Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-08-18

have lost ~. Who but yourself is to
blameT s-.t 4-l 80 y
The woman in white bad. thrown
prudence to the winds with that |
speech, and now rage and Jealousy and |
insolent triumph were curously blend |
ed in the beautiful face and flushed in |
a red glow from the eyes,
"Yes--I have lost IT," said the woman |
In gray. And having learned this, |
past all doubt 7 would not try to keep |
him IL could. / am going away, and |
be shall i've his life in peace. | have
merely come to ask you what kind of
life II is going to be-"
The woman In white threw herself
back in her chair and raised her beau
tifUl arms above her head.
"Oh, you cold booded woman" she
cried, casplng her hands above the
| shining coil of her hair. You icy
wives that go your round of what you
call duties and sew on buttons and
| have good dinners and sit at the head
of the table, as Interesting as that
Dresden shepherdess, month after
month and year after year, and then
are shocked and outraged when he
meets n flesh and blood woman and
loves bcr! What kind of life will he
have? Why, he will learn FOR the first
time that he is alive! What right have
women like you 20 talk about love
women who give man up the first
time he looks another way, Why. |
would make myself The most beautiful
ana most attractive creature in the
world to him. so that he could never
even look at another womaD-and then,
IL he looked, I would not go away and
leave him. | would kill him."
She clutched the paper knife in her
right hand. and lifted the left hand
and kissed again the flashing circiet on
her wrist.
Tho woman in gray looked at ner
and the sight was branded on her
memory. When she spoke again, 1t
was IN lower tones. Her eyes were
fixed on rlng--a loose, loose ring that
she was turning around on her finger.
perhaps we were mistaken about
having loved each other" she said
absently, as though she We're talking
to herself. 1--WE were both so young,
and so ignorant. We were married
earlier than we had ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
my mother died, and | was left alone,
and was such an unprotected child
and so we were married, and we
agreed that we were to study together,
because we were both so ambitious
for him. And perhaps couldn't have
kept pace with him, at my best, but
had to take In sewing to help him
along, so hadn't much time--and in n
little while he was away beyond me.
have never caught up with him since,
but have always gone on studying, so
that | wouldn't quite disagrace him
when he became distinguished man"
The woman in gray stopped to put
delicate and tremulous hand to her
throat.
when he was studying law" she
went on presently, "his eyes were trou.
bling him, and so | read aloud TO him
for many hours every day. Sometimes
almost wished his eyes would fail a
little more--a great deal more--so that
he could be more dependent on me,
for l was very young and ignorant
then, and, you see, thought loved
him!" %{.
The woman In white did not speak.
She was sitting quite still, as though
she We're a marble woman.
"And. even away back at the first"
the woman In gray went on In that
desolate self communing, "when we
were ignorant boy and girl together, we
had quite settled 1t with ourselves that
he was to be distinguished man. We
even made little play of 1t, telling
one another that people would one day
point out with pride the poor little
house where we had lived and where
we had so much trouble paying the
rent and then we would laugh so mer-
rily Oh, where has the laughter all
gone? And so we went on looking for
ward always to the day when he would
be famous and working and planning
for 1t, and always pictured myself SO
proud-so proud of his triumphs! We
cold bloodcd women feel very deeply
sometimes and think long thoughts!
And now he has won the honors we
dreamed of, and tomorrow am going
on n long Journey
ph' oipN'y tpoNt uhN NtU uutblt W."
man In white saw for the first time
that she had little package In the
thin hand.
IL have something 20 leave with
you said the woman In gray, "some-
thing TO give you See, 1t IL little
bundle OF letters. He wrote them dur
ing my mothers illness. They arc the
letters of an undeyeloped und ignorant
boy TO poor little girl, have cher
ished them long time, but give them
to you now, because because they
have already gone out OF my life"
An hour afterward the woman IN
white found that she had been alone
for long time and that the last OF the
poor little letters was open In her hand
a withcrcd rose had dropped from II
and lay In her lap among the folds Of
iluuy White. The air was Allied with
the fragrance OF the little old tI.nt
rose, which seemed to be part Of the
old time hoyish love that was dead as
the rose, once, long ago In her life
also
The radiant face OF the woman In
white was pale and old and weary
looking ns she tied the letters IN the
81 -. L.. l..l a ALL IN.