The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-17


night she came to Greyhope, patted it
in a fatherly fashion and said: 1T is
the wrong way about. Lali. i ought to
be thanking you; not you me. Why,
look, what stupid old fogy was then.
toddling about the place with too much
time on my hands, reading lot and
forgetting everything, and here you
came in, gave me something to do, made
the little know Of any use and ran
pretty gold wire down the rusty fiddle
of life. II there are any speeches Of
gratitude TO be made, they are mine
they are mine. +"
Richard, she said very quietly and
grayely, II owe you more than / can
ever say--in English. You have taught
me To speak in your tongue enough for
all the usual things of life, but one can
only speak from the depths of ones
heart in ones native tongue. And see,"
she added, with a painful little smile,
''how strange it would sound if were
to tell you all thought in the language
of my people-of my people whom /
shall never see again. Richard, can you
understand what it must be- to have a
father whom one is never likely to see
again--whom If one did see again some
thing painful would happen? We grow
away from people against our will; we
feel the same toward them, but they
cannot feel the same toward us, for
their world is in another hemisphere.
We want to. love them, and we love.
remember and are glad to meet them
again, hut they feel that we are unfa-
miliar, and because we have grown diff
ferent outwardly they seem to miss
some chord that used to ring. Richard,
II She paused.
eyes, Lai," he assented, Eyes, un-
derstand you 80 far, but speak OUT
Il am not Irappy," she said. "Inever
shall be happy. / have my child. and
that is all / have / cannot go back to
the life in which Twas born. must go
on as i am, stranger among strange
people, pitied, suffered, cared for lit
tle-and that is all. /"
The nurse had drawn away little
distance with the child. The rest of the
family We're making their preparations
inside the house. There was no one
near to watch the singular little drama.
'You should not say that" he add
ed. I'VE all feel you to be one of u.s.
"But all your world does not feel me
TO be one of them, she rejoined.
"We shall see about that when you
go up to town. You are bit morbid,
Lali. / don't wonder at your feeling
little shy, but then you will simply car
1x,f tal<
word for it, for know London pretty
we'll"
She held out her ungloved hands.
''Do they compare with the white hands
of the ladies you know" she said
They are about the finest hands
have ever seen," he replied. "You
can't see yourself, sister of mine.'
Il do not care very much to see my
SELF" she said. ''If had not a maid,
/ expect should look very shiftless, for
i don't care to look in mirror. My
only mirror used to be a stream of water
in sSmmer she added, land corner
of looking glass got from the Hudson's
Bay fort in the winter"
We'll, you are missing lot Of en-
joyment," he said. IF You do not use
your mirror much. The rest of US can
appreciate what you would see there"
She reached out and touched his arm.
"Do you like to look at me?" she ques-
toned, with n strange simple candor.
For the first time in many year Rich
ard Armour blushed like girl fresh
from school. The question had come so
suddenly, il had gone so quickly into
sensitive corner of his nature, that he
lost command of himself for the instant,
yet had little idea why the command was
lost He touched the fingers on his arm
affectionately.
Like to look at you? Like to look
at you? Why, of course, we all like to
look at you. You are very fine and
handsome--and interesting. =.
Richard" she said, drawing her
hands away, "is that why you like to
look at me?"
He had recovered himself He laugh
ed in his old hearty way and said:
"Yes, yes. Why, of course. Come, let
MS go and see the boy" he added, TAX
ing her arm and hurrying her down the
steps. Come and let us see Richard
Joseph, the pride of all the Armours. "
She moved beside him in a kind of
dream She had learned much since she
came to Greyhope, but yet she could
not at that moment have told exactly
why she asked Richard the question
that had confused him. nor did she
know quite what lay behind the quos-
ton. But every problem which has life
works itself ont 20 its appointed end If
fumbling human fingers do not meddle
with il. Half the miseries of this world
are caused by forcing issues, in every
problem Of the affections, the emotions
and the soul There is law working
with which there should be no tamper-
ing. lest in foolish interruption come
only confusion and disaster. Against
every such question there should be
written the one word, wait.
Richard Armour stopped over the |
child. "a beauty" he said. "a perfect |
litflo oopfla.pon Iiko Richard Jaaefh /