarce be expected
to resist when at last the opportunity
came; or perhaps he would deny the
whole story. For the first time, as she
IMAGINED his excuses, Anita faltered for
moment in her vengeful purpose, wish
ing she had but waited day to read the
letter which even now probably was
waiting for her in the Office. She felta
bitter curiosity to know what he would
say for himself. 1t might have been
more Just, more kind, to have halted to
hear his side, and yet-with fierce
clinchlng OF her hands-what had she
TO do with kindness? Had he been kind
when he had schemed to circumvent her
wishes, when he had callOusly thrust
aside her tenderly written request?
A pale twilight fell suddenly upon the
car from the overhanging rocks OF the
Royal Gorge-pathway meet for the
King of kings, in its grand stiffness and
repoSe, shadows old as the world linger-
ing in the deep recesses, whore the
ouivering touch of sunbeam finger has
never penetrated to wake to sensuous
Joy the pallid plant life clustered there.
Anita looked up almost startled as the
dark shadow fell across her dreamily
staring eyes like an impalpable veil,
glancing out of the window with the in
stipctive recollection Of Donald's joy in
these grand scenes. Nature had never
more Joyous worshiper than he to whomo
had been given the gods best gift t
mantle happy faculty OF interesting
himself In whatever offered; with eyes TO
see all that time and chance might be
holding out as he journeyei, never miss
ing the smallest pleasure that came
within his reach.
In a flash, while instinctively her
hand was pressed against her heart In
futile effort to still its sharp pain, her
thoughts had gone back to her bridal
journey through this wonderland, when
TO her happy fancy 1t had seemed but
the fitting portal to the rich new life be-
fore her. 1t had been then, she remem-
bered, that, amazingly staring up from
the observation car at the awful masses
OF overhanging rock, as 1t seemed just
ready TO drop and crush to nothingness
| the poor little train crawling along In
| the shadow like presumptuous worm,
Anita, stealing her hand into his, half
fearfully, half glad of the fear that made
excuses for the tender touch, had asked
Donald IL he feared death. "0nly be-
cause it might divide us, darling" he
had whispered back, the shadow of q
deep earnestness fallen upon his sunny
face. 1t was such little while ago
less than score Of months, and now
they were divided by a black gulf OF
lies Of his making, and she lived to see
that life might be more cruel than
death.
The wind was signing sullenly, almost
stilled, and the cloud masses were
fringed with glowing brightness whore
the sunlight was feeling its way 70 the
| earth. Out and away from tine shadow