The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-17

this fiattcring assurance, but somehow
her affection for her father rose in pro-
test against her lovers sweeping char.
acterization She liked (Gs who docs
notO TO think herself radiantly excep-
tional from the rest of .her kind and
sne was profoundly EratcIul 70 l5run
for solving. as it were, by tbs suggcs-
tion the riddle Of her character. She
felt in the imnemost core of her being
this winged aspiration, this ardent sym
pathy with all that is great, sublime
and glorious But for all that the im-
piled disparagement Of her father
wounded her.
"You do not know my father" she
said, "or you would rot speak Of him
as you do.
eyes, / read him much more clearly
than either he or you may suspect. 1t
is from your father you have the lift in
you, the fire, the Promethean quality.
That ring i'm your voice which thrills
one with delirious hints and rapturous
suggestions. that came from him, even
though he may never have had the
gift Of song But your father, like
pottage-that is to say, a country par
sonage. He did what every one must do
in this blasted twopenny country Of
ours if he is 10 make what the world
calls a success. He must quench, sur
render, eradicate all that is best and
noblest in him, close definitely and for
ever the top story Of himself and live
contentedly with wife and progeny on
the ground floor. II is this your father
has done, but he has saved from the
closed upper story his fiddle, in which
there yet trembles an echo Of the time
before he had surrendered his ideals and
settled down to base contentmont over
the comfortable feshpots of Egypt. "
There was SO warm an eloquence in the
young mans voice that Hulda, though
she was not quite satisfied could not
find it in her heart TO protest, and sure
ly there was more truth than she could
afford to admit in this luminous aualy-
sis. She felt with a vague pang that he
had furnished her with clcw 90 her
fathers character All that had been
dominant in her life before had some
how lest its significance, and even her
tilial loyalty sank out of sight All her
emotions became merged in passionate
allegiance TO this man who had walked
her from her torpor, made her conscious
Of her worth and made lifo noble and
beautiful in her sight To say that she
loved him seemed but a feeble way Of
expressing the intensity of admira-
ton. Tenderness and devotion She felt
for him. His voice Was music TO her
ears, and his every motion seemed full
Of distinction and grace. There was no
form of perfection with which she did
not clothe him, no virtue which she did
not attribute to him. And, lol by a mi
raculous coincidence she had awakened
similar sentiments in his heart, and by
a marvellous and beuevolently scheming
fate they were led together in the mid
die Of the night, and here they were
seated, like Lorenzo and Jessica, reioic-
ing in each others lovelincss.
They had lapsed into silence now,
and the minutes hastened away, charged
TO the full with delight There was to
him something so delicious, distracting,
maGdening in this close proximity that
he had to spring up and pace the floor,
though he was in constant danger Of
running against exposed chairs and
crickets. But he soon returned to her
and clasped her once more in his arms.
She was so exquisitely alive A warm,
fresh, beautiful vitality throbbed be-
meath his touch and sent little shivers
of rapture rippling through him. She
was so touchingly virginia. All the no.
BILE fullness of life with which God had
invested her was intact, unexpended.
Artist as he was, first and last he had
an acute aesthetic appreciation of her
loyeliness, which, in so far rs it i'm
piled reflection, was in its effect sober
ing. The mere savage zest Of sensation
he rarely INDUCED in because Of this
keen, artistic consciousness, which
made him analyze his delight and ac-
count for it, She was by far the more
primitive nature and closer 60 the soil.
She had redder blood and more heed
lessly passionate heartbeat 1t did not
occur TO her in the generosity of her ar
dor that they had exchanged no VOWS,
and that no word he had uttered point
ed beyond the moment
There was something solemn, vast
and overwhelming in the stiffness Of
the night and the all encompassing
gloom. Human standards Of right and
wrong seemed petty and artificial and
only the strong voice Of nature remain
ed. The embers in the stove which had
smoldered under "a transparent veil Of
ashes, collapsed with "a faint nCire, and
the little circle Of dimly illuminated
dusk shrank 10 a mere hand S breath
about the open door But in the same
moment another noise was heard, which
was distinctly that of footsteps, and a
ray of light penetrated through the key
hole from the adjoining room. Olaf
Brun started up in alarm and was half
way across the floor when tho door
opened, and the pastor in long Nad-
ded dressing gown entered, carrying a
candle. He was evidently not in search
of anybody, for his face was placid and
his eyes were serene. But suddenly as
the light of the candle fell upon the en-.
gineor the old man started back in sur
prise, then gazed with a puzzled frown
at his visitor.
well, young man, >" he began with
mild reprobation, "may l ask on what
errand you are prowling about at this
time of nightl"
brun, stunned with embarrassment
grasped the back Of the chan and re-
fur-uad fha ,,acf,.fs r,..... .r-ftl. los.loea