Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-07-10
She moved restIessly, as though IN

'It was SO small" she said. ut liv-
ed such a little while-only three hours.
They laid it close BY me, but L never
saw It. | could feel it by me-" She
waited. Its feet were so cold l took
them in my hand to make them warm,
and nv hand closed right over them,
they were so little" There was an I'M
even trembling in the voice. lit crept
close 10 me. 1t wanted to drink; Ii
wanted to be warm" She hardened
herself. II did not love II. Its father
was not my prince. I did not care for
IL. But it was so little" She moved
her hand. They might have kissed IT.,
one of them, before they put 1t In. II
never dld any one any harm In all its
little life. They might have kissed 1t,
one of them"
Gregory felt that some one was sob
bing in the room.
Late on in the evening, when the
shutter was closed and the lamp light
ed and the raindrops beat on the roof,
he took the cloak from behind the door
and went away with II. On his way
back lie called at the village postoihce
and brought back Il letter. In the hal
he stood reading the address. How
could lie fail to know whose hand had
written It? Had he not long ago sted-
led those characters on the torn fr;is-
ments u paper In the old palior? \
burning pain was at Grcgory's heart
If raw. rov at the last. ole Should
come. ailegld step in between! He car
rled the letter into the bedroom and
gave It to her Bring me the l. mp
nearer" she said Wien size bad read
Il. she asked tor hex DC sk
Then Gregory SAT down III the lamp
light on the other side Of tie curtain
and hca..l the p1ncii move OF the pa
per VIXEN lac looked ?euad the eur
tain. she WAS lying cn Che pillow mus
ing Tie open letter lay at her side,
She glanced at it with soft eyes. Tie
man with fAe languid eyeiids mast
have been strangely moved before his
hand set down those words: Let me
come bac,- to you. Ny darling. let rae
put my hand round you and saard you
from all the world! As my wife they
shall never touch you. l haze learned
to love you more wisely, mere tender
ly. than of old. You shall have per
feet freedom. LyEdall, grand little
woman. for your own sake, be my
wife,
"Why did you send that money back
to me? Ycu are cruel to me. 1t is not
rightly done"
She rolled the little red pencil softly
between her fingers, and her face grew
very soft Yet
"It cannot be-" she wrote. Il thank
you much for the love you have shown
me, but l cannot listen. You will call
ne mad. foolish-the world would do
so-but | know what | need and the
kind Of path must walk In. cannot
marry you | win always love you for
the sake of what lay by me those three
hours, but there 1t ends. | must know
and see cannot be bound to one
whom l love as l love you. I am not
afraid of the world. I will fight the
world. One day-perhaps it may be far
off shall find what have wanted all
my life, something nobler, stronger
than I, before which / can kneel down.
You lose nothing by not having me
now. I am weak, selfish, erring wo-
man. One day l shall find something
to worship, and then I shall be-
Nurse" she said, take my desk
away. I am suddenly SO sleepy l will
write more tomorrow" She turned
her face to the pillow. 1t was the sud
den drowsiness Of great weakness. She
had dropped asleep in moment, and
Gregory moved the desk softly and
then sat In the chair watching Hour
after hour passed. but he had no wish
for rest and sat on, hearing the rain
cease and the still night settle down
everywhere. At a quarter past II he
rose and took n last look at the bed
where she lay sleeping so peacefully.
Then he turned to go to his couch. Be
fore he had reached the door she had
started up and was calling him back.
you are sure you have put it up"
she said, with look of blank terror at
the window. "It will not fall open in
the night, the shutter-you are sure%
He comforted her. Yes; it was tight
ly fastened.
even If 1t is shut" she said in a
whisper, you cannot keep 1t out You
feel 1t coming In at 4 o'clock, creeping,
creeping, up, up. deadly cold" She
shuddered.
He thought she was wandering and
laid her little trembling body down
among the blankets.
81 dreamed just now that 1t was not
put up" she said looking into his
eyes, "and 1t crept right in, and | was
alone with It,"
"What do you fear?' he asked ten
derby.
The gray dawn" she said, glancing
round at the window. II was never
afraid of anything, never when l was
little child, but have always been
rfraid of that You will not let II
tome In to mef'
mo, no; I viii stay with you," he
continued.
But she was growing calmer mo;
Sou must go to bed. l only awoke
with a start. You must be tired. l
am childish; that is ALL" But she
shivered again.
He sat down beside her. After some
time she said. "Will you not rub my
feetY
He knelt down at tie foot Of the
bed and took the TINY foot IN his hand.
1t was swollen and unsiGhtly now, but
as he touched 1t he bent down and
covered it with kisses.
ut makes It better when you kiss IL.
Thank you! What makes you all love
me soT Then dreamily she muttered
to herself: Not utterly bad, not. quite
bad. What makes them all love me
soT
Kneeling there rubbing softly,i with
his cheek pressed against the little
foot, Gregory dropped to sleep Mt last.
How long he knelt there he could not
tell, but when he started up awake
she was not looking at him. THE eyes
wc.2 fixed on the far corner, gazing
wide and intent. with an unearthly
lig4;
He ico..-l round fearfully. What
did she see there-God's angels come
TO call her, something gearfnl? He
saw only the purple curtain with the
shadows that fell from It, Softly he
whispered, asking what she saw there.
And she said. in n voice strangely
unlike her own: 81 see the vision of Il
poor weak soul striving after good. 1t
was not cut short, and in the end it
learned, through tears and much pain.