The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-28

/ enough 10 stir any innermost emotions
1 TN this love OF mine for you. And now
/ well, you cannot understand. and / can
I not describe, ali that this means. God
/ give ne strength to be tower of help
I TO YOU, and 10 win In some measure that
! second abiding love that can spring from
4 the ashes OF "A dead passion. / am con-
\ tent. dear" He lifted her fingers to his
I lips and kissed them And now let US
/ talk as We have often talked together
when you suspected nothing OF my real
I feeling-lise the friends we are going 10
/ be Tor life."
1 She always remembered that interview
! with a sense OF refreshing gratitude. And
/ It pleased her too, greatly, that he said
/ nothing directly about the marriage, and
/ neither then nor at any time afterward
/ pressed her az 10 the tine of the mar
rage
/ Instead OF this. he drew her shrewdly
/ TO take a great interest in number OF
projects and schemes that ne had in hand,
I or took In hand for the particular pur-
pose
/ Thus the instructive craving for change
I that had led her to contemplate the idea
/ of marriage with him at first was salts
/ fed. and a new set of interests were
/ brought into her life in consequence.
! Mrs. WaTrender was anxious 70 get the
marriage fixed for as early a date as pos
sible and with this object spoke TO Mr..
/ Mitchell But he would not hear Of II.
mo, no; not on any consideration. Let
| it come naturally"
Yes. and perhaps Frank Mowbray may
come back first with some tale to disturb
Rezah. and knock the whole thing on the
head"
"Ah. you don't understand your child,
Mrs Warrender Nothing can ever knock
the whole thing on the head, as you call
It. with Rezah-at least, only one thing
! If that bar between them were removed"
We'll. there's always danger in delays"
said the widow petulantly.
MY friend, my engagement TO Re1ah
has done two things. 1t has increased my
love and admiration for her a thousand
fold. and it tas purified-if that is the
vcrd--my feeling for her. till / can believe
that even if young Mowbray were to come
back able to marry her, l could even
bring myself to be enough her friend to
find my happiness-subdued, mournful
and different. of course, but still happi-
ness-in seeing her happy as his wife.
Mrs Warrender locked at him out OF
the corners of her eyes. and smiled with
an Undesirable suggestion that she had
no words sufficiently eloquent 10 express
her opinion of his quixOtic foolishness.
The man was right enough as to the fix
ing of the date of the wedding. Rezah
herself mooied the subject to her mother,
and in this way the time was settled; and
the girl took the keeEest pleasure in ar
ranging that everything should be in just
that form and style which she thought
would best please her husband that was
TO be.
1t was a perfectly quiet wedding; and
though tee children wished TO make the
most Of the opportunity for a lot of fun,
it was in their view very tame affair,
and dull.
Mrs. Warrender was very thankful and
self-congratulatory when it was all over,
and the two had driven away for their
honeymoon. which was to be a very long
one. 1t vas all her own tact and dlplo-
macy, she thought, that had managed II
all and her sole thought about her
daughter was that ReZah ought 10 be en-
tirely grateful TO her fo- having found
her husband who had so much money.
That he was a man of exceptional parts
was reckoned by her as of no account
He was a good MATCH" and she had
made it,
One Circumstance only was there TO
cause her even = momentary twinge.
letter had come for Rezah on the very
morning of the wedding; and Mrs. War
render, knowing the writing, and that il
came from that young MoWbray" had
pUrpOSaly forgotten to give ii to her
daughter At bottom, she was good deal
afraid of ReZah; and although il hal
seemed a somewhat small thing to keep it
back or forget it in the hurry of the prep
aratiCns, now that she thought it over 'in
cold blood" she saw that there might
easily be a good deal of unpleasantness
She would have liked 10 destroy it. bu:
dared not. so she posted it to the first
place where the couple were to stop. with
a line of apology for her 'forgetfulness"
All unsuspecting the tragedy that Law
within the envelope for her. Rezah OPEN
ed 1t, with the simple remark that there
was letter from mother"
When she saw the writing on the enclos-
ure she turned pale. She knew it we'll
enough. Thoughtful for her husband
however, she put restraint on herself. and
waited 10 read il until she was alone In
the room
IL tod her almost at a glance that
Frank Mowbray had now good reason 10
believe that in 4 short time he would be
free again; that he had discovered GER
tain things about the wife which wo,Ild
probably divorce the tie that had become
so hateful TO him; and that if Rezah could
wait with a little patience things might
yet be as they had been for them both
AS she read everything seemed TO grow
dark and cold, and the girl sat and shiv-
cred. and breathed hard. and interlared
her myers, and pressed them until they
We're hurt
Her thoughts were a complete blank
men an old faycrite quotation came
picture "oiu
Love took up the glass of Time and
turned it in his glowing hands " ana +ha
mental picture changed 10 Lore starins
palned and frightened, at the brol,e,,
aolr glass, let slip from his nerveJAsS
Yes, 1t is broken" she murnurad %
n sne as she rose, with one deep heavt'
Till then. she had not seen the da.
the letter. When she did so % ~ u
perception or her mothers trescharv ~
the anger against the latter was ra Jn5
from the pain iehe-
,,,I Rezah' are you coming out?" said he,
husband, entering the room an this noi,',
IN a minute or two, dear" sha ~
swered, forcing smile, Which, he Gfd an,
see was unreal See. / have bad 40 ~, iio'
hap with letter. ] have a Letter go
Frank Mowbray. which ought ~ h ioin
reached me yesterday or the dsv bafnrs
he tells me that he is likely 10 90
divorce from his wife" She held r ON
10 him. - o"'
He looked at her fixedIy for fully q min
ute before speaking.
Poor chllot' he murmured. Then in a
voice so toned with sympathy ana com
passion that its genuine sorrow was nm
mistakable: What can we do?'' The
question was no more than a whisper OF
heiplessness.
Then he sat down like one dazed. He
was infinitely more overcome than she
And he buried his face in one hand
The letter had fiuttered 10 the ground
and lay between them.
Il would give al I'm worth TO undo
what we did yesterday" he said al
length. you must try and think II /
can DO anything 10 make IL easy for you.T
Then she kneit down BY him. and IL was
rather as il the sorrow were his and she
the comforter.
See John" she said, after a while. TAX
ing up the letter We have no secrets
you and !: and well have no half conf
deuces, nor, II we can help IL, thoughts OF
the might-have-been. See" and she tore
me letter in little pieces. There, that is
- - .