The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30

ages when Ann remained at homo 1t went hard
with Rhody:if sho did not get In to see Ann-and
sho used TO find a window where she could look
too, and il no was thinking OF the shore and Of
Ann and ,, Of her, perhaps, also: And when
sound. she had. a renewed assurance that the
MT sGinos was srd right side up !, IN there was =
s sert os sn nn ! + ,W eysn oS IN = T TnS air ds there Sn war; sc
thanked heaven for her lot and folt that there
were few more blessed among women than she,
were hers almost as much as they were their
mothers'. with her work and her friends.
A typhoon swept, the Indian seas, and the
s bones 20 of M ah9 MSSn'0';M My were ere s WiT S from Gel;
one knows where his grave is to this day.
When tho loss was a definite thing to the un-
a tidy little sum for her small way OF lie. and
she put on her black. and in time she took II on
again, and, q brisk and busy body. she took her
whitened the yard behind, II her baked beana
USs in a n md f L aRs had fSs n sRe nq,o tonic o. iru and S5 5ei.,
was over the first along tho shore, Il. her best
black silk would stand alone, IL she knew all
I Law MhS s'i door, IT, had %%r the iSsf last G news 1sS Of e Hum
phrey and his odd behavior, and another eye
on tho Eoings and comings Of the rest Of the vi.
had n mild satisfaction in Try Hodges ndmirn-
ton Of her still buxom beauty.
But It was a much longer time before Miss
Rhody, would accept the fact Of Will Mathor's
could never make him dead. She was always
expecting to see him step down from the coach
She did not see a strange boat in the stream
along the shore but she Thoughtful might hold
WILL Una - Every cry time sho ran, ran over to AIMS she
come; and when that failed to sound abe still
In Ind heen ureCked m desnrt ahOrea md vvau
now on his way home again, Her dreams were
all Of this. Now, she saw him STRUGGLING with
ing forlorn among strange. folk of a strange
tongue, now cast on barren places and watch.
line, and every:dream a misery. and chiefly. q
misery because the. atmosphere Of power with
mind was. wanting there. But. on the othcp
hand, her day dreams were a JOY, In them az
newly born or stroked tho newly deed, as shS
sat at home sewing in her parlor, Will was al
Ways returning Ing after HIN mqltitudinou JUS d dee
and entering to Ann, big. and hronzed and full
Of glad expectation. and, although she varied
same dreamtWiI MathsFt Coming home.
You may Judge, then. of her dismay when she
not been able to bring herself to break the news
pose rS aeno aAnn enc s Reft cried H'e And d then then % sRss s SOFT
ened the reproach. Ann, dear. what does 10
n %sSn' yo 1G y Really Eno YOU M must i nos let ar Try sf n ss
much. 1t is making no end OF talk. They
.sssay-pseOPle aya a know they SAY is a
And SO { am" said Ann. But she looked
Rhody sat frozen to stone. She could NOT
move her lips at first. And when she could, IL I
WIS only to whisper, You are VIII Mather's
q you be still, Rhody." said Ann. biting
up the breadths Of a fine wedding garment and
showing all her handsome teeth.
vh nm fy the i S fif6 Of be ber SOUL souid pof moTe' ItWN9SS Syi;
will WIN say2"
Nothing. | guess"
What a simpleton you are, Rhody. After
You're a perfect deaths head at the feast. An
l Rod l here wd i Ton't I, hsy y s SGu talking SO to mo-
%oh. Ir yH""' With infinite contempt.
Yes ;ryi ,. ! always liked Try: An, he's the
ries the Of ia sRis yiila ana e eRer r1s one g pespse as9 s mar;
against Try. I've al1as liked him. too. Bls
He amt comm here. I'm Goin' to his
"Ann! Well do know. how you can STAN
that long -winded talk o. his'n."
"Rhody, Il you wasn't my oldest frien1"
lation. I've a right to speak, an you'ye q right
to think i shame of yourself. And to think what
The Man.o:Mun hcsn't ben heard from
for more'n seven years. And I'm quite within
but there wis Robinson Crusoc--"
Q Rhody, you'll he the death Of me yet! 1
believe you're as crazy as Humphrey Laven;;
now you've spoke out and done your duty, your
conscience's clear, an 80 is minc. ! was a good
wife to to C. G9ptIn1 od Mather' and l shall be a good
Then. murmured Rhody, the tears pouring
with which she tried to hide them, 'the day
Ssb Sn merry ,TiI IEyv vom , my!, | q bSn%d how nS You anal l.t
me TO come tO Tho wpddin'-I ahan't c0Inte-
nance it. But you WIN send mo over wills
Inias q w 8nS Y YGp tak SR Bst TGn esl ws OF i + f6 5eF y g p
dark and dazzling likeness. 1T looks good on
wouldn't put, viii ontn' his place. But. there.
org s swept over Ann. "Yes s"" she 'e went ON me" II
sSfss e t Po %si" m %nd t. thGyn o4 Ann s Sesan to w org
and Rhody kissed hcr-she couldn't help IT; Il
was Ann. And then she ran home as IL a
One day the picture came and Rhody. put -
upstairs IN the spare room. II was not for all
iL.ancelo5t's shield. If it were not 50 beautifui~
shreds and patches. She made herself a black,
gown. too. IN those days, She had always worn
cheerful for them; and rainy afternoons she had
made a point OF putting on a bit Of bright rib
p pGn or as " f f0w some or p 8 cay aPrG fhi or hS Me sope ex5 Sseas1.
AF
But she slipped into her black, gown now, say.
Ing ina nothing Snd ssw to- any mitS one iswo II 4 7 had Son bse b. cloth bas OF
less precious. for to her it was the symbol of
something she was doing for VIII. But no one
that Miss Rhody was wearing black,
Days and nigh:si away a. her wock, she felt s
go home to i, to that picture, was to look for.
ward to z Joy; She seldom al allowsd herself to
fore meeting communion Sunday mornings-
she stole in and let the sun fall through the
open shutter n moment, and looked at the bold,
black eyes that followed hers. the hair like q
mass of carved ebony, the ruddy check. tho
laughing. mouth. and Will was then more alive
70 her than eyer. When the great equinoxes
blew she comforted herself again by the as 'ur-
ance that 1t gave a robust life, And summer
Sunday nights she sat a little while before 1t.
slanting over IL and refining 1t and
giving II an air almost of unreality. And In
those moments she felt n deep peace in her heart.
Ann was the happy wife OF Try Hodge-but there
was a life 10 come--and in that-who knewf To
be sure in that life they neither marry nor ara
given in marriage but love. service, companion
ship. those things must belong to all lives.