The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-04-06

SAID He looks on life. while l am al
ways in the very center. living it, He is
interested and sympathetic. but always
t4e lmpersonal critic. l don't believe
he ever had an overwhelming impulse in
MS life: He moves by deliberate the
cries. We're altogether different
But. Genevieve, he thought a lot Of
You, l know" l was laundering on but
she broke in:
'Oh, he likes me; he is even fond OF
me. He was telling me l was his best
friend, his comrade Can't YOU see what
that meant? But it was that or nothing
and l couldn't give him up. so l kept
the other way down under. l don't think
he guessed"
IF you had shown it little wouldn't
it have" l continued.
She shook her head and started to
speak, then faltered. Evidently this was
the. hardest of all to say. At last it
came, with an effort that made me set
my teeth.
He couldn't have fallen in love with
woman who-hadn't beauty! The artist
in him was too strong. l should have
recognized that in him. even if he hadn't
-once-tod me so. He told me as if he
meant ME to understand it!
1T is not his fault; it's the way he's
made. But it kept me from ever show.
ing what | felt as nothing else could
QaVe-nOtnlng on earth!
looked up in surprise, for l had for
You grew so fond of her face that you
never thought of her features.
Il can see perfectly that we couldn't
have been happy together" she went on
as though impressing Il line of reasoning
on herself. Il should have been horribly
jealous of every pretty woman he
came across. especially if he were to
nnin inf hnr I 1>,,<
not her shoulders. I'm such a poor lit
tie bag of bones
wanted to tell her hundred comfort
ing things, but knew better. She was
not in Il mood for anything but what
she considered the truth.
1T would have been Il real calamity
if he cared she said, going on with her
pitiful argument against herself. He
must be free. if he is to succeed, and, oh,
he has genius. Did you ever see his head
of Gerard? Oh, it would be crime to
come between him and his career. l
couldn't wish it to happen. l care as
much for his success as l do for him.
"A man couldn't care like that" 1
said, with long breath.
Perhaps it's just because l know it's
hopeless. anyway, and so l put Oh a fine
notive---I don't know she went on.
leaning back as though tired beyond eX-
preston. Il can't answer for myself any
more, not since We caught myself, night
after night, refusing invitations and max
ing excuses to stay at home, just in case
he should drop in. Did you ever hear of
anything so abject?'
We sat silent fora while, she staring into
the fire with the same hopeless look,
while but this story is not about me.
Then door slammed, and III an instant
she was her other self, alert and self
controlled.
How did come to tell you all this?''
she exclaimed. This storm made me
blue and foolish, l suppose Promise
me, on your honor, that you'll never tell
this or even hint it to anyone else all
your life long,"
I promised readily enough. l wasn't
likely to want to tell.
It was the same kind of an afternoon,
nearly two years later, that l hunted up
brought bit Of big head with it, and
he was as glad to see me as if we still
belonged to the same world. Almost his
first question was about Genevieve, but
l couldn't tell him much. / hadn't seen
her for year. and though she had prom
Used to write to me, l had never received
more than one or two conventional notes.
THAT girl said Powers thoughtfully
'meant more to me than any woman /
ever knew in my life
1 held my breath and waited Powers
was never moved to burst of conf
dence in his life, but he was always
ready to coolly analyzc himself, body and
mind and soul, for anyone who was in
terested.
Il don't suppose man ever was as
much in love as l was, and fought il
so resolutely, he went ON. II suppose
she knew it-girls generally debut |
never once let it come to the surface. I
didn't really acknowledge it to myself
till the day l sailed, day something like
this: Then-whew!" He shook his
head, his eyes contracting at the mem
But what did you fight?" 1 asked.
well, there l was with my future alb
solutely uncertain and the big fight be-
fore me, and l wanted to 90 into it free.
l was horribly ambitious, and when it
came to choosing between myself and nv
work, myself had to 60 every time. Be
sides, it would have been brutally unfair
to her, even if she had cared. it might
have been years and years before l could
marry. How gould 1 knowsI was going
to be so lucky?"
''Then she didn't care? 1 asked. I
had sworn not to tell, and heaven knows
l didn't want to, but the secret was
forcing its way out in spite Of me. l felt
Jas though l had two lives in my hand.
NO, she was just good comrade. and
tried to fool myself by taking the same
attitude. though | don't suppose it fooled
anybody else. If she had ever shown
the least symptom-oh, I'd nave given
in in second. But she never cared a
bit.said goodby to me as jolly as could
be the night before l left"
The secret was scOrching nv tongue.
but my promise to Genevieve still kent
ME debating.
Her features weren't a bit good, but
sne mad the most expressive face I ever
saw, and the most attractive" Powers
said. 1T had beauty higher than that
OF form and coloring, a sort of inspira-
catch it, especially in that martyr e over eD
there on the easel. It's a look Of pluck
ana and. ra td1 nc and-oh, don't know!
l knew, and opened my lips to speak.
then :hesitated again: -
vo1 7* n Sc The went on She
love; quite deliberately, with some beau.
tiful peasant girl over here, woman of
the people, perfect physically, with d
lovely nature and no intellectual power
whatever. Queer. wasn't it? But
for forgot. he added. "You haven't seen
1 started up. There was a tumult in
my mind, but, God forgive me, it wasn't
an unhappy one. 80 x s: s5s S 81.
= You are married p III. " s.
les, my wife is an Italian. She sat
Tor that head in the corner. Genevieve
sent me such bright little note about it,
when wrote and told her. She was the
only clever woman wanted to marry.
Gdd. noW.a man can go through what /
u Wy. anu yeI marry another woman eight
are that way?'' - S. 4 $500.
y wonderr' echoed from the very
Dottom OF my sOul.-The Puritan. Us
The trustees OF Oberlin college have
H % confer the degree Of LID. upon.
foreign missions. s.'o''''.e =
~ 49,.