The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-19
AN EPISODE-IN PASTS.

she would have been willing to accept
MIS- past without any questions" she
said.
Would you?" he asked
why, yes-if I loved him. What's
the. good of prying into all the hooks
and corners of the years that have
gone, in a mans life? They are gone
and you can't help them or undo them
or-or-anything, and If ghosts
sleep where is the comfort in starting
| them to walking about? But" sud
denly facing about don't believe in
one privilege for a man and none for a
woman. If a woman takes a mans
past without question then he has no
right to stir up her ghosts. you know.
1 believe in fair play at any rate"
But, you KNOW he said, good wo-
men have no pasts."
But good men may have, eh?' she
asked. We'll, it is the same old story;
man may be a fool in his folly and
yet be good, but let a woman be never
so little a fool in her folly, and 10. she
Il didn't say that" he snwered, look
ing indulgently down at her flushed
cheeks, and L believe 1 like you best
when you champion your sex; go on
dear; YOU are very pretty today" But
she only looked down at the toe of her
shoe and said nothing.
After a moment he reached out and
drew her closer. Sweetheart" he said
in a low voice. Eve have no questions
to ask, no ghosts to walk about; we can
safely take each others 'pasts,' let's be
AAfAPPS III jul ~ CSGlll-
They had been married a month or
two and no say that passed had flown
by burdened with a record of "ques-
tons" They had really been an unus-
ual couple, and each felt rather proud.
in the depth of his and her secret SOUL
| that such had been the case. To be
sure each was certain that the other
had told all that had ever happened, of
his or her own sweet will, and because
! of the sweet delight of rendering conf
c Eo6 hIJT CT wall a n or
| binary man and woman might, even
then, have suspected hidden depths and
have sought to plumb them.
Tonight they were both very quiet;
! he, looking over her head into the Goals
that glowed and flashed and fickered
| like the moods of a human soul; she.
eyes half shut behind her open palm.
You are so still, dear" he said,
what is it?''
Nothing she said, without NOV
ing. Il must have been far away, for
l cannot recall of what 1 was think
ing. 1 daresay 1 wasn't thinking at
ALL
Il do not accept that" he retorted.
and it is compliment to me if you
/ are close enough to touch me and are
yet far out of my ken. L know you
were not asleep"
NO" she said. resting her chin on
her hand, and opening wide her eyes.
mo, wasn't asleep. But you-of what
were you lAllA4fAAilS AO0 HGIG just d.
still as l."
Il was not far away" he answered,
''at all odds. was just wondering how
1 could ever be good enough for you
and he lifted her up to his knee, and
smoothed back the soft curls of her
hair.
She turned her face down on his
shoulder. Don't" she said; Il pray
really 1 do-every day, that you viii
always believe I am good am not
half the woman I ought to be, no, not
half" and then she began to cry.
You foolish little woman he said,
patting her shoulder, rs if she were
fretful baby, 'as if there were an hour
of your life that you need to live over
for repentance sake"
IF there were you would never for
give me-" she said, drying her eyes
and lifting her head to look into his
face.
The bare shadow of a frown passed
over the brow of the man. Knowing
there is no possibility that I shall ever
be called on to forgive" he said stiff
fly. Il don't see why we need discuss
the probability of such a thing-do
you?"
The woman laughed; funny. little
forced laugh: I'VE are very silly
that Is I am" she corrected. 81 find
myself wondering what you would do,
or what L would, if such and such were
the case, it is very absurd, even to
think about, isn't it?"
Very he agreed, promptly. There
being nothing to forgive, how could l.
forgiven and how do you know wheth-
er L would or not if there were?"
She did not answer, and after a little
she slipped from his knee and went be-
hind his chair, softly stroking his head
and looking down into the fire into
which he had resumed his gazing By
and by she said, Il almost wish, dear,
there was something I could forgive
you"
He reached over a little impatiently
and poked the CRATE; then he stood up
and faced her with a dark flush on his
face: Il heard" he said, that a wo-
man was never satisfied unless man
had some blot on his life; 1 never ex-
pected however, that you would find
fault with a clean escutcheon." The
tone was as cutting as the words; it
was the first tone she had ever heard
him address to her that was not
caress; she grew pale and dropped over
the chair back like some suddenly
stricken creature.
In an instant he was beside her, all
repentance. Il was a brute dear" he
said Now you have something to for
give"
An hour later. after the gas was
lighted and they had read a little and
talked little upon Indifferent subjects,
she, with her mental equipoise fully re-
stored, quoted softly: Let him that
fall-dear, / am afraid we came dan
gerously near to our 'pasts' tonight"
The man looked sober and said:
That's enough" but when the woman
now thoroughly mistress of the situa-
ton, laughed and teasingly asked:
who was the woman, dear2" he was
wise enough to simply kiss her upturn-
been wise enough to let sleeping ghosts
lie,