Omaha daily bee., 1897-11-21


said she
"A silence followed. Then the king re-
marked:
Had things been other than they are Mr..
Dale would have done we'll"
"And had they been other than they are,
might well have answered yes" said Nell.
"Why, yes, very WE'LL" said the king, for
Mr.. Dale Is, I'm sure, gentleman OF spirit
and honor, although he seems, II l may say
so, Just now rather taciturn."
'But us matters are Mr. Dale would have
no more of me-"
"Its not for me-" said the king, ITO quar-
rel with his resolve, although I'm free to
marvel at it,"
And asks no more of me than leave to de-
part" ..
"Do you find 1t hard, madam, to grant him
that much?'
She looked in the kings face and laughed
in amusement, but whether at him or me or
herself, l cannot tell.
"why, yes, mighty mrd," said she. 'It's
strange how hard"
SPY my faith" said tho king, ~ begin to
be glad that Mr. Dale asked no more. For if
it be hard to grant him this little thing. 1t
might have been easy to grant him more.
Come. is 1t granted to him?"
Let him ask for 1t again" said she, and
leaving the king, she oime and stood before
me- raising her eyes to mine. Would you
| leave me, Simon?" she cried.
Yes, l would leave you, madam" said /.
ITO go whither?"
II don't know"
"Yet the question isn't hard" nterposed
the king. and the answer is-elsewhere." I"
"Blsewhere!" cried Nell. "But what does
| that mean, sir?"
NAY, l don't know her name," said the
king. Nor, maybe, does Mr.. Dale yet. But
| ho'll learn, and so, l hope, shull l, If l can
| be of service to him."
| I'm in no haste to learn it," cried Nell.
| why, no." laughed the king.
she turned to me again, holding out her
| hand, as though she challenged me to re-
fuse it.
"Good-by, S'mon," said she and she broke
| into a strange little laugh that seemed de-
void of mirth and to express railing mock
| cry of herself nnd what she did.
1 saw the king watching us with attentive
| eyes and brOws bent in frown.
| "Gcod-by," said /. Looking into her eyes,
let my gaze dwell long on her 1t dwelt
| longer than l meant, reluctant to take last
leave of old friends. Then l kissed her hand
and bowed very low to the king, who replied
with a gOod-ratured nod, then turning, !
| passed out of the room.
take 1t that the change from youth to
manhood, and again from full manhood to
| decline, comes upon us gradually never
| Ceasing but never swift, as mind and body
alike are insensibly transformed beneath the
| assault of multitudinous unperceived forces
of matter and OF circumstance; it is the re-
suit we know; that, not the process, Is the
reality for us. We awake to find done what
our sleepy brains missed in the doing, and
! after months or years perceive ourselves in
| a second older by all that period. We are
logged by the elbow, reused ruthlessly and
| curtly bdden 10 look and see how we are
| changed, and wcnder weep or smile as may
seem best to us in face of the metamorpho-
sis. A moment CT such awakening came tc
me now, l seemed man different from
him who had, no great number of minutes
before, hastened to the house, inspired with
an insane hope and afiame with a passion
that deied reason, and summed up life in
| longing. The lackeys were there still; the
maids smile altered only by fuller and
more roguish insinMation, Cn the
change had passed, and / looked, open-eyed
on what l had been. Then came a smile
close neighbor to groan, and the scorn ci
my old self which is the sad delriun
wrought by moving time; but the lackey
held the door for me and / passed out.
A noise sounded from above as the case.
ment of the window was thrown open. She
looked out. Her anger was gone; her emo
smiling, very kindly. but with mockery. She
held in either hand a flower One she
smelled and held her face long to 1t, as
though its sweetness kept her senses willing
prisoners; turning to the other, she smellet
1t for a short instant, and then drew away
her face, that told every mood with unfail
ing aptness, twisted into disappointment ol
disgust She leaned out, looking down CT
me; now behind her shoulder / thu
kings black face half hidden by the hang
ings of the window. She glanced at the frs
flower, then at the second, held up both he
hands for moment, turned for an nstan
with a coquettish smile toward the swarth!
face behind then handed the first flowe
with a laugh into hand that was stretched
out for it, and flung the second down to me
AS Ii hoated through the air the wind Olsen
gagged its loose petals and they drlfted away
some reaching ground, some caught by gust