Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-17
MEMORY OF SPRING.

1
How warm the air was! Though only
| April, it might have been day in mid
summer. The ill clad woman on the bench
SHUT her eyes and lay back in 1noment ary
content. She drew in deep breatl,s Of the
soft wind, laden with perfume from gay
beds OF hyacinths and wallnowers. and felt
refreshed us with wine after tho close at
| mosphere of the small garrett in the mar
! row back street, where her eyes rested on
| chl1nney stacks that appeared on all sides
| through Il thick haze of smoke and her
| ears Were assailcd by harsh voices of pow
erty cursed mort,lls, whining children and
the whistle of the railway hard by.
Now she opened her eyes and drank in
the beauty of the scene before her, the sky
clear ana pluc ilccked here and there with
| soft baby clouds. the trees Just BURSTING,
into leaf, their buds of freshest green, the
| grass SO smooth and trim and restful to
eyes wearicd with work and tears and
! dotted about with waving daffodils and
blue hyacinths There was suggestion
| OF nature untranmelcd and free in the
| Hover scattered sward that pleased her in
fnitcly better than the symmetrical beds
| with their carefully arranged. bright hucd
| blossoms. Yet these were lovely too, and.
| OBJ, the scent! She noted the park garden
ers ut their work with sigh of chvy
just opposite where she sat and facing
the park garden was Il row of houses, tail
and commanding, with high pillars and
| carved balconies and flower wrc;,thcd win
| dows She was especially Interested in
one of them. for it was the homo Of the
lover of her youth, and he was dying. Sho
had heard this tho night before and had
come to the gardens that bright afternoon
moved by strong ycarning to be for an
hour or two as near to him as possible, for
in the heart Of this pale faced woman
there was y memory green and fresh and
fragrant after long years, the memory of u
| short lived romance, of signs and kisses
and hours that fled all too quickly. Of
| parti ny and tears ..
That bit OF her life stood out in strong
! relief from all the rcst-thc rest was not
pleasant to remember, for it had been filled
with sin and shame and lattcrly with
broken health and grinding poverty But
that time, SO long ago, when she was
| beautiful and pure and sweet and he was
still youthful and only beginning to give
promise OF the fame that came later, that
was cherished memory, and for it's sake,
she had come to watch beside him and to
breathe out into the spring sunshine u
prayer for the passing soul
Some parting words of his came to her
mind, and she murInurcd them half audi
bly,: .".
Dear little Loo, remember if YOU arc
ever in any difficulty ur trouble, write to
NE, and If am able [ will help you" ..
Something had always kept her from
| taking advantage of that promSt-sono
half conscious desire that he should al
ways think OF her as She had been then
and not as She became later Besides,
men forget 1t is only women who re-
member. .#.u ca.
There was Il sound of carringe wheels.
She looked up. The vehicle stopped at the
| house, footi,l;,r! appeared with rugs, and
| prNscntlya lady got III and was driven
away.
She remembered that he had been mar
ried about year ago to Il rich and be;.uti-
lul girl, and there We're rulnorS that the
| domestic relations of tho two were not
happy ....
She looked angrily at the rctreutinr
carriage with It's gayly attircd occupant.
IF I had been his wife, would not
have left him alone to hired people when
he was SO ill., Then shc gave a little
scornful laugh as she spread out her coarse
red hands on her lap. Once they had been
SO fair and soft, and he hud praised them.
Z A pretty girl was them. she thought
sadly, hair like ripe corn ana eyes like
forget1ncnots. remember him saying so
the day we Went TO the picnic in the coun-
| Try, and he painted me sitting by the
brooksluo with my lap full of flowers
Good Lord! Who would think it to SEQ mo
now. And yet somehow feel us if think
ing about him makes my soul come ;,ack
to the likeness of that time long since If
only one could get rid of this old, tired,
ugly body and start fair ag,in!"
she glanced up at the unwinking eyes
Nf =
behind which he was lying She hopcd
sadly thar he was not in pain, and bic.
turcd him with livid face and s,.nlicn
features and white hair lying sleeping his
life away. Unohscrvtd she had often sccr,
him OF late Years. He had been pointed
out to her us the great artist whom all
were proud TO know even by sight
~ never told Il soul about him and
me, she thought wistfully '.It might
have done him harm, for they would not
have understood. 1t is strange I've
thought SO much of him lately But now
l III old and poor and tired, and no man
or woman cithcr-will ever even pretend
to care for me again. 1t seems to make Il
happier look come over everything when !
picture him as he was five and twenty
years ago, bright and gay and loving and
eyes that looked at Inc so kindly, with such
different look too. All, God have mercy
on him, help him in his trouble! II ]
could bear his pain for him, l would-oh
SO gladly-for he is the only man ever
loved, and think he loved me once"
The SUMS light was fading, angry
clouds were coming up and u cold wind
bent roughly the slender stalks Of the dat
todils. The woman suddenly shivcrcd and
grew paler than BEFORE for she had looked
again at the windows, and one by one the
blinds We're being pulled down.
1t was an hour and /; half later as thu
warning bell for the shutting of the gar
den gates was ringing, that the carriage
containing the pretty young wife re
turned The shabby woman paid no at
tention to either sound, for she seemed
aslccp-her head sunk ON her chest. One
of the attendants Of the gardens came
along and roughly laid his hand on he,
shoulder She was dead London Sun,
HIS LAST LETTER.
H.M ~. ~ .g.IN
N--1-