The Penn's Grove record., 1897-10-29

'Dtutr AEt EAS saw y
fnl, haff-pained look in his eyes, so
she added, q mustn't be personal or
you'll hate me- then taking a chair
on the other side Of the 1replace she
went on tentatively, Lets talk sober
sense for an hour or two, and keep up
the illusion"
"Intoxicated ~nsens is nicer, Isn't
it7" he answered weakly.
"Mr. Halliday, do you want me to
frown?n
ssNo, but-" the smile that was.on
his lips died away as the pain in his
eyes deepened. DO you know what
you are risking? Are you in earnest?
Shall we really take each other seri-
ously for a changer He paused here.
wondering whether single men and
women ever did take each other seri-
ousiy-in his world, ut least. In the
other world, wherepeople had to work
for q living, it was different. They
had to be serious or go under. Then
he looked at her for an answer,
marveling at the kindness and good
will in her face.
"Thy not?" she said slowly,
doesn't the small talk sometimes
bore you moro than the big words?
Weren't you serious when l turned
the light on? Tell me what you were
thinking about, if I'm not too Curl
ous.r
A world Of invisible poetry had
sprung up between Halliday and Miss
yerrall during the last hour or two.
Each one felt that there was something
indeiinable in the other, something
that made them more akin, more
~trustful and less afraid--a strange new
feeling that made them throw off their
stage trappings now and become
human, with all the strength and
weakness of ordinary human beings.
Doris was silent now. She was
waiting for him to speak. Her heart
was too full for words, filed by that
strange, new sensation that made her
wish to help him; to comfort him and
give him happiness, wen at the risk
of her life--a feeling unselfsh, self
sacrificing and purely womanly that
increased with every word he uttered.
Jack began nervously, gaining force
as he went along. HThe music rather
stirred me up and set me thinking of
the nothing, the empty nothing that
represents my pasta thing thought
was gone aud done with-quite gone.
It's different with you" he went on.
you've got some one at home you can
talk sense to. ! haven't. / sit alone
in my room sometimes and think of
another life than the feeble imitation
of a one / lead-something real, some
thing like the people who say Time is
money lead. We say, Time is made
to be killed. ! suppose it's because
we've got the money. It's not the
work / want, but it's something differ
emit to the aimless vanity of our life"
She looked at him-kindly, it seemed
to him. He thanked her with his
eyes aud continued: "This may be
sentiment, wen sickly sentiment, but
you know that when a mar begins
that way he is ten times worse than a
woman. It's a long time since ! saw
anything real-anything lasting. Per.
haps if / had I would not have be-
lieyed in il, would have pooh-poohed
it. May I be personal? I enyied your
father tonight and 1 envied you. I
always thought your life as empty and
as hollow as mine, or else / should
never have complained. 1t was all
new to me; it ought not to hare been
only one forgets everything in time.
Isuppose the real world is full Of men
and women who live for men and
women, but I've been playing my part
alone all these years without help and
without helping" He kept his eyes
away from Doris, save every now and
again when he looked at her wistfully,
pleadingly. When he eapghsher eye,
he saw pity in il aud even fancied
there was Iase as well. Her face was
f6at d Awoman-a real woman, tender
and sympathetic.
He continued his m~onologue. e'Then
the twilight and the music, and may
I say you, too, got hold of me and set
me thinking of my people that are
gone and the sister miles away in
India, and a thousand other selfish
thoughts Of self-pity. But it's not
TOO late to join the other people, to
Lget ont Of the narrow world, the pack
sof-cards thing I've built-that's now
Etoppling over. He stopped and looked
Ut her inquiringly for words. He knew
she would comfort him, could comfort
sim, that he could find peace, even
Happiness with her. II was all part
of the new sensation that had made
him pour his heart out to her, and to
Nook TO her for help TO face his new
life. She spoke to him. 1t was diff
.5cult for her to retain her voice least it
bshould be too tender, but there was
Ssn occasional tear in spite of her self
command, and he loved her the better
IisSr ii, She even thanked him for the
~ niidence he had shown her; and
en- she spoke to him of his family
id himself and other things they had
lily dared to vaguely hint at in the
hey sat long together, talking as
lYIs% friends do, openly, intimately,
iff6. houtsrestraint. There was a new
Sc Of rest in both their hearts now;
NJ Il que thing that people recognize
+ escScaIl happiness when it has become
emory.
I es3r. VERBAL came in later on and
| fufpd them, until Jack reluctantly
traE good night.
NY iris. SAW him as far as the hall.
shook hands, he pressing hen
Fingers 10 his lips and thanking
wi 5arnestly, saying he had o
dss happier evening, and asking II
Bot hit come again and talk to her.
pos* said, ssOf course,
worE Moor closed on Halliday, oil all
trnmpsry Of his past, and he
Sbme planning a new world built
TheEruins Of. the old. Yet the old
pend utterly worthless, for ii had
agains i'm Doris VerraIl .-tBlack and
don all
lEARLs or THOUGHT
h a.l1 $500 HtI.-