Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-03-21
room


He did not Zee the little figure
crouched on the hearth-rug in the gray
Of the early morning, with all her ball
room finery crushed and torn, and with
slim hands clasped over her eyes, to
shut out the light that Knocked her mis-
cry.
He only knew that month later the
society journals chr 'nicledher departure
with her aunt, for a tour of Europe.
After that he put down his pain with
a strong hand liz had told Clare that
he would not permit this to spoil his lie,
and he meant 1t.
He toiled at his desk day after day land
fame and wealth came o him, as it some
times c. mes to those for whom these
things have lost their charm. And If
his heart was sometimes burdened with
| The old sad refrain, ''It might have been"
none guessed 1t.
Only people said that Guy Stuart was
50 devoted to his profession that he had
no time for the frivolities of fashionable
society"
One day in early spring, when the
soft air came stealing in at his Office
windows, bringing sweet reminder OF
green turf. and trees glorious with bios
SONS. and all the beauty in which nature
was arraying herself, outside the dusty
turmoil of the city, great longing came
upon him to visite again that old farm
house among the green hills.
The dav was drawing to a close, and
all the west was dyed in crimson and
j gold, when he stolled down the vel
remembered path from the village to the
farmhouse.
How little it had all changed Tht
trees were heavy with their pink gloi
of blossoms, as they had been tina
morning, wears ago, when he met he
first.
Under one of the old willow trees
where the last rays of the san shone full
on the sweet, proud face and turned tn
soft braids of her hair to shining gold
sat the woman who had made all tn
sweetness and all the bitterness of hi
life
And seeing her thus, all the conven
tional words of greeting were forgotten
and all his soul spoke in the passionat
t cry, "Clare! Clarel" as he stood befor
5 her with outstretched arms.
She shivered little, but looked at hiI
with proud, dauntless eyes.
what brings you here?" she sal
' harshly.
"Can YOU ask me, Clare? Because m
+ life has grown intolerable. 1t is weel
: and months since even stray new
! paper paragraph has brought me an
Z tidings of you, and came down hei
e to live over again for little while TIL
brief, bright summer = the one GOO
Q time of all my life. I did not even kno
YOU had returned from abroad"
/ Then you have not heard why
5 returned to the old homer 1t is becau
# it is all that is left to me. My fortune
all swallowed upin my uncle's specul
II tons am as poor as the silly girl yc
e wooed and deserted years ago Perhar
n knowing this, your life will not see
II so intolerable without me"
s "Clare, is it so' he exclaimed. "Tht
.t1you will-you must-believe me no
that it is yourself | love, and no loss I
Z gain of wealth can make any differenc
would never have spoken again but f,
II this. But I know you love me, ar
you shall not wreck both our lives f
:. the sake of this silly PRIDE"
1t Before the truth and love in his ey'
t. her long resentment vanished, and
/. took her in his arms and held her clos
t. while the gray twilight closed abo,
o them. and the murmur of the lit
brook sounded like happy laughter.