The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-30


face which moved him strangely.
There has been no time since | have
known you that would not have given
half my life to be free to offer you the
other half, but, until these last few days,
l have felt bound by the tie of that
foolish boy and girl engagement"
Kate questioned him with one swift
glance, but did not speak.
Now" he went oil, 81 have come to
see how great wrong should do-her''
Alice Graham's name was never easily
said between them-"by marriage
without the love which ought to be its
only sanction"
Kate flushed and started to speak.
wait" he said, "do not think have
argued from what wish. God knows l
have tried to see her honestly from her
standpoint. My great love for you has
made quick to see the misery she would
find in the knowledge that loved an
other woman.
you have never said you loved me,
but the one thing l have grown sure of
is that what will make you happy is the
right, the true way out of our trouble"
His voice had thrilled with tender
ness and depth of emotion for which
Kate was unprepared, and when she
spoke she broke silence both counted
by heartbeats.
81 have never said 1 loved YOU" she
replied gravely, "but think you know
it,
d.. Ware leaned toward her with out
stretched hands, but she checked him
with sad little gesture of denial, and
went on:
''You say my happiness is to decide
for us. am not sure that ought to be
considered at all, but even if it were it
would not be happiness for either of us
if it were the price of sorrow to-any
one else"
but can't you Sec" he began, but
she interrupted.
81 can only see we have made a bitter
mistake. Still, it is ours, and we must
should not even be happy, to try to de-
ceive ourselves into thinking otherwise"
From this position his subtlest reason
ing or most impassioned pleading could
not move her. She listened to him
quietly, with new pathetic look of suf-
fering in her eyes, but only answered to
every appeal:
1T would not be right and we should
not be happy"
II cannot feel you are right, but it
shall be as you say" he said at last
when he became convinced that she was
intlexible
sit is killing me to see you suffer, but
even that cannot make me sorry that
you love me-"
'Perhaps sometime l shall be glad"
she answered YEARLY, but now 1 can
only wish we had never known each
other" And then, with a fleeting CLEAN
of her old spirit:
you see was right about the posi-
bilities of friendship"
Eyes you were more than right" he
said gravely; "the end has been disaster
for both of us.
With the ending of Kate's visit DR..
Ware cropped so completely out of her
life that she often fancied her words had
come true and that they had never
known each other.
Mollie seemed to have guessed at a
crisis between them, and nevei men
toned his name in her letters.
If Kate was haunted by bittersweet
memories of friendship, she made no
moan and her acquaintances never
guessed it.
If she was not happy at least she was
busy in her helpful work for others.
And then, when she had grown quite
certain of never seeing him again, she
was called into the parlor one night to
find DR.. Ware waiting for her with an
open letter in his hand.
Something in his attitude recalled the
night he had come to her with Alice
Graham's picture, but his expression
was entirely different. Kate decided, in
one swift glance, that the year had, in
some way, made him stronger and
better man. She had grown little paler
when she saw him, and although she
welcomed him with quiet friendliness,
DR.. ware read nothing in her downcast
eyes.
In the old days it had often amused
her that Dr.. Ware plunged at once into
whatever subject interested him, vast
ing very little time on ordinary greet
ings, excuses or compliments, and to-
night she smiled family when he began
with his old directness: II have
brought you this to read, he said, hold
ing out the letter.
Kate took it, and, womanlike noted
that it was written on thin paper in
hand that no stress of feeling had moved
to omit a single flourish, from its copy
book precision. 1t was addressed to DR..
Ware, and, as she found by turning to
the signature, was from Alice Graham.
1t informed the doctor with muchcir-
cumlocution and neatly turned phrases
of regret that she no longer loved him,
and wished to terminate their engage
ment. She mentioned with a naivete
over which Kate smiled wickedly, that
it was hard to keep in love with person
you "seldom ever saw" and closed with
a petition for forgiveness for the pain
she inflicted upon him.
81 hope" said Kate, after little
pause, that yen fOrgave her."
He did not answer, but turned the
letter back to the date. A quick wave
of color swept over her face when she
saw that it was dated nearly a year be-
fore, very soon after the termination of
her visit.
Can you not see why l waited?' he
asked, taking her in his arms. You
were often hard on me in the old days,
sweetheart, but you had the right to jeer
at me as tickle and faithess. After the
first swift impulse to come to you, de-
termined to wait to prove to you that it
is mans love bring you, and not a
boyish fancy"
Il Think said Kate, in quite her old