The San Francisco call., 1898-12-18


 power Of his nature. She looked at him, and T smiled" she said mt seeming herself to know why she had smiled, but conscious that, in the midst Of her woe, some subtly amusing thought about him had come into her mind. She had never been amused at him before; so she, too, was getting some glimmer of a revelation out of the days experience-not the awful blaze of light that had flashed on liar olds eyes, but dim ray, just enough to give cause to that puzzled smile for which she could not explicitly account.
 So they parted, and for persons who have followed the affair at all closely . 1t Is hardly necessary to add that they never came together again. This is- | sue was obvious, and Winifred seems to have made up her mind to 1t that very same evening, for she called her mother into her room Gas the good lady passed on the way to bed), and looked l up from the task of brushing the gray frock which she had spread out on the sofa.
 1T don't think I shall marry MT. Jackson, now, mother" she said.
 Mrs. Petheram looked at her daugh- ter and at her daughters gown.
 You'd better tell me more about it tomorrow. You look tired tonight, dear" she replied.
 But Winifred never told her any more-in the first place, because the family was too delighted with the fact to care one straw about how it had come to pass, and, in the second place, on the more important ground that the thing was really too small, too trivial, and too absurd to bear telling-at least to the family. To me, for some req son or other, Winifred did tell it. or some of it, enough, anyhow, to enable me with the help of a few touches Of imagination to conjecture how it oc-. cured.
 Don't you think it was very ab- surd?" she asked at the end of her story. We were sitting by the yew hedge. near the library windows, look ing across the flower beds to the meadow; it was a beautiful day, and the old place was charming. Because" she added, T did love him, you know; and it seems small thing to separate about. doesn't it?"
 If he had behaved differently"- began.
 T don't see how he could be expected to-" she murmured.
 You expected him to- said firmly. She turned to me with an appearance of interest, as though I might be able to interpret to her something that had been causing her puzzle "Or you wouldn't have looked at him as you say you did-or smiled at him, as you admit you did. But you were wrong to expect him to, because he's not that kind of a man."
 What kind of man?''
 ''The kind of man to catch you in his arms, smother you in kisses (allow me the old phrase), tell you that he understood all you felt, knew all you were giving up, realized the great thing you were doing for him."
 Wfnifred was listening I went on with my imaginary scene of romantic fervor.
 That when he contrasted that mean little place with the beauties you were accustomed to, with the beauties which were right and nroper for you, when he saw your daintiness soiIed by that dust, that gown whose hem he would willingly''-
 "He needn't say quite as much as that" interrupted Winifred, smiling a little.
 "Well, or words to that effect" said l. That when he did all this and saw all this, you know, he loved you more. and knew that you loved him moro than he had dared to dream, with a deeper love, a love that gave up for him all that you loved next best and second only to him; that after seeing your tears he would never doubt again that you would face all trials and all troubles with him at your side. Don't you think if he'd said something of that kind, accompanying his words with the appropriate actions''- paused.
 "Well?" asked Winifred.
 Don't you think you might have been living in that horrid little house now instead of being about to con- tract an alliance with Sir Barton Ames- bury?"
 How do you know I shall do that?" she cried
 "It needs" I observed modestly, Tit tie skill to discern the approach of the Inevitable" I looked at her thought ful face and at her eyes; they had their old look of wondering in them. Don't you think that if he'd treated the situation in that way?''- I asked.
 Perhaps she said softly. But he wouldn't think of all that. He was such an idealist."
 I really do not know why she an- piled that term to him at that moment except that he used to apply it to him since it seemed to her to explain his larrel with the epithet. at tine gray frock wasn't irretrievably ' she murmured.
 ed-unless she has some other reason. eat it differently from other frocks; 1t r, although it failed to mean anything