The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-07-17
SHE'S ALL THU
WORLD TO ME-.
By HALL GAME,
author Of "7pIe Ndnrmdn," "The Deem
stcr," etc.
CHAPTER Xxx

strange beauty at every step. When two
souls first pour ont their flood of love
whatever the present happiness it is the
unconscious sense of glad future that |
thrills them. 1t was the half conscious
sense Of a sad past shared together that |
touched these two tonight.
81 feel like another man." said Chris |
tian. ITO have the weight of these six |
years of disguise lifted away is new |
birth" He seemed to breathe more freely
How glad I am it is gone, this haunt !
ing secret, said Mona, with sigh of re.
let Bat Suddenly a fresh torment suggest
ed itself "Whet will people sayH' she
asked
Don't think of that Let people say
what they will In these relations of life
the world has always covered its nakedness
in the musty rags of its old conventions
and dubbed its clothes morality. Wen
not heed what people say Mona"
But the childy said the girl, with
some tremor of voice. Christian answered
the half uttered question.
"Ruby is as much my daughter as Ra-
Chel was the daughter of Laban, and you
are even now as much my wife as she was
the wife of Jacob. -
1hOil SlhllC'N up IiuO illS ldOO. NhI
this be, Chrstian2" she thought.
Where one man sets himself apart for
one woman" he continued, there is true
marriage, whether the mystic symbol of
the church be used or not. No; I've feared
the world too long mean to face it
now"
"I'm afraid don't understand, Chris
tian, answered Mona. "But surely to de-
fly the world is foolishness and marriage
is a holy thing
He stopped and, with a smile, kissed
the girl tenderly. "Never fear, darling,
that shall be made as the world wants it.
was thinking of the past not the future
And if ours was a sin it was one Of pas
sion only, and we whispered each other
did we not, that he who gave the love
would forgive its transgression" Then
they walked on. In the distance the hill
above glowed red through the darkness.
Dannys Contrary fire, which had smol-
dered all day, showed brightly again.
ooh, how glad ! am that all is Overt"
repeated the girl, creeping closer beneath
Christians arm. You said tonight to
your father that secret sin Is a cOrrOding
thing. How truly I've felt it so when I've
thought of my own poor father. You
never knew him. He died before you
came to us. He was good, simple man
and loved us though perhaps he left us
poorer than we might have been and more
troubled than we were in the old days at
Glen Rushen."
mo, Inever knew him, but the thought
OF him has stung me to the quick when
I've seen his daughter working for daily
bread. 1t has been then that I've felt my.
sell the nearest Of men. "
Christian" continued Mona, regard
less of the interruption, have you ever
thought that the dead are links that con
meet us with the livingP
How"
"Wcll, in this way. From our kin in
heaven we can have no secrets, and when
the living kin guess our hidden thought,
our secret act, perhaps it has been our
dead kin who have whispered of it"
THAT is strange fancy, Mona, an
awful fancy. Few of us would dare to
have secrets If we accepted it"
They were approaching the cottage and
could hear merry child's voice singing.
Listen, said Mona, and they stopped.
Then the girls head dropped Tears were
again in her eyes.
She's been sorrow as we'll as happiness
TO you, my brave Mona, said Christian.
And he put her arms about his neck.
The girl lifted her face TO his in the
darkness. That's true, she said. "Ah
how often in the early days did gaze into
the face of my fatherless little one and
feel touch Of awe in the presence Of the
mute soul that lay behind the speeches:
baby face, and wonderif some power above
had told it something that its mother
must needs hide from 1t, and II, when II
spoke, it would reproach me with Its OWL
shame or pity me for mine"
Christian smoothed her hand tenderly
IF the child suffered, he said, "befor,
her race of life began, let it be mine hence
forth to make it up to her with all tina
love can yet do"
And when heard its cry" said Mona
'its strange, pitiful cry as it awoke from
that mystery, baby's troubled dream
and locked Into rs rcd, startled eyes AM
into its little face, all liquid grief, ant
said, It's only a dream, darling, tn
thought has sometimes stolen up to m.
heart that perhaps some evil spirit ha'
whispered to 1t the story of its shame, 70
what else had it to cry about so bitterlyp'
Christian kissed her again, great gull
in his throat YES" he said, Gin the eye
Of men we may have wronged the child
but in the eternal world when these few
painful years are as a span, she will b
ours indeed, and God will not ask by RICH
Of what symbol we claim her.
They had walked to the gate.
wait, said Mona and ran toward tn
door.
Christian thought she had gone to prC
pare her mother, but, returning in an In
slant, and on tiptoe, with the light c
laughter struggling through her tears, sh
bcckoned him to follow her with stealth
tread. Creeping up to the window, sh
took his hand and whispered, Look"
They were standing in the darkness an
cold, but the house within was bright TIL
winters night with one little human flow
cr in bloom Ruby had dressed the kitche
in hibbin and hollen and had scattere
wheaton -four over the red berries to resen
BILE snow. She was standing near Mrs. Or
gems knee being undressed for bed. Hi
heart had leaped all day at the thought {
a new hat which she was TO wear for II
first time next morning. This treasul
had been hung on a peg over the plat
above the dresser, and at intervals MOI
or less frequent Ruby twisted about an
cooked her eye up at it. 1t took worl