The Yale expositor., 1897-02-26

81 adS1 fact. Tomorrow l
am to take tea
with Mabel and her
mother. Mabels mother is a widow, as
mine is. Strange to say, have never
seen her, and have never entered her
| house.
| The day has come and gone, and
am sitting by winters fire, talking
by fits and starts to my old mother
about one thing and another. 1t all
comes back to me as clear as the noon
day sun. The years that have passed
since then and now melt away, as
though they have never been.
Not an hour ago l left MabePs house,
and l am gazing now at her blue eyes
and fair face. which appears before
me in the fires glow. l have been
talking a great deal during the night
to Mabel and her mother, relating what
stories of the sea within my own ex-
perience l deemed would be most in
teresting to them. Mabels mother
and / have shaken hands for the first
time. She is fair, like her daughter,
and her eyes are blue; but not that
charming. Her behavior to me has set
me thinking.
When | entered her house, her cold
hand greeted me in a fairly cordial
manner; but / noticed even then that
although her lips smiled, her eyes did
not When Mabel smiles, her eyes
light up; there is no soul in smile
when the eye plays no part in it. Up
on my leaving Mabels house her
mothers hand lay dead in my palm,
and it did not return the pressure of
mine.
Her husband had been a small
builder, and when he died, had left
barely enough for the support of her
self and Mabel. So much l learned be-
fore / went to her house.
Now, what has set my thoughts
wandering as look into the fire? Her
cold hand which lay dead In my palm
No, not that alone. What else, then
in connection with that? A simple
thing-a passing expression on her
face, that was there but moment, and
then was gone.
In this way: We have had tea, and
the tea-things are cleared. l am talk
ing and talking, and Mabel and hel
mother are listening. /, full of my
theme, am Numbering away on some
startling Notwithstanding to them
[ mean-and Mabels eyes are fixed Oh
my face, and my eyes are fixed on hers
when an unusual stiffness arouses mt
from my dream.
For | am dreaming. The magnetic
influence of presence that / love ha!
cast a spell over me, and has made
me unconscious of everything els
about me. For the matter of that, Ma
bel and might be alone in the world
An unusual stiffness, / say, and it Il
what / mean; for, although before
receive this new impression the sounC
Of my voice is the only sound to b
heard in the room, and although n,
person but myself has spoken 70
. many minutes, the new silence is diff
ferent from the old. There ar
thoughts that move like living thing
within you, and here are some work
ing their spell upon me. And unde
their influence my eyes wander iron
Mabel's face to meet her mothers.
Well, see frown there, that is all
but a frown that tells a story / canno
read as yet. am striving to spel
. jut that story now.
! IL was not a shadow from the fir
/, falling on her face, and distorting tn
E lines there, or playing on 1t to its dis
. advantage; it was frown like blac
cloud. And when bid her good nigh
her hand lies cold and dead in mine
And Mabel's good night? 1t is a
kind and warm as ever it was; an
she does not see that my mind
troubled, being, mayhap, unconsciou
of the cause.
come home, where am surrounde
by the shells that a dead man gath
cred when life was strong With
him. / gaze into the fire, and / sc
Mabels face; gaze upon the shell
and l see the tokens of a dead man
love. Ay, in these dull, mammal
SHdptS Stt TIC
the world, and beauties 1.-THE Sta
, of Love.
I turn toward my mother, with
shell at my ear. In reality she Is
!. small, shriveled woman, in whom or
a. would imagine but little sentSner
A. could abide. have noticed lately that
!, she grows older her form shrinks, an
becomes more spare. But as / gaze
Is her now she becomes transformed. tt
:. lines and wrinkles disappear, the fies
>. becomes firmer; the eye regains 1
d luster. the cheek It's color; the shrunl
en- form fills out, and in my fancy I 81
i. her as I saw her in my childhood. b
e. fore my father went to his death
=, comedy, pretty woman.
4 Now, what causes me to throw
N voice in the direction Of the door, al
Dr. to call out suddenly and Unexpected
:" "Yo; heave, ho!'
My mother starts up with a scTeai
C. and runs to the door with frighte
;. ed look. There she stands, tremblil
c And white with ewes that see nothil