The Washington times., 1894-10-14

same time ha rever for one moment forcave
that miss D. thing; the absence Of which
made it i-Ll .= that sne should awake in
him that warmer feeling she had so easily
aroused in others. He regarded her as some
thing beautiful, magnificent, sublime; but
like Niagara or Etna TO be observed rom
safe distance. she had not seen the ring
which he had worn on his glOved hand the
previous evening: II was not his purpose that
she should recognize it.
They chatted OF the ball. Of the books the
music and the flowers popular at that period=
she most Of the time'thinkinc now different
he was from other men whom she had known
and he engrossed with the idea that she was
little better than female Frankenstein, q
modern Medusa. Then he arrfUlly swsrved
the current OF the conversation and made the
human heart. its duties, requirements and
possibilities the subject. HereupoD they failed
TO agree. Her views were too abnormal, too
/ inhuman in fact 70 meet the approval Of the
severe, matter-Oi-fact Young officer. He held
her 20 be unsympathetic, unfeeling.
But Clydes whole soul was IN his subject:
he argued his cause well, and sent shaft after
shaft into the breast Of the woman before
him. who little dreamed OF the brief or facts,
N the possession Of her opponent. But she
gave no OutWSrd sign that she had been
touched by the force Of his logic In fact,
her every response confirmed him il his be-
lief OF her utter cailOUsness- Her theory
seemed TO be that matters relative TO the affec-
tons should not be regarded nor treated
I seriously. She even went further, and gave
/ it as her Opinitn. based upon experience and
/ observation, that love was but q passing
[ fancy. and she challenged Clyde to point 10 a
/ single instance in real life where it had proved
lasting after brief absence or where II had
been so since that the loss OF il led to despair
or death.
This was the opportunity he wished With
/ out mentioning their proper names he Sc
I lected herself and the dead Clayton for his
| characters in the life drama. which he pict-
ured so faithfully that even his listener was
/ conscious of a feeling Tot precisely similar TO
any she had heretofore experienced. Not one
/ incident, not point that strengthened his
/ position was lost sight Of; not detail that
was not we'll and thoroughly developed. The
/ dead man under the mesQuit tree in the lonely
canon might not have been more graphically
presented had the scene been spread upon
canvas before her.
At its conclusion she made a motion indiea-
/ tive of unrest Was she endeavoring TO shake
/ of the emotion his story had provoked? This
action. together with her repeated assertions
that no living being over died of broken
heart or OF despair, impelled Clyde to act
promptly. He drew the lOeket from his
pocket and placing it in her lap said: Per
NIT me to convince you TO the contrary. I
found this on the neck of the dead man
whose story you have just listened to.
She raised the jewel and there was per-
eeptibe tremble of her hand as she opened
it and gazed upon her own face An instant
later an expression denOting acute pain over
spread her cOuntenance. The hand holding
the locket frightened its clasp and with a
spasmodic movement was pressed hard
against her heart. Clyde watched her in
tently. A moment later he saw the beautiful
eyes soften. he saw q heavenly expression
steal into the ripe, full lips and over the ex-
quisite face.
"Ah. now she is perfect" he exclaimed
mentally ''AIl that was lacking is now
found. Oh, how beautiful One may see
now that she has a soul-a spirit
But he erred. The moment that he spoke
that spirit left her body.
OF course, to neither. Clyde nor Swinton
was the mystery ever fully explained. They
could only guess that after Clayton had re-
| eeived the ring from Holmes Miss Thorpe
/ had scOrnfully upDraided him for seeking to
| win her by taking her words literally and
| had owned to him her love for his rival
/ Driven frantic by this reception Clayton
| probably hurried away to become despair
/ ing Wanderer, while Miss Thorpe, after
| marrying Holmes, discovered that the power
4 he exercised over her was not real love. That
/ Holmes did not reclaim his ring, which he
/ must have recognized. from Clyde. was only
1 70 be accounted for on the theory that he was
| aware OF the loss of his wifes affection and
/ feared to make any case Of the ring at all lest
/ the memory OF Clayton should in some way
be aroused by it. Which happened, in spits
Of him--Philadelphia Press.