The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-05-13
She walked down one of the broad,


straight paths to where crimson car
nations grew side by side with white
lilies. and there she seated herself to
rest-alone. There was no sound OF
mems voices or Of light laughter; no
sheer could reach her where she was;
there was nothing but the blue sky
above, and the breath Of the sweet
western wind She was shut out from
all sounds-alone. with the thread Of
her life in her hands.
Suddenly-she could not tell why
the sel1-command of long years broke
down. Her pride, her courage, her
high spirit, the proud sense of resent
nent that had sustained her, broke
down. and she wept as she had seldom
wept in her life before. The passion
ete tears seemed to relieve her 1t
was a luxury to weep there alone-for
once to give herself up to a full sense
OF her misery, of her disappointment,
of her blighted 1ife--for once to dare
TO look the truth full in the face, and
own to herself that she was one of the
most miserable, most wretched girls in
the whole wide world.
She sobbed out the words. 1t was a
relief to say them. a relief to say
even to herself that she was miserable;
she had been so proudly reticent, so
self-rcstraned.
Suddenly hand was laid upon her
shoulder. and. looking up. she saw Sir
Raoul standing by her side In his
pale face, worn with pain and suffer-
ing, she saw infinite pity, infinite love;
compassion and tenderness shone In
his eyes. He had never looked so true
and SO noble as he did just then. He
bent over her.
Mildred. poor child, is it so bad as
this?" he asked.
1T is so bad" she said that it
could not be worse, Raoul-nothing
could be worse. l am tired of it. l
am going away
Going away?" he repeated, slowly.
THAT is what I feared. Have youl
patience, your forbearance, come to an
end at last, Hildred?"
YES" she replied, truthfully, they
have, at last
He was silent for a few minutes, and
then, as she looked up at him, great
awe stole over her. His eyes were
raised to the clear skies, his lips moved.
Surely in a picture she had seen fig
ure something like this with a serene
;rht 4 1,c II, I,
patience, her bitter contempt and dis
like seemed to fall away from her,
even from that one look at his face.
She rose suddenly into something
noble1 than a weeping, vengeful, I'M
happy woman.
"Iou are going away, Hildred--you
can bear it no longer? Poor child!
This reminds me of an hour I spent
once with a soldier who was determ-
ined to desert his post and fy'
II am not a soldier" she said, with
more pitiful smile.
1--WE will talk it over he replied
and ne seated himself by the crimson
! carnations at her side. II will tell you
all l think, he said, and we will talk
| it over: then you shall decide"
He looked at her with the same
sweet, noble compassion that seemed
! to her almost more than human.
''Hildred," he said, in a low voice,
| will you tell me the true story OF your
na1riage?'
DO you not know it, Raoul? It
seems to me SO shameful, 1 have no
wish to repeat it"
II know something of it, he replied
| but not the whole truth know that
! YOU will tell it to me. l ask you as a
| physician asks. I must know the
whole truth before I can advise. Tell
me one thing. Did you love your has
band at all before your marriage?"
NO. she replied, mot in the least
| will you tell me again why YOU
woman naturally noble, naturally
tender and true of heart, married with.
! out love?'
| (To be continued)