The record-union., 1897-05-12

away from the world of sunshine and
winds and birds and friends and-and
just living, makes it a very serious
thought, to my mind; for l love all
this" she said, with vigorous, sweep
ing motion of the arm, which included
all the sunlit tract before her. But
| that isn't, my point she added; Il
suppose 1 could reason myself into
choosing death instead of life, or doing
the hard thing instead of the easy, if
it were just a matter of intellectual de-
cision; but you see, when the great mo-
ments come, there's all the sudden
physical fear and horror; and I'm
afraid that these might count for more,
at that instant, than my whole lifetime
| of reasoning about duty and courage
Somehow I've always sympathized with
| Savonarola for yielding to the awful
stress of his suffering; for I have al
most conviction that I should do ex-
actly the same thing myself.
TO me- said Emily, calmly, going
back to the original proposition, lit
seems the simplest, easiest thing in the
world to make the noble, brave choice
at any such critical time"
They say that what we do at SUI
preme moments" Theodore suggested
thoughtfully stripping the leaves from
a green twig in his hand, is the cumu-
lative result of lifetime of habit. [
rather hope you'll have a chance some
| day to prove your fears about yourself
groundless, Sylvia
| L do, too: for / should really like to
know what I should do" the girl said
with bright smile. do you know I
nave a theory that. there comes q mo-
ment in the life OF each one of us
when the stuff we are made of is
| tested? And it always braces me up
to think of it; not because I'm at all
certain as to how 1 should use my mo-
ment, you know; but I think it is in a
way glorious to feel that we are worth
so much; that we specks crawling at
the bottom of this ether are permitted
10 come face to face with supreme
temptations, and that it is in us once
IN While to face them sublimely"
Not half bad, Sylvia" said the boy,
laughing, with a little nod of approval
IL is rather like trees; whether they
| go up or down or sidewise is decided
at some one critical point. So your mo-
ments' are not only tests but proph-
ecies.''
| m sure l don't see what trees have
to do with it," said Emily. rising; and
If We are going to ride to Roxbury this
afternoon we would better be getting
into our habits
SCENE IL
"All the worlds stage" and the
principal difference between it's per-
formances and those of the playhouse
is that in life the waits are longer
| between the acts.
Five years have made the youth a
man, and the girl to whom he gave his
bcyish liking an earnest young en-
thusiast in the first glory of woman
hood. They walked along side by side
through the upland pasture; the sun
had gone under, and the strong, damp
wind. which they had to face and op-
pose, brought the bright color to their
cheeks and beat insistently against the
girls cape and the long ends of the
scarf which covered her head. The
two walked with that glad, buoyant
step that indicates the wild joy of lv-
ing; joy that comes from nothing
else so surely as from a vigorous walk
across moor against a buffeting. salt
laden wind.
You see, Teddy" Sylvia was say
ing, IF l simply had to marry some
one. and let all my ambitions and as
| pirations 60 of course you are the only
one I'd think of I dare say you have
discrimination enough TO know that
yourself. But" she added, raising her
head and giving it a quick, character
istic shake. as she turned her bright
face towards him, that case is not
supposable I've never intended to
marry, and you have always known it
haven't you?" she added, with an effort
at judicial fairness that the young man
might have found amusing at any 9TH
er time.
] You have always said you intended
to devote yourself to your work" he
admitted; but girl isn't usually con-
sidered to be on oath in all she says;
and we have always been such friends,
such comrades. Sylvia!"
That is just it!' interrupted his
companion. I'VE have always been such
understanding friends that I thought
you knew me better than you seem to
have done. If girls usually say one
thing and mean another, then you
ought to have known that in that re-
spect [ was unlike them. I would rath-
er be sincere than be anything else in
the world and the last thing that 1
should be untruthful about would be a
subject so grave as that of marriage"
Then you do admit that it is a
somewhat serious subject?''
! What more so? 1t is the question of
a life destiny. 1t is therefore of exact
ly the same Importance as the subject
of rlrC cot 7 a., -
of marriage years ago. when l began to
study medicine. | have never regret
ted it, and | never shall l am all ready
now to begin my work, and l am eager
for it, and so glad about it, Teddy
1t is a great thing to be young and
we'll and strong, and to have whole
world of opportunity for usefulness
opening up before one. There can't be
anything else in life so much to be
desired as the privilege of being use
full"
Her companion looked at her glow
ing face, and perhaps the mans natural
answer was on his lips, but he was
wise, though a lover, and knew the fu-
tility of argument
Il suppose he said putting out of
sight for the time his own heavy dis
appointment, in generous effort not to
Cypress her with it: 81 suppose you are
sorry for me, Sylvia, and wish this
had never happened?" and he gave her
a half smile which she did not return.
| Il am sorry for you now, Teddy
she returned, seriously; but after all,
this can't be everything to you. You
have your own work. just as I have
mine, and in that you can be happy,
| at first EV and hV Won will FORGET