The Press., 1898-07-28

versary. He had remembered and kept 1t so r1gldly. It was barely possible it had come over her as strongly-the hap plness they were missing from their lives, the incompleteness of their vapid present-and perhaps she had come to him. He was almost running down the stairs in his eagerness. He held back the portieres, and there she stood before the hre-straight, tense, her slimness accentnated by her velvet coat, the whiteness and delicacy of her face starting out exquisitely from the laoes at her throat and from under the big black hat. As he approached her he mo- ticed the nervous tapping of her foot in the fur of the rug, the tense pressure of her clasped hands Was it dream Alice in her home again, years mis- cry canceled in a moment? He held out both 1ands and noticed her eyes in the mirror they were facing as he said:
 And have you come to me again. AIioeP''
 She started visibly and then slowly turned.
 "Yes," she answered quietly. "I've come to you. And you mustn't fail me, ? she added beseechingly.
 t.Won't you sit down?'' Witherspoon asked. She was trembling.
 'Thank you,' she said, and she sat on Ia low stool, and the man noticed with sinking of the heart how she drew her little cloak about her, the thumbs of the olasped hands turned up and back. How he remembered
 "I must come to the root of the mat ter at once, the girl began, and grad ually her voice grew fierce and she look ed him full in the face with her wide, sad eyes. He noticed, with almost 8 feeling of exultation, that her face was now the face of the woman who had lived and suffered.
 "You haven't heard from my father for some time, have you?" she began. | "No," Witherspoon answered. "It must be some weeks now."
 CT received a telegram this after noon," the woman went on quietly. 'sHe arrived in New York this morning and will be in Cincinnati tomorrow. He is bound for California, and he will, on his way. stop in town with IT., his son and daughter.
 Her voice had broken. Witherspoon rose GO his feet and walked to the win dow. The silence was painful.
 "And what will you dor" he said, at last, turning to her.
 "There's only one thing to do, " and the girls voice was determined. My father has very little longer to live. He's not had much but disappointment in his life, and, cost what it may. can- not bring more sorrow to him. You know how the ghastly thing would shock his old time conventionality. '' She hesitated and seemed to look to the man for his help in thought or deed, but his fear of her scorn kept him silent. At last, taking a deep breath, she went on:
 @Tomorrow morning must send here I t55 few things I took away. The DOT. traits, my piano, my work-they re cas- fly put in place and will be as easily mov. ed away again. I'm sorry to so inconven. fence you, but you must see it is un' avoidable. She stopped again and looked into the fire. My room," she asked, "is it much changed?'
 The man was kneeling beside her now, his arms about her. Sweetheart, sweetheart,' he almost moaned, "stay with me, beg of you to stay with me My life's been misery since you I've not been-everything is fiat and with. out flavor. We've taken year out ot the radiance that is given to man but sparingly. Don't let's throw away an other moment of it. love you-oh, God, how love you!''
 His head was buried in her lap, and slowly she took off her long glove and stroked the hair she remembered SC we'll.
 "Are you perfectly sure you want me?" she asked softly.
 And so it happened that on the second anniversary of their wedding MT. and Mrs. George Witherspoon were seen by a party of gay young friends taking dinner at the St. Nicholas. "GadP' as one of the men said later. "They were like two children off on a lark, an6 aren't they quite the best looking couple in Cincinnati?''-Cinci Post.