The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-08

over and over the same ,rc;:dinll roun1
of thought, thoughts which began and
ended with her. Dorothy Meredith.
Why should he keep alive u memory
which could hold for him nothing Of
sweetness that wns not swallowed up
in chagrin? 1t was time he learned the
lesson Of forgetting; but here, where
everything served to recall her, it was
impossible. lie must get away. He
would tell the doctor so when he came
again.
He turned rcstlcssly on the pillow, lis
tcning to the nurses returning step,
with an invalid's peevish frctfulness
that she stayed SO long away. There
was no sound in the house save the
faint clattcr of dishes in the distant
kitchen, where preparations for sup
per were evidently going ON. Outside
sou nded the faint systole and diastole
of some far-away engine and the reg
ular dull munching of the stamp-mill
OH its endless hard pabulum; while
every now and then, as though feeling
bound to rouse the place from its
sleepy lethargy, Il tame magpie down
the street would vent it's whole reper-
toire of speech in series of shrill hal
loos, like telephone girl gone mad.
Just so. Neil remembered, this mis-
cradle bird had been screaming when
he had looked his last upon Dorothy
Meredith, when she was coming out OF
the hotel door in her black gown, SEEM
ing like the ghost of the girl whose
wild.rose loneliness had been clasped
TO his heart but the day before. They
were taking her dead to Orodelphia to
he made ready for the long journey east,
and in company with her fathers at
torney, who had come to her at once
upon learning of the awful tragedy,
the girl was just entering the carriage
that was to follow the hearse dowr'
the Canyon road
She had to the last refused to see
him, even though he had poured his
heart out in letter that pleaded his
right to comfort her, begging for but
one kind word. She had merely an
swercd linn in few curt lines which
had neither formal beginning nor sigma
ture: ut may be my fault if you have
been mistaken, but / do not care for
you in the way your lett er would imply,
aud l owe it to him never to see you
again. 1t is the only atoncment can
make"
And she had meant it. every ruthless
word. If there had been any question
as to that in Neil's mind, he must have
been undcceived when her eyes, all rel
and swollen from weeping, were mad
vertently raised to meet his glance, so
much of cold aversion her look ex-
pressed If 1cr moment she had ever
really loved him, he felt, she could not
have turned against him SO, could never
have looked at him like that, feeling
that she was looking upon him for the
last time. She had never cared for him.
He had been befooled, misied by his
own blind iniatuation. But it was over
now. In the long days and nights OF
lying here it seemed as though passion
had burned itself out with the fever's
flame, leaving him YEARLY Indifferent.
There was even a dull wonder in his
mind that he had ever cared so much,
that she could have had the power to
hurt him so; and yet, as aforementioned,
there was such an ache of pity in his
heart for the old self that had been
given over to the folly of such suffering,
such q pang Ct pain recalled, that weak
tears were yelling up from his eyes, to
be shamefacedly wiped away as he
turned back toward the door. Surely
Themistocles was wise when he begged
for the boon CT forgetfulness.
The nurse was just coming with the
broth she had gone to fetch. She was
an elderly widow with a heart in the
right place, rs the saying is, but with
tongue too voluble for NeiPs peace OF
mind. He fretted when she left him
long alone, but he groaned in spirit
when she kept him company. She was
talking now the moment she set eyes on
him, never stopping for breath while
she put into his hands the bowl she had
brought, fussily beating up The pillows
behind his back.
"Did you think was goin' to be gone
all night?" she cheerily cackled.
"Come pretty near it, for fact; but
Mis- Morrison m her man drove up jes'
= was comm out from the Kitchen
she wanted to git out, but Morrison says
no, sir, there was the miilSin' n chores
to home waitin', m if she once got up
here a-talkin' land knows when he'd ever
git her started again. He's the bossi-
est man, consilerin' that he don't know
enough to chew gum n amt no ac-
count noways; but little men generally
DO that way, if you've noticed. They've
been down to Orodelphy, n she stopped
to bring you-now think OF it, want
amin to tell you what she brought you
till I'd seen the doctor about it. But
that's Jest like me-foreverg:vin'th things
away. It's jest natche!ly a wonder
kin keep my vittles down, I've jest so
everlastinly got my mouth open. My
husband used to say"
SIS it grapes?" demanded Neil, eager
", looking over the rim of the bowl.
Island, no: nawthin' half so good, in
my opinion, though perhaps you, hein'
from the east, won't look at it that
way. It's oysters fresh from Denver;
that's what it is"
'sOysters fresh from Denver" And
Neil laughed, no less for the incongru-
ity of the statement than for delight in
the promised treat. "And when can I
have some?"
"Well, you mustn't, you know, till the
doctor says SC" the good woman urged.
deprecatingly. Goodness knows if
you was to go eatin' the half that folks
L.. -.aa,s6 In 4lna1