Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-12-01

perhaps they love some one else now.
Three months absence is a long test of
their love, I think. One was fathers
hired boy. He was a melodramatic
Irishman, direct from Cork. He used to
declare that my eyes were brighter
than the firehies of 'auld Ireland
Another was the night operator at the
telegraph office. He was a poetical
young man, and used to get quires of
paper covered with dots and dashes,
and dashes and dots. Another"
Mrs. Farwen reached forth her hand
and placed it over the girls mouth.
"Stop making fun of your victims,
you heartless girl. You know didn't
mean to ask how many men have loved
you, but I meant to ask if there was
anyone you loved?"
Chow can one tell, aunty? What are
the unmistakable signs?"
| Another change had passed over the
girl, the mischievous sparkle was gone,
and she was gazing dreamily into the
fire. Mrs. Farwen gazed curiously at
| her.
"You own heart will tell you the I'M
mistakable signs when you really care
for anyone" she said, and added after a
moments pause:
1.-THE person you love best can give
you the greatest happiness; but perhaps
a surer test is that he can cause you the
greatest pain"
May looked up quickly. Her aunt
was gazing into the fire with slightly
contracted brows and for the moment
seemed to have forgotten she had a
listener.
''That is hard tek, aunty. Isn't it
better to keep from loving altogether?"
The elder lady looked up with a smile
that banished the shadow.
ut isn't always possible to do so if
we would, and no, isn't always best to
do so if we could. If the object is
worthy woman's life is better for the
loving, pain and all. But, my dear, it
is eleven o'clock and If you intend to be
up at five tomorrow morning, want
you to be in bed and asleep in just ten
minutes from now"
May kissed her aunt and taking her
lamp left the room. She mounted the
first step and stopped. 1t was the last
night that she would go up this famil-
iar flight of curving steps to the room
that had grown dear to her from its
many associations, and she stopped on
the first step to think of what to-mor-
row night would be like, when her
three months at the fort would really
be a thing Of the past. This was a
style of thinking that she had not al
lowed herself the luxury of before to-
night; but now it seemed to her that
there were a good many things that
needed thinking Of, not that it would
do any particular good to think of them
but she meant to come to an under
standing with herself at any rate. She
was naturally of frank disposition
and averse to concealments of any kind
She had told herself for weeks past
that she would be glad to leave this life
, and go back to her old peaceful way Of
.. living, but as the time for her depart
ure drew near she had found many ar
guments with herself necessary to con
vince some rebel1ious, inward sensa
ton that it was so. She meant to face
this rebellious spirit tonight and come
to an understanding with it. She had 6
feeling that she could do SO now with
. out hurting too much her sensitive self
!, respect, but in the meantime she could al
!, low herself to be honestly miserable fol
a few moments. Standing there on the
, lowest step with her lamp in her hand
its rays illuminating very woebegone
but pale, sweet face, she made picture
. that the one person who saw it did not
, soon forget.
Capt. Armstrong had not, as she sup
posed, left the house with the Other
, visitors, but had been closeted with the
colonel in a room at the further end O.
I the hall. There had been some writing
/ to do, and the colonel, sitting watching
= the rapid pen Of the younger man, hac
I fallen soundly asleep in his chair
t When the writing was finished Ralph
had quietly put away the papers and a.
quietly left the room, leaving the
+ coloners sweet repose to be broken b,
4 his wife.
: He had just closed the door and hat
: | the knob still in his hand when May en-
Z tered the hall. The light of her lam
v did not penetrate as far down the pas
a sage as the place where he stood. A
sight of her he had stopped involuntari
ly, and as she fingered on the stairs h
still hesitated, not wishing to startl
her by a sudden appearance.
He saw again grieved, girlish face
and again wave of sympathy set hi
heart to throbbing responsibility. H
longed to go to her and in some wa
Danish the pain from her face, but tn
weeks that had elapsed since that moon
\ light night when they had walked hom
= together had raised barrier betwee1
them which he felt powerless to re
\ move. Yet the expression of her fac
was so changed and softened, and tn
thought coming to him that in a me
ment she would pass up the stairs an
out of his life forever, he determine
to speak to her once more. Obeying tn
sudden impulse, he opened the door an
closed it again with noise enough
make his presence known, and &C
vanced along the hall to the foot of tn
stairs.
May heard the sound of the closin
er door and was half way up the stairs
re the time he reached the foot. She SUI
ID posed, of course. that it was her uncl
RS and hoped that he had not seen he
d, face. She heard the footsteps stop an
er felt compelled to stop also and loo
II down A nrOud woman can do vvOI