Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-09-26
THEY MEET ANDPART

ed 'Iughfaro known to the New orleans
speaking world as Canal street today. My
head was aching furiously and In my dull
brain peat tho constant query, What text
shall I use in the morruw's column-what
type offers itself tony weary hearty That
inevitable column i'll a great daily! What
a godsend il Is some days when we want
to "ralk at" the community, and what q
blasting pest 1t is on tho afternoons when
we would give the world for an undis-
turbed siesta, or the matinee and unlimit-
ed boxes of chocolate candy, or for the
dearly cherished liberty of gadding and
gossiping. But the space is waiting and
the pen must meet the demands of that ex-
acting if blank master. / was in the stall
est of humors and would c~heerfully have
thrown up my engagement to fill that
eternal seventh of u page were 1t not for
the equally eternal need of food and
raiment.
OF course everything was on Canal street
that always is there-people and dogs and
Turkish oandy-but they were the same
people, dogs and candy / have written Of
before, and the paper has had enough Of
them. Just as l was wondering IL any
thing could be made out Of a group that
stood under the shadow of the white and
gold dome Of u merchants palace some one
violently thrust out a gloved hand, plainly
for me to take, and said in the same breath:
Miss Regina, you hereS"
l certainly was and I'M still, although l
survived much staring after because Of
the speakers vehement address. took
the hand, vaguely wondering if this meet
ing would bear any fruits that ] might
sell the public. Oh, this journalistic in
stinct that seizes upon all sentiment or in.
cident and drains it for alien eyes! A
plague ON IL, I say 1t obtrudes its calcu-
lating presence on me every hour and
turns everything into mere details which
l may arrange at pleasure for the deleota-
ton of the outside world.
There is nothing sacred to this instinct,
and the hand of the boy, which I had
clasped with different sensations seven
years ago, l took in the same spirit that l
test a glass Of wine, for the purpose of de-
scribing its sparkle and intrinsic value.
This swept over me, and with it a thrill
of disgust at my depravity. l believe
l would be obliged to write up my wi
mothers death agony and her funeral,
even If I burned it and never told the SO.
oret. looked frankly into the boys eyes.
It was something like taking a plunge in
to blue lakes that l had known of old, His
face was pale and agitated, and he steadied
himself by clutohing an a adjacent post with
the other hand.
"Well, - said l breezily, In the mean
time persistontly disengaging my fingers
from his clasp-'well, it is singular how
we touch elbows in the throng Of a great
city. Who would have supposed we would
meet after those five years, and right here
where we parted tool' The last clause
was not meant to be malicious, but l saw
In a flash that it gave the boy a twinge.
He recovered himself, however, and an
swered me soornfully, fearlessly, as was his
won't:
st is more than singular-it was in
evitable. I knew that with us both in
New Orleans it was impossible to avoid.
You have not changed, and this is the spot
where l waited for you, and 1t is all SO nat
ural."
"Yes, l am changed" I said gently. ~
am u wife, and l have been a mother. !
have drained sorrow to the dregs, and
death has been my enemy" The boy
moved uneasily, and the pitiless sun beat
her white light into our faces, and l saw
| the blue eyes grow dim. And have you
! found the woman who was to show you
that faith still livedy" l asked in a rally
ing tone, for it was just here he had fierce
~ said that l was not the only woman In
the world, and def1antly we had gone our
separate ways in search Of something bet
ter.
"She came my way and passed beyond
it years ago. l am going to be married to-
morrow night, said the boy with a start,
as if no had just remembered something.
"Ah, / an glad!' I said this time, ex-
tending my own right hand that was aoh-
| ing for q pencil.
Tho boy looked at me strangely. "What
l wan to know is why did l meet you on
this day Of all others?" he asked distract
eddy, refusing to sec my c%ongratulatory
fingers that hung Imply in air.
am still very young and capable Of q
blush or two when anything very shook
ing comes to pass in my world, but there
are many times when l cannot manage 1t
at all. But today a raging fever swan In
my face, and l was faint for a moment.
He is nothing to me, this boy who Is to
marry one Of your fair daughters tomor-
row. have my masters far away, but l
tremble for the bride If he carries those
asking, hurt, half bitter eyes to the altar,
for their message is not to her. For the
sake, then, of this girl wife / must rouse
his ire and naughty resentment against
myself that will direct her soft compliance
with a double charm.
But hold! For my own souls sake a
word of comfort!
"Charles, you are an idealist and
II beg your pardon-you misunderstood
me. have no perfection In view when !
love-faults and unfaithfulness and vapid
nothings failed to ejeot''-
~ see you are unreasonable, III Of old"
I interrupted Unreasonable, ungenerous,
cowardly, to throw tho blame on a WON.
an. You were a poor builder II one small
hand could push over your CASTLE
AYE" said he grimly, ITO any other
touch the castle was invinoible. 1t was
i~mpregnable to all o%utstanders but the
being for whom 1t was built"
shrugged my shoulders, and the boy
must have seen how shabbily coated they
were. / meant to impress him with my
plainness. But he was deaf and blind and
In love. While ayes seem to have passed
! over my head, he has remained unchanged.
He Is at a ~standstill. ! saw there was
| nothing TO do but lose myself In the crowd,
and this ] did after this mutest possible
| farewell, the most conventional hand clasp,
| the chilliest inclination Of the head. had
| only gone a few steps when some one, I
am sure, touched me on the arm, and q
voice demanded, "What I want to know
is why did l meet you on this day Of all
| others!" And ! turned severely, a stern,
admonishing sentence forming on my lips,
but there was no one near enough to speak
10 me and no head was turned my way. I
looked back. The boy still stood at the
fatal corner, very quiet, his hat held loose
ly in his hand and ahadinu his evaa with