Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01

| of all patience. Sweet little Sally Laven-
dar's essence Of roses! l gave you jar OF
her potpourri-''
Yes. and 1t Is reeking with alcoholr.
The poor, weak cologne she mates her
'withYthat. stin, I suppose. where she
makes the cherry brandy that has torn the
| hearts of all mothers in the village
who are seeing, their boys turned into little
beasts by her Vaccinations
| 'Oh, Ramela. this is really too ridicu-
| lousi"
You may cali it ridiculous" said my
aunt, with her eyebrows at the given atti-
tude for disdafn. II call 1t tragical.
And tragieal it was as to her grief. my
mother found, when, fastening up the shore
! in the chaiseLiny cousin Lester and I fol-
| lowing, unnoticed, in her usual anxiety, on
milk wagon, whose good-natured driver
pretended that, we were pirates who had
overcome him and were forcing him to
drive us whererwe would.
But my mother was just too late. The
constable mad arrived first, and had con-
fronted the bewildered Sally and had de-
manded the still. And Humphrey. under
standing nothing but that the defense OF the
still was in question. had thrown himself
upon the man with all his maniacai force
The still had been ruined in the struggle;
the man had been borne to the ground but
not seriously hurt and in his fury hum
phrey had broken a vessel on his brain
Sally was on the grass OF the little gar
den plot, holding Humphreys head upon
her breast. 1t was late of bright June
afternoon. 1 remember now all the picture
Of the moment-it struck me more than the
feeling did-the sky of that tender blue
which verges toward evening, the roses
clambering over the high trellis behind, the
great. fragrant, blush!ng roses that sally
had trained there, shaking In the SOFT Wind
with gay and cruel rustling, the white
still woman, who seemed to see nothing IN
all the world but the face upon her breast
that strange, dark face whose burning
eyes were fixed on hers with complete
intelligence.
The doctor, for whom Try Hodge had
run, was on his knees, holding hum
phrey's hand, and Ann and MISS Rhody
and Libby and Tom Brier-l knew them
all afterward-were with my mother by
the big white rose bush. crying and trem-
bling together Humphrey was plainly
dying, and Sally knew nothing OF any
words but that the bounds OF whose dark
mystery she seemed to be tread1ng with
him. The gust of a sweet brier tossing IN
the wind brings it all before me now-the
faces of the frightened children at the
gate. the cries of the men far off launching
a little sleep on the late tide, the sense of
an awful darkness opening out OF the ilgh,'
and a singular stiffness close at hand.
broken only by that strange murmur or
Humphreys voice.
Wife" he was saying. cts hard road
you've trod with me-"
"Oh, no! Oh, no, my dear!
You've gone along with seven devils.
There's a hand come an cast 'em out at
last! Sally, I'd orter have saved you from
1t in the beginning"
"Oh. Humphrey there hasn't been day
1 haven't been glad I was with your
Sally" he murmured again, with stiff
fleming lip, my Sally, 1 never meant harm
to a soul"
"Oh, / know it."
"And 1 loved you always" he said, pres
emily.
'Yes, always"
1T won't be heaven till you come" he
whispered again. after moment or two.
He lay little while. looking up at her
eyes, with a deep smile growing into his
face Then the eyelids fell a trife; the
glance rested on space of clear pale sky
full of an infinite distance. why, Sally
he said, suddenly, and loud and clear.
There's Polly!" And then Humphrey was
gone.
Sally sat looking into the clear space as II
she journeyed after. Humphrey into that
infinite distance.