The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-12-27
LINE OF THE HEART.



I don't know he answered doubtful
". -" never had opportunity of judging. "
Then III read your hand.'
"Whatl You?''
Eyes, really she replied, noddine her
pretty heat "Ive been studying 1t; books
and all that sort of thing, you know
Come over by the light. -
He rose and followed her to the corner.
where a softly shaded lamp diffused a
mellow glow. Outside the wind was
bowling bitterly, but an old fashioned
wood fire blazed comfortably in an old
fashioned CRATE, for this was an old fash
Toned house.
He had never noticed how round and
white her arms were until the loose sleeve
fell back when she took his hand. The
touch of her cool fingers thrilled him.
- thought SO, she began. "You are a
dreamer, and you do not want the world to
find it out. It's been rather a hard life in
some ways. You haven't always had all
that you wanted .
He shaded his eyes with his other hand
and rested his elbow on the table. 'Safe
observation" he remarked.
For the tiniest part of a second he gazed
into a pair of roproachful brown eyes
Don't chaff, please she said. 81 can't
do any thing if you do. "
"All right, little girl he responded,
Your palm is elastic. That shows q
hopeful nature and strong one. Your
lines are deep. You viii get the full of
living-in suffering and joy"
The piano sounded softly in the next
room. Her sister was playing-half to
herself and half to her father, who sat
nodding in the library.
1.-The mount OF Jupiter is well devel-
Oped, " she went ON. ''That means pride,
ambition, desire for power-not a snob-
Dish pride, you know, but that which will
not let you stoop to baseness.
He smiled to himself She was reading
him very well.
Saturn is rather weak I'm afraid
you're not very fond of quiet or study
Yet you have an ideal of a home which
you have not yet found. Apollo is good.
You like music, pictures, books. Religion
appeals to you from the standpoint of the
senses-it's the stained glass windows,
the organ and the vested choir with you,
not the doctrine"
How we'll you know meI'' he began.
But she paid no heed to the interruption.
The girl in the next room drifted in the
opening bars of the 81 Serenade. - 1t sound
ed like some faroff melody.
You like money, but not so well as
you do some other things. Books and pic
lures and travel and your own way come
first He cOlored and her lips twitched
temptingly.
This is Mars You know there are two
mounts of Mars. This one under Mercury
means passive courage, self control, resig
nation and strength of resistance against
wrong. The other one over by your thumb
means temper. I'm glad to see that it is
less prominent than this" She looked up
at him with an adorable mischievousness
that made him feel a queer tightening
around his heart.
Here's Luna down here. This means
romance, ideality, imagination and mys-
ticisln. If it swells here, it means rever-
ence for-well, for the eternal womanly.'
That's the best part of you. You want to
put woman on a pedestal and keep her
there
The Dewildering sweetness of the 'tSere-
made" sounded dimly through his con-
seriousness and mingled with the breath of
the roses-his roses-on her breast.
''You are sympathetic and charitable
generous to a fault Friendship means
much to you. All, know that" she said
to herself "But this line of heart It's
too far down in your hand. Feeling is
your court of FIRST and last appeal See
how deep it lies. How it dominates your
handl There's marriage line, too-only
one-there's only one woman in the whole
world for you.
The lamp fiokered. cit must need fill
ing she said. - must hurry or wen be
left in darkness -
Woven in with the ''Serenade'' her voice
vibrated his heartstrings-now merry,
now serious, now so wholly sweet and
tender that it sounded like the vision of
Schubert in the room beyond.
''She will be all the world to you" she
said wistfully. "There will be no room
for your old friend then. That ideal home
you have dreamed of viii be yours and
hers" Her eyes rested full upon his, and
almost in a whisper she added, sit is not
far away"
For moment he searched her face in
tently, but the lamp was almost out now.
Then something that he saw there gave
him courage, and he slipped swiftly out of
his chair and knelt beside her, taking dar-
ing possession of her.
lis that little home to be truly mine?''
he whispered. "Ah, sweetheartI Don't
you know?"
Pale and frightened, she tried to slip
away from him, but he held her fast.
'Oh, no, mol" she cried, half sobbing.
please, darlingl' He tried to draw
her down to him, but she resisted, and he
wisely waited for her to come to him.
Cant we go on just as we were, - she
ventured, friends and all that? You viii
find some one else for-She Other-but no
such friend as Il'
''There's no going on, DEAR he said
gently. This is the parting of the ways
There is only one woman in the whole
wide world-and the little homer Why,
my life, it wouldn't be home without
you, don t you know2'
The roses were scattered on the floor
among their drifted petals and even in
the shadow she saw his face, tense with
appeal His arms were drawing her closer.
The lamp fiiekered and went out. She
could feel his heart throbbing against her.
She fancied she could hear it too The
q Serenade'' was almost finished now, and,
humble in her surrender, yet
wholly womanly, she bent down and
kissed him in the Cark-NeW York Truth
Took IT HiuaseIf