Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-11-10
In AFTER YEARS.

cousin drag him with her TO such beast
ly crush Thon suddenly he became con-
sCious that be was not so alone and unob.
served as he Imagined.
A girl was sitting in low chair nearly
facing him, n twinkle of amusement In
her eyes as they met his own.
"StcphaDie Is It indeed your"
at Is indeed" she returned. 81 have
been watching you for the last ten mir
utos, feeling so sorry for you"
81 was bored to extinction" he allowed,
smiling back Mt her.
Indeed, she pondcrcd reflectively. at
all depends how ono looks Mt It, don't you
know. For instance, Mrs. Calender usu-
rly has lot Of celebrities, and then. too,
one may always be certain of hearing real
ly good music
"Do you still sing, Stcphanicf"
ayes, indeed. ] am going to sing for
Mrs. Calender presently"
at is SO long since heard you" Ran
dial Stacey went on dreamily "Do you
remember those summer evenings when
you used to play and sing to us between
the lightsY You arc very littlo changed,
Stephanic, since those old days. How
Where have you been all this time, and
what have you been doingY'
"Didn't you know where l wasY' she
asked quietly.
"Yo es, heard at tho time, butt
"But you thought 1t best not to go and
see for yourself, she put in, with n tingc
of mockery in her clear, sweet voice.
She lifted her eyes to his and met his
gaze in silence-a silence that made him
vaguely uncomforta ho
81 was young and foolish" she said
presently, speaking in calm, matter of
fact tone, land Mt the time did not un.
dcrstand what was perfectly plain to mo
alterward. IL was extremely dense of me,
/ admit"
"You are speaking in enigmas," he re.
joined triiie brusquCly and awk wartlly
81 wish you'd no u little more explicit"
Ehero was u pause, during which the
thoughts of each had flown back to that
past no had conjurcd up.
give years ago-how long IL seems.
Much can happen in that time, and much
has happened. You IRE changed, for in
stance. You have grown visibly older by
those five years"
This was not tho Stcphnnic ho had
known in "thOsc old days" and yet how
sweet and altogether desirable she seemed
Eyes" she went on, you were different
then, or clso II glamour lay oycryou that !
was too infatuated TO see through. Re
member how l wOrshipcd your beauty,
how believed you to bo all that was grand
and noble"-tho laughing mockery in her
tones made him wircc--''so painfully
and foolish of mo, was IL not?
You told me n fortune lay in my voice
do you rCCollcct?-and you were inclined
to rave over my little sketches of charau.
ter, but still. when was left alone in the
world, to sink or swim MS best might,
you rCirained from holding out helping
hand To me, when word from you, who
had already won your way in the literary
world, might hayesaved ire many II for
lorn, heartbrokcn hour, and
81 didn't know ~ broke in Stacey eager
ly. "Belieye me, knew nothing, OF |
would have helped you. would have
done anything for you, Stcphunie."
"You didn't know' she echoed. "BuL
you yourself pointed out my capabilities,
Of which l was ignorant"
eyes, yes, know" he protested. "One
says what ono can to encourage, of course,
but saw nothing to make mo suppose you
would do more than Others arc trying to
do. There is 10 royal road to success
either in writing or singing, Stephanie."
"You spoke differently then, but / sup
pose your words had no meaning, any
moro than the other things you said"
"Stephnnie, you are hard on me, but
hear mo before yon condemn. Justice at
least should compel that much. l did care
for you in those old days. don't think
you have ever been long absent from my
thoughts, bpt was II struggling author,
and had no right to ask you to share so
vague future, so took the wisest course
in going away and leaving you free"
"Still," she persisted in the same cold,
sweet voice, "you might have shown mo
how to use the literary or musical powers
yon told me possessed, might you notY"
"My dcaS Stephanic," ho exPostulatCd,
"what would you have done! You hnd -
certain aptitude for saying clover things.
and you had u pretty, fresh voice of the
average quality, but countless other people
have both too. Where would have been
the use Of putting out your poor little Of.
forts against some of our literary and
giantss Did You aspire 10 be
brilliant authoress like the celebrated
Mrs. Vavasour, for instance2"
"Porhaps / did" she allowed, with an
odd smile. 81 was very ambitious in those
days. ! am still. I should like to bu
greater even than Mrs. Vavusour.
The group at the end OF the room had
been broken up and Mrs. Calender came
toward them. Stcphanic rose and followed
Mrs. Calender into tho music room.
Stacey watched her diGappear through
the door. What fool he had been to let
Craven pass out of his life in
those past days He had not realized It
before. He had been miserable fool, but
he would do better now. And then across