The Portland daily press., 1900-04-18
HE CRISIS
OF A LIFE.
A Story of n Governess Who Fol-
lowed the Dictates of Love
Rather Than Interest.


Theodore Nelson stood in the center
of her room. She was doing nothing. II
seemed to her she was thinking of moth
ing. But kind of soundless voice with
In her kept repeating over and over again
the last words Mr.. Granger had said to
her:
at is an offer, Miss Nelson, which you
would do well to give some thought to-"
BY and by she began to think of the
time at which she had first entered the
house. Homeless, friendless, almost hope
less, she had applied to Mr.. Granger for
n situation as governess to his little
daughter, just left motherless. She had
no faith that she would obtain the situa-
ton, for she had brought with her no
intercesson from others. She had no
introduction. She possessed nothing but
her capability and her earnestness.
She had been shown into the library
Just at dusk. Through the glimmer of
picture frames and the shine of polished
walnut she made out the room was I'M
occupied and sat down to wait. The
faint freight was very quiet. There
was a study chair drawn upon the hearth
rug, a book open in a reading rack,
profusion of papers upon table near by
and watch ticking gently among them.
The comfortable ticking of the watch
sounded with the wailing wind beyond
the window drapery's warm folds. She
listened to both in n half stupor, caused
by the WEAKNESS Of breasting the rough
weather.
Suddenly without a sound the door
swung open softly, and gentleman en-
tered, went across the soft carpet and
Al. hn,N h.. NsNrp aI 70
her, saying courteously:
do you wish to see meT'
"Mr. Granger"
"Yes."
She was impressed as never before
with the gentleness of gentleman. She
made known her errand and waited pa
tiently under his kind but comprehensive
eyes.
Looking at Theodore Nelson, Mr.. Gran
ger thought that here was one woman
at least who had no thought of his being
rich ard eligible. 1t was a relieving
thought after certain experiences he had
known during the past month. He said:
II think we will try each other, Miss
Nelson"
The words were q shock of pleasure to
Theodore. She was so tired, the place
was so restful, and she was not sure
where she should lay her head that night.
1t was comfort and peace opening sud
denly before her, place where she could
drop her burden of care and be kindly
infolded in an atmosphere of peace. She
did not know that Mr.. Granger saw her
eyes full of tears as they parted.
How much had happened since that
night. Episode after episode swept
across her mental vision-the first beau
tifully served meal which she ate in the
pretty breakfast room, the first glimpse
of Lora Changers fair little face, the
dainty chamber assigned her, in which
she could not at first sleep for comfort.
Many a night she had lain watching the
play of the red freight upon the white
ceiling, unwilling to go to sleep because
no dream could be so happy as the wax
ing reveTie. She never lost her pleasure
in these things, familiar as taste and lux
uryebeeame to her daily life.
She thought of the first Christmas she
had lived there and of the grateful pleas
ure which swelled her heart when Mr..
Granger put into her hand tiny Flor
entine watch, while the next instant lit
tie Lora sprang forward with beauti-
fully cut cameo, her gift. Why, she had
never had Christmas present before in
all her lifei
She thought of a night when Lora had
been taken dangerously i'll with the Group
and how, as if the child were her own
flesh aud blood, she had watched and
prayed with the father.
That his thoughts were not always
pleasant Theodore came to know. There
was sore place in his life which he
broodcd over. At first she supposed it to
be the loss of his wife; but. respectfully
as he mentioned to Lora her dead moth
er. he never showed for the child or for
himself a sense of great loss. In man
fine natured and tender hearted as was
Curtis Granger this was strange.
Theodore did not know how it was that
she came to understand that she was ca
pable of bringing pleasure TO Lora's ia
Their. But she felt that he was happiest
in the evenings when they were alone
and she was in the mood to laugh and
talk freely. In those times Mr.. Granger
would kindle into a quiet brilliancy ut
terly alien to him at all other periods.
A sympathy had grown up between
them which not one person in q hundred
would appreciate rightly. Theodore felt
a generous desire to please Mr.. Granger.
With the utmost frankness she consulted
his tastes. Silently discovering that
whatever his evening engagements were,
he liked to chat with her an hour after
tea. she made it point TO be at leisure
then. Once, in half absent way, he
told Lora that when she was a woman
she must wear her hair az Miss Nelson
had arranged hers that day, and, herself
liking the artistic effects OF the soft
loops, they became Theodora's habit
Knowing that he admired the white cam
go he had selected for Lora's gift, il
clasped the throat of her wrapper al
ways of morning. Observing that his
eye expressed approval of a soft gray
silk she possessed, she often wore ii.
The motive in all this was gratitude
and an unconscious love. She would have
cut off her right hand il it would have
given Mr.. Granger any pleasure. His
gloom was the sorrow of her life. When
she won him from it FOR an hour, she
was happy.