Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-12-24
up tho lead,ng sociery paper from the

table.
For a moment only her face flushed
with the light of secret pleasure. There
in clear but dainty Typography, was the
last poem which she had written. Inc
next moment her expression mirrored
the changes of anger, grief, moral re-
sentiment and Indignation and finally
betrayed conflict Of all these i'm
pulses. She leaned back i'll the chair,
closed her eyes and sat motionless,
without sign of consciousness save the
tears that escaped from under her long,
dropping eyelashes.
The cause? At the bottom of the poem
was the signature Phoebe. When at
last she arose from her lethargy she
made a hurried examination of more
papers, There she found other OF her
poems with the same false signature at
tached. 1t was little sleep or rest that
came to her eyes until she had possessed
herself of the principal elements in her
complication of conscience. These were
that the ambitious mother had placed
the poems with the various editors, leav-
ing the latter with tho we'll defined i'm
preston that they were tho work OF her
daughter This impression became gem
orally communicated to the social cir
Giles in which the Graveses moved and
the compliments which were brought to
the young woman were certainly not re-
PEELED. The invitations and attentions
received by the daughter were fatter-
lug and Mrs. Graves was apparently
happy in the success Of her shrewd
movement.
One moment Miss Shepherd was ex-
ultant with determination to follow
high sense Of duty and reasoned with
herself:
Eyes, / must expose the whole thing.
It is base, dishonest, oppressive and cor
rupt 1t is worse than stealing. 1t will
be an awful ordeal for all, but l must
expose the wickcdness Of it. " The next
moment she would temper her high de.
termination with the reflection, But
what about my promise to Phoebe? To
expose that sham would be to put an
end to all relations between Frank Hy-
att and the poor girl. He would despise
her forever and her mother more than
she All their wealth would not weigh
with his impulsive Judgment and fine
sense Of honor against such hollow
and revolving sham, and it would crush
the child. Then Mrs. Graves bought the
poems and only the signature OF
Phoebe was attached, just As any pen
name might have been had it not hap.
pened to have been the given name OF
her daughter.
One day, while passing the publica.
ton Office Of the society paper in which
the poems of Phoebe bad appeared, the
impulse to go in, have an interview with
the editor and end the whole cruel strug-
gle seized her. She entered the corridor
Of the building and was walking to the
elevator with the desperate haste of one
fearful that courage might give place to
hesitation when a cheerful voice ex.
claimed
ooh, Gracel Pardon me for stopping
you, but wish to see you for mo-
ment. Would you mind stepping over to
the Masonic temple moment with mo?
We can have AL opportunity to chat III
freedom and seclusion on one Of those
inviting benches in the corridor OF an
upper floor. That place is a perpetual
inspiration to me. Its height seems to
provoke in me corresponding elevation
OF thought. l do some of my best think
ing ON those benches, where | can peer
over the rail into the depths below"
She silently acceded to his sugges-
ton.
"Isn't that rs artistic as an old fash.
toned hearthside settler" he asked as
they took seats on one of the oak
benches. First" he continued, Il
want to tell you Of the disgusting trick
that the Gravcscs are guilty of. You may
not know it, but was out to luncheon
with the editor Of Society the other day
and he told me that
Eyes, l know all about that" inter
rupted his companion.
"You do! Well, | shouldn't have
been surprised, for it's just like your
generosity and forbearancc to suffer
thing like that for tho sake Of others
and the fear of injuring their feelings
But ! wouldn't have your conscience
not for an interest in Tho Century Mag
azine or bicycle mandatory. 1t SIM
ply sickened me, and I've not been to
their house since, you know.
"But. Grace, that isn't q beginning
of what want to say to You. Let me
finish now. Ever since you tied my red
scarf for me at recess that winter day
in the old Gray Willow schoolhouse
have known that loved you. But am
bition has kept me out of the kingdom
Of your love. If stay out any longer,
it will be because you shut me out y
Then with an exultant laugh he added,
"And you wouldn't do that when an
eastern house has just accepted my
novel, would you?"
To cry or to laugh becomes COM
pulsory choice at certain moments in
woman's life. This was such a moment
and as environments were unpropitious
for weeping she chose the other alterna-
tive and, echoing his mood, laughingly
responded:
THAT would seem q bit cruel, and,
besides, all my collection Of printed slips
from publishers, Declined with thanks,
are at home"
With the drop of the elevator which
carried the reunited lovers to the ground
floor ended the literary career of a young
society girl and burden on the con-
Ecience Of her Puritanical companion
was as swiftly dissolved. Chicago
Evening Post
The Stamp Did Not Work.
A Belgian physician who stands very
high professionally at home and is gen.