The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-23
He Was q Coward.

| IlC WAS UIdFC udH. 1HdG do GilC
rock k-established fact concerning him.
No person could boast of having seen
him cringe or grow a shade paler or
hold his breath while the blood beat in
his temples, and that was saying
great deal for he was not unused to
danger in it's most savage form. He
commanded instant respect and admi-
ration.
And yet he was an arrant coward.
He was not aware of it in the least,
and if he had known it he would prob
ably have wrathfully, Indignantly
punished himself by going straight to
her and forcing himself to say his
mind, but the trouble was he was so
blissfully, sweetly unconscious of it.
Even she did not know he was afraid
of her. If she had been like most
women she would have seen it, dim
Piled and laughing over it, laughed at
him but she was not like other wo-
men. That was why she frightened
him so.
He had seen women in his day, any
number Of them, and they had never
alarmed him; in fact, he. had never
thought much about them. They
were dainty butterflies to be kept in
the sunshine and out of the wind, and
who rather depended upon and looked
up to him. They were all we'll enough,
but they tired him, and he wondered
how the older men could endure the
same routine all their lives. But,she
had poise Of her own and seemed
self sufficient. He had never analzyed
it out, and in puzzled way concluded
it must be the way she dressed her
hair or wore her gowns or the scent of
violets which wavered about her.
There was always tormenting idea in
his mind that his presence alone did !,
not call up the tempting half smile on
her lips, and that her clear eyes
would still have the look of quiet hap
piness in their depths if he was not
there. She looked just that way
when she talked to the doting old
pensioner of eighty of the ragged
newsboy on the corner. 1t showed
very nice spirit in her, and yet he was
selfish enough to wish that sometimes
when he went away the gentle lightin
her face would fade. 1t never had
yet, because he always looked back to
see.
He was quite well aware that he was
in love with her, but stillhe had never
told her, simply because he had never .
wanted to enough to warrant thinking :
about.it. 1t contented him perfectly
to sit opposite her in the green and
gold room and watch the play Of her
face and the flashing motion of her
white fingers in the embroidery she .
loved to do. She looked so thoroughly i.
sweet and comfortable and homelike,
and when she laughed, as she did
once in awhile, it tinged the whole
room with rose color, and he would sit
smiling silently while the coal snapped
in the CRATE.
There came time when the thought
came to his mind that this dreamy joy
could not last eternally, and it quite
reused him to consider what he should
do if some other man were to forever
debar him from his seat in the green
and gold room where he watched her.
debar him by means of an insignificant
bit of gold and half dozen sanctifed
words. So he resolved to ask her to
marry him. The resolve did not throw
him into a nervous fever nor break his
calm security. 1t was very simple
matter when one looked at it in the
right light-a few He-,iiajghtly said,
look from the eyes and the thing was
done. 1t did not occur to him that he
should be afraid. That was because
he did not know he was coward.
So he dropped into his old place that
night and watched her little while. :
He half opened his lips to begin when
she glanced at him brightly as she
made some passing remark. He did
not. speak for he was bewildered at the
tremendous chill which suddenly made
itself manifest all over him in most
extraordinary manner. He had never
before known her eyes to drive all
thoughts from his mind and tangle his
tongue inextricably. He could not
comprehend why he continued to make
remarks on the weather and invent
sallies about the last opera. He was
certain that he could say what he
wanted to if she would only keep her
eyes on her work, but he was not sure
that she would not look at him again
and he did not want to experience an
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