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

brought 10 the nome OF the van Janus
she had foound her first friend in her
cousin Gray. They had played, quar-
relied and been punished together, times
without number. And when later Gray
had developed a capacity for mischief
that made him the despair OF his family
and the scourge OF his school masters,
the little girl, with the instinct OF
motherhood that belongs to the woman
heart, divining that she most OF all had
power over the wayward lad, had for
gotten her dolls in her care to keep
Gray in the way he should go. He was
her senior by few months, yet her
mental attitude might have beftted his
grandmother; and so, when at last Gray
proposed to marry her the girl simply
laughed in his face. But his need OF
her pleaded for him. In certain way
she had felt herself necessary to him
tor years, innocently exaggerating the
importance Of her influence. How little
could she guess how small was the
sweep OF her moral broom In the vide
radius of his lifei And so she might,
after all. have married him, had not
Donald Bartels, in an evil hour for
Gray, come and won her.
There had been no moiety OF loves
real passion in Antas feeling toward
her cousin; but she had been very fond
of him, in tender caretaking way,
and she had missed him out OF her life.
And now she was overjoyed to see him
again-so happy that once, when pause
came in the conversation, she caught
herself vaguely wondering why her
heart felt so strangely heavy. Joy for
the moment had utterly routed trouble
from her mind.
"But you are looking thin and pale, "
she anxiously exclaimed, when there
had been time TO study his face clearly.
"Surely you have not-I hope you have
not been ill?"
"Oh, no." with little cough that
struck terror to her heart. They grow
keen to recognize the weapons OF the
grim enemy, they who live In that dry
air where doctors send men to make
their fight with death. Il caught a lit
tie cold last spring-amere nothing, but
it seems to stick in my throat Paris
was a little too much for me, I'm afraid;
and then, you know, 1t IS never easy to
get rid of a cold in warm weather."
81 know that you never would half
take care of YOURSELF" retorted Anita,
her eyes luminous with exceeding kind
ness.
"And nobody else ever seemed to feel
called to undertake the job" with a
rueiul grimace:
"Ah, who could?" laughing.
"Who could, wouldn't" retorted
Gray, enigmatically, with bis careless
laugh.
1t was inexpressbly pleasant, with
her sore and fretted heart, TO have this
old comrade beside her, TO feel that
his resentful wrath at her had been
swept away, that she might lean again
npon her steadfast affection. There
was no time for gloomy thought in
their lively conversation, continu-
ally starting anew with, "Oi course yon
remember this" or "You cannot have
forgotten that" And Anita discovered
that she had room for two distinct
trains of reflection in her mind at
once-the one full Of reminiscent
iollity and laughter, the other
FULL of bitterness unspeakable. With
Gray beside her, dipping into the past,
laughing at his jokes and odd slang,
trouble must be kept in allegiance; but 1t
was with her none the less, to share her
inflow when at last she was at home
again, mockinR her in the darkness un-
til it seemed she must cover her head
with the sheet TO stifie her means.
Another day had come, laughing In
the Joy of Colorado's lavish sunshine.
GRAY was lazily rocking in the sitting
room hammock, while Anita, near by,
sat working at a bit Of embroidery. The
strong morning light fell tryingly on her
pale, weary face.
"Do you know, nina mia," he said, u
think must emulate your delightful
frankness, and remark that you look
inst a wee bit worse for wear? You too
are thin and pale"
''But you must remember that am
always WELL" hastily, with her bright
est smile. at has its disadvantages
too. you must know, to be so monoton-
ously sound in health in country
where the evenness OF the temperature
leaves so little TO be said about the
weather. One suffers from such pau
city of conversational matter"
"Yes?" smiling perfunctorily, while
still with keen eyes studying her face.
81 hope there Is no powder on nv
nose!" she irrelevsntly exclaimed, quiz
zlcally meeting his searching glance.
"Worse than that, Nita," he said
grayely. Something is wrong with
You. / know you too well to be de-
ceived. / wish you would tell me al
about It,"
"Well. II you insist upon lt-though
Lam afraid you will only make light
OF my sufferiugs when ! tell You," draw
ing a long face, "the fact is that my
new bonnet-aud / sent 70 New York
for it's perfect failure. am rack,
ing my brains as TO whether / shall
send It back and have 3 row about 1t,
or give my vanity the discipline of wear.
ing is as it Is"
sVanitas vonitatum," with a queer
smile. Did she think 70 take him In
with any such stuff as this?
81 have to make the most OF my op-
portunities TO indulge in vanitIes, dom,
YOU know? have to make up for such
= lot Of lost time. Do you remember
nv chronic condition OF nothing Il
wear in the days Of old? II was pitt
full"
Nobody ever looked so well dressed
as you, always" protested Gray warm,
~.
"And the worry and trouble used Il
have 10 appear even decent!p she wen,
on musingIy. Tho ripping up OF ole
dresses-the braid around the bottom
q the worst Of On old dress; you car