Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-24

For me. there Is not an ocean nor sea nor
| Il river. nor rock. nor island. nor broad
continent of earth, that has not known
Beatrice and loved her name Heart OF my
heart, soul of my Soul-the nights and days
without YOU, the lands and the oceans
where you were not. the enGleSSncSS of
this little world that hid YOU somewhere.
the littleIess of the whole universe without
yoU-how can YOU ever know what it has
been TO me, And so it is gone at last
gone is dream of sickness in the morning
of health gone as the backueSS of storm
clouds in the sweep of the clear west
wind. gone is the shadow of evil before the
face of an angel of light. And l know it
all. | see il all in YOUR eyes. You knew
was true. ana you knew | sought YOU. and
would find YOU at last-and YOU have
waited-and there has been no other. not
the thought of another, not the passing
image of another between Us. For | know
there has not been That. and | should have
known it anywhere in al these Years, the
chill OF it would nave found me, the sharp
ness of it would have been in my heart
no matter where, no matter how fdr-lyet
say it, say it ouce-Say that you have loved
he, too
God knows how have loved you-how
| love YOU now" InOrua said. in Z low
unsteady voice.
The light that had been in his face grew
brighter still as she spoke, while she looked
ut him. wondering. her head thrown back
against the high chair, her eyelids wet and
dropping. her lips still parted. her hand in
his Small wonder il he had loved her for
herself, she was so beautiful. Small Won
der il would have been if she had taken
Beatrices place in his heart during those
weeks OF close ana daily converse.
But that first great love had left no fertile
ground in which TO plant another seed, no
warmth of kindness under which the tender
shoot might grow 10 strength, no room be-
meath its heaven for other branches than its
own. AlOue it had stood in majesty Is 4
l0rdly tree, straight. tall and ever green, on
Il silent mountain top Alone it had borne
the burden of grief's heavy SHOWS unbent,
for all its loneliness, ii had stood against
the raging tempest. and, green stjii. in all
its giant strength of stem and branch, in
in all its kingly robe of unwithered foliage,
unscatheu, mistaken, it yet stood. Neither
storm nor lightning, wind nor rain, sun nor
SHOW, had prevailed against ii to dry ii up,
and Gust it down that another might grow
in its place.
Vet this love was not for her to whom he
spoke. and she knew it as she answered
him, though She answered truly. from the
fulness Of her heart. She had cast an en-
chantment over him unwittingly. and she
was taken in the tolls of her own magic,
even as she had sworn that she would never
again pat forth her powers. She shud-
dercd as she realized il all. in few short
moments she had felt his kisses, and heard
his words AMI had been claSped to his heart.
as she mad many time madly hoped But
in those moments, too, she had known the
truth of her wOman'S instinct. when il had
told her that love must be for herself and
for her own sake, or not be love at all
The falseness, the fathomlcSs truth of il,
would have been bad enough alone. But the
truth that was so strong made i horrible