The evening times., 1896-12-22

Three hours later the man sat at CHEEKY
little dinner in London, little farewell
meal with a few old college friends After
which he went on board his steamer and
walked the deck in the starlight. with a
pipe for consolation, as he thought OF the
poor and lonely girl be had left. and longed
for money to bring him his desire. And 80
absorbing were these thoughts that the
pipe went out, and still he paced to and
fro, unheeding, until at last his elbow being
logged accidentally, be came back to the
near present again, and, taking his cold
pipe from ms liIs- tapped IL on the rail
Then, while the ashes were yet floating
down on toIthe water, he went below TO
his berth and slept soundly.
-i..u tne ;.IrI Sr.,,.ia scNcu and sewed all
the evening by the light OF the cheap oil
lamp, and siniled suffly with her lips, and
tried not TO depress her mother. And then
she went to her room and packed her box
to go governessing on the morrow And
after while she went TO bed and there
she lay with wide eyes and watched the
noonlight on the window and her heart felt
widowed, hopeless, and would not be
cheered. And Just as the dawn was
breaking great sob shook her, and at last
tears came. And then she buried her
head 10 muffle the sound Of her weeping.
And then She slept until it was time to
rise again and face her loneliness.
Your letters are SO friendly, dear
est, SO at ominahly friendly: they verify
starve my heart. Oh. why am l net rich
enough TO throw up this drudgery and
come home to you, and hold you in my
arms again, and make you say you love
me? / have II so over our parting again
and again to make self believe that all
you said then is really true. Write me a
real love letter next time, darling, to help
me to bear up.
The girls checks were flushed, and her
eyes held happiness as she sat by the
school room table, with the piled up work
basket neglected before her, and read the
words again and again.
And the Gays, anu the weeks. and the
months, and the years passed on, and the
pile of love letters which came to the girl
grew in bulk. Sometimes they were de-
spOndent, sometimes cheerful. sometimes
hurried, sometimes tender, and sometimes
the treasured space was overfuii of de
scriptions of new friends or strange places.
But the letters never failed to come, and
the man never failed to long for the riches
which could bring him to the girls side
and make life happy for them.
And the girl longed and longed that she
might meet her lover, il only for a day;
that they might look each into the others
afresh Some cynic told her that love
was fleetins, question merely of propin-
quity; but that cynic had not really meant
to bruise the girls enduring heart. Be
sides. the cynicisn was not always true for
this girl love was strong as ever-strunger
Why should not the mans be the same?
He was better equipped for fighting doubts
and fears. But the waiting was bitterly
ionS.
AtIaSt, when endurance was becoming a
habit. there came a shock a shock of Joy
Just business matter, Just money, Just
repentance to the amount of $500 a year
out of the thousands OF an erstwhile, un-
forgiving uncle. But f50O year to a
little governess, to waiting lover! 1t
was ecstasy.
The school room was a paradise that
morning: the voices of the children were as
angels songs. For the waiting, the drudg-
cry the anxiety were over Bliss lay
within blue envelope: Joy was inscribed
in straight lines of copperplate caligraphy.
But the girl uttered no word of her happi-
ness; it seemed too wonderful, and she
wanted to realize it. and think
decd of gift. An anonymous decd of
gift-that would be the thing, the girl
decided. She would not keep one penny
of 1t back. There seemed something cal
culating and mercenary in setting aside
part for herself; besides, it would be all
the same in the end. A deed of gift of
$500 a year to BERTHE! 1t was worth
all the waiting, and the pain, and the work k.
THIS was her reward.
So the girl carried out her secret plans
with light heart and a happy brow, and
the joyful message went across the sea
to the man, In the copper-plate cahgraphy
OF tue lawyers clerk; while the giri her