Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-12-17

had developed in him . stern self-re
preston.
One evening after an hours solitar.
reflection on the situation, he ga
down and wrote:
He enclosed the paper in an en-
velope, sealed it, and wrote across tn
back, Compact with myself, to b.
kept until Oct 16, $780,"
Two years had passed. Clara Ray
mond had Just returned from sh0r'
season abroad. on one of the stauncf
and safe Cunarders
One bright crisp morning she paid
a visit to the Art Museum in COpley
Square. She wanted to inspect some
copies of Grecian statuettes and
groups, the originals of which she
bad seen in the British Museum.
A few visitors were coming and 60
ing through the doors of the museum,
but Clara did not see any OF her own
acquaintance. She was looking well,
but there was a pensive expression in
her brown eyes. Eric had called to
see her the evening before. His man
ner had puzzled her. He had no
longer the free, hearty friendliness OF
their earlier acquaintance. He had
greeted her with manifest pleasure
shining in his eyes, and afterwards
made his adieus in a cold, constrained
manner She wondered if the pub
fishing firm in which he was junior
partner, was embarrassed. He had
talked of his short trip to the Pacific
coast in disjointed sentences.
He had acted his part bunglingly.
It is not easy for big heart to stay
it's genial currents.
There was troubled undercurrent
in Clara's thought, as she passed
through the rooms slowly. She
fingered some time in the Egyptian
room, amid mummies, scarabs, frag-
ments of sulpture, hicroglyphics, and
all the sacred relics of past civiza-
tion, torn by profane hands from
Their resting places. She wondered
what was the history of the princess
whose face and form were pictured in
the glass case. She fancied the spirits
of these mummif1ed bodies wander
ing back at last to be reunited with
them, only to find that the sacred
tombs had been despoiled of their
silent inmates.
Clara found her way into one of the
Greek rooms. AS she stood studying
a statuette of Hercules with the
golden apples in his hand, she heard
familiar voices. They were the voices
of women. She turned to see them,
but they were hidden from her view
behind some tall marble figures.
81 have known him for years." one
voice was saying. tHe isn't the kind
of man to love second time. That
Maud Blanchard was little idiot.
She threw Eric over for a handsome
dissipated creature. She has prob
ably begun already to harvest her re-
grets."
Clara would scorn to be a listener,
yet the name of Eric seemed to root
her to the spot.
mo doubt of that" returned the
other. "What do you think Of his at
tentions to Miss Raymond"
81 think he is acting wrongly. A
man has no right to win girls love
unless he can return it. have seen
them together. and I know that she
has become strongly attached to him.
But he-will never get beyond friend
ship. and he'll keep other men away.
He doesn't know that he is selfish.
He doesn't realize that he is worng-
ing ANYBODY"
Clara's face had by this time grown
white as the statues around her. She
managed to move softly beyond the
reach of their voices. One she did
not recognize, the other was that of
Mrs Mansfield, one of her friends,
though by no means an intimate.
Clara was conscious that sting had
been planted in her breast One
sentence, seemed to separate from
the others, and pound loudly upon her
ear-drum. 81 have seen them to-
gether, and I know that she has be-
come strongly attached to him." Her
pride was in arms. She had been
giving love for an ordinary friend
ship, and all her world was talking
about it! She was receiving ri6icule
and pity,-not sympathy, but the in
tolerable pity which was an insult to
her womanhood.
She had known of Maude Blanch-
ard, but the knowledge had made lit
tie impression upon her. She had
not thought of love in the first place
1t had stolen upon her insidiously.
In fact she had only just been re-
yealed to herself, and the revelation
had been a shock. He had said 'com-
radship," and she had accepted the
compact He had been fair enough.
But she-she had failed to guard her
self against giving an unsought love,
and was now face to face with con-
fusion. Yes now she understood his
peculiar manner towards her. He
had detected her liking and was try
ing to prevent its growth.
With tempest in her breast, Clara
moved round mechanically among the
white figures which still seemed In.