The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-30

their domestic life, anxious, yet happy,
who had wept and pardoned SO much, and
who now sighed for those moments of
suffering! Had he been able to forget?
Did not his thoughts turn to that past.
their past, as he paced to and fro in his
apartment, unable to seek repose on this
last night?' I thought.
ION the mantel was still heard the tic
tao of the travelling clock. All! would the
night never end 1 mentally calculated.
The bed both troubled and made me i'm
aginative. felt almost impelled to crush
it and thrown the pieces into the fire,
so that no other woman would ever sleep
in it, should ever sleep in it with him.
Tfc-tac came the time piece felt drow-
sy, but 1 could still hear the same slow,
irregular footballs in the distance Re
Ginning in an easy chair, my eyes closed.
Had he come at last? I asked myself
Suddenly 1 awakened. My heart was
beating and my hands had grasped the
arms of the chair. Had [ been dream
ing?' It seemed to me that door had
been opened, and that steps were travers-
ing the distance between my apartment
and that of my husbands!
81 listened.
"All was silent
Even the anxious, uncertain tread that
had previously heard On the floor of the
den had ceased. The rumble of
carriage wheels was distfnguishable be-
meath my windows, the horses hoofs
striking the ground with a metallic sound
some one returning from a ball,
no doubt, as / had formerly DONE with
my muft1ed form SO close to Paul's &
Then all was again silent. [ could
hear nothing of the mechanical vibrations
Of the little clock.
Dreaming or not, the noise that
thought I had heard had definitely ban
ished sleep. 1 wandered about the room
going from the empty closets to the part
ly open bed inspecting trunk with an
absent-minded air. SHOULD I go
into Genevieves room?'' I asked myself
No, / would only alarm the poor child
Why trouble her youthful slunS5ers? Had
not already made her too much a part
of my miseries? Should 1 take refuge
with my aunt? No, did not wish her
to see me Disconnected and fearful after
my successful efforts in making her be-
Heve me strong. Should 1 pray?
eKneeling at the foot Of the bed,
tried to. But it seemed to me that 1
had already said to God all that there
was to say, and that now all was finish
ed; yes, finished. I could hope for moth
ing HOW, L Cn0ugnr. But had right
to complain because Providence had not
hearkened to my entreatles Poweriess
to pray. I wept. SNTy face cIinging to the
coverings of tie bed that had been ours,
where my husband had slept by my side,
and where Genevieve had been born.
Then resolved to beg my aunt to write
to Paul as soon as we should be settled
in Lille, and ask him to let me have
this bed I did not want it to be
profaned.
but again arose, anxious and on the
alert
This time I was not deceived Some
one was walking in the large reception
| room. Then the steps sounded in
the smaller one. They were next at my
door. tried to advance; I could not. I
! chung to the fluted columns of the bed.
I wanted to cry out and say: Who is
there? But my lips could not utter a
sound.
However, there was some one there. ]
| strained every nerve to listen.
."rhen, from the other side of the door.
1 heard a voice, oh. a fearful, broken
voiee-one knew so well-Paups voice.
| and it whispered:
'Cecile. may I come in?' ~