Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-24

one OF our present enormous sleeved
dresses, but shese two seemed to make
worse job of it than usual. At
length, when it was satisfactorily ad-
justed and Eve was fastening a
monstrously elongated fur animal OF
some sort around her throat, Rev.
/ Edward broke the awkward silence
with a rush.
"Miss Gwynn, want to beg your
pardon"
"Why, Mr.. Dayton?"
because have misjudged YOU"
Please don't say any more, Mr..
Dayton"
But must. / have been sitting
in judgment on yOu-as you know-I
know you know it, and to-day came
here. and going from room to room
found that you had been there before
me, and had left such trail of bright
ness behind you, that your path
was easy to follow. The poor souls
here are witnesses to qualities in you
that have been blind to-"
please don't say any more" plead.
ed Evelyn. "You are going to the
other extreme now, and l really won't
know myself. Perhaps you did not
give me credit for some things, but
after all you know I am very frivo-
lousp
But the laugh with which she said
it was not quite natural, and there
was really no reason for her to walk to
the window and look out, for there
was nothing to be seen there but a
blur of light from the window oppo-
site.
There was a pause, and then voice
came from the shadowy figure in the
center of the room.
"Miss Gwynn, you have done great
deal for these poor souls here; won't
you do something for met"
"But you are not an incurable,"
said Evelyn. The fur monstrosity
had evidently come unfastened again
and required great deal of attention,
also it seemed that the blur on the op-
posite side of the street had acquired
fresh interest, so it was to the back of
dimly outlined figure in the window
that Rev. Edward spoke next.
"I am an incurable,' Miss Gwynn
1 am suffering from something that
1 must carry with me the rest of my
life and / don't want to be cured.
Eve, dear, listen to me a moment-do
not speak, dear, until ] have finished
let me have my say, even if the an
swer is No. love you, dear, so
dearly; have loved you, think, ever
since I met you and like self-right-
eous Pharisee l have endeavored to
put my love aside. l had not wit
enough to see the best in you and have
tortured myself by imagining was in
love with thoroughly worldly woman.
Eve, dear, l deserve nothing at your
hands. but, darling, ifyou will only es-
tablish home Of your own for 'incur.
ables' l will try with all the love that
is in me to make you happy. Will you
marry me, dear?"
The figure at the window turned
around, but it said nothing. Perhaps
it did not need to. Attitudes tell
great deal sometimes, and then / think
there was shadowy outline of little
outstretched hand. At any rate, Rev.
Edward took three long strides across
the room, and the next attitude
that showed against the dim window
was very confused one. But it did
not matter; no one was there to see.
Was it darkf Well! Perhaps an
ordinary benighted mortal, loveless
and unloving, might have thought SO,
but to these two the room was full of
radiance, for if one is supremely
happy, one carries ones atmosphere
about with one, and what the rest of
the world moves in matters very little.