The Globe-republican., 1891-02-04

4
m6nt In his face. She was much dis
turbed. and yet she waited for his word
with an appearance of calmness.
Alice" said he, the life have beer
leading f'is me with disgust I wan
to change it for something better"
81 hope. indeed. you may" said Alice
If it has failed to satisfy YOU"
ut has failed in hundred ways" he
! replied. 1T has failed to give me peace
Of mind or liberty. / have been the
I slave to it. 1t has failed of any good
object except enc. which I now see was
far too high-was never to be reached
by any path that have found"
! 'Get into the better path at once,
then" said she, smiling. And then
gravely: - think. perhaps. you have
not been in the right road during the
last year Forgive my saying 50; we
have beehive are-very good friends.
and it has given me pain to see that you
have been unhappy. l have seen far
less Of you than formerly, but it has
been enough to show me that you were
careworn and weary. A great many
young men grow old very fast in these
days. and | have feared that you would
be one of them"
II feel as If were old. Perhaps it is
because have lived two lives already,
and have made failures of them both.
You know that before met you had
for seven or eight years lead the most
monotonous existence ever endured by
mortal man. outside prison. thought
that there was happiness in blind
routine. but one day l awoke to find
that it was misery. Then, in a wild de-
termination, threw myself into a life
OF the most restless activity. That has
burned itself out, and I hardly know
what remains"
There remains the middle path"
said Alice. MANY wise men have
thought it the best"
u fear l can M. we'll. In it." said
Russell. sadly ut requires caution
which l have lately thrown away, and .
faculty of nationally hoping. which do
not think ever possessed. Moreover,
the middle path in these days can hard
~ be said to exist. 1t is overgrown,
because SO few travel in it. II I give
up my present life, I must go back to
poverty, and that means isolation"
ut means no isolation so far as we
are concerned" said Alice, warmly.
whatever lifc you choose our doors
will be always open to you"
'Alice. they must be forever closed to
me. The reason, will not insult your
intelligence by pretending to conceal.
You read it in my face, as l can read
the knowledge of it in yours. l love
you; and you know it; and you also
know thousand reasons why I should
not say it."
Il know not one," said Alice, in a
voice that struggled to be calm. ''if it be
true"
'It is all the truth l know. 1t has
been the one clear certainty in a
myriad of chimeras. 1t has been the
influence that has kept the little good
in me alive to fight its lost battle with
the evil. If / had not loved you, ]
should have come here to-day and
asked you in set phrases to be my wife.
I should have counterfeited the
suppress. Ishould have met, no doubt.
the contempt which l deserved, but
which hope to escape by asking yor
no more than to bid me fair goodbye.
and to think of me as trying to deserve
the very small share in your kindly
which is all I dare tc
hope for"
Alice had preserved the semblance OF
composure during most Of this CONVEX
sation, but there is something in the
word goodbye which strikes straight at
, woman's heart, if she loves. And
Alice loved Russell. There will be no
mystery with the reader on that point.
She saw the serious purpose in his looks,
md the tears blinded her eyes. She
sank into chair and covered her face.
Russell saw the sign, and he was over
xhelmed with CONSERVATION.
II am brute to have grieved you so,"
1e exclaimed. Il was a mailman
% have come here at all, bringing my
story of weakness and irreso-
ltion to your ears"
He began to pace the room, but as he |
approached the door, she looked up. |
hastily crying: "Oh, please. not yet;
lave much moro to say"
alice, what do these tears mean? Is
t possible that you have thrown away |
Tour heart upon so poor creature as l |
mp"
Don't talk so Of yourself. 1t is pos
ible. It has been true, I can't say
low long, and thought"
Russell groaned aloud.
IF there were any possible atone
nent, but what can do? could prom
Sc q hundred reformations. I could
'icture dozen ways of life in every one
+ which should certainly fail"
my father does not think so of you.
What have you done to make you so
lopeless Of yourself?"
For two years have led life
Wholly artificial, which, as look back
az: