The Washington weekly post., 1900-04-10


That she ought to have gone before.
When she was some Grace, for the first
time looked at the portrait She met the
painted eyes. unhinchingly. Il wonder
how many people" she said. have warn
ed me this last week that TO marry him
would be folly. And now, poor Jenny!
suppose she thinks II her Carl We're to
go. no one could ever replace him. But
she wouldn't believe that he had gone. IL /
If you had come back, Y,u would If you
could. oh. you surely would IL you were
Kind and you loved me: and you must
nave seen how horribly / suffered" She
shivered, but instantly she laughed. a
grim, faint laugh. which had no mirth ia
H. DO you know now, this evening is
yoGr last chance? For | shall send that
letter on the table 10 him, to-mor. ow And
then. then-isnt IL ghastIy for m. - be
talking to you this way? Such bad taste.
10 say nothing Of feeling. Butt want T.
give you every chance. I have listened 70
every one, quite patiently. Ii may be So
Whist ussy urge. Pc haps he is selfish, bat
ne loves me, and l love him. He makes
me forget Perhaps he did seek me for the
money, poor dear, he has so little: but, no
matter. he loves me. And | love him.
nave tried TO remember; have gone over
everything that used 10 move me In the
past; but IL doesn't move me, now | keep
thinking Of him. / suppose ! haven't d
faithful nature. But il you had come
back, If ] had had one token from you
only one. TO keep my heart from 81 rving,
But you are gone and he IS here" She
looked at the picture. Poor hoy she
said. and suddenly stroksd the hair Of the
portrait. Then she kissed it. How many
times. in what agonies OF impotent ysarn-
Ing had she kissed il, in those w0eful five
years. But now. almost coldly, she let her
lips rest on either cheek And then she
turned away and blushsd, for she had
thought OF the LOOK in another man :
eyes. Il suppose to-mJrrow,' she unused
ard blushed again, hotly.
Yet IL was true, Il the full measure OF
her strength she had tried to resist what
her friends called Cand she agreed an in
I fatuation. She had forced herself back
to az the supreme moments OF her mar
ried life, the memory Of when had been
I too vivid for ner 10 bear, before; but the
8 pictures left her as cold as her friends
entTeaties. her kindred's sarcasm and an
/ ser. 1t Is fate she mUrmured, what
4 ever may happen, | adore him and | can
J lot send tim aRayI'
With tie intention in her mind 10 take
I the letter lying on the table and give it
! 10 a servant TO post, she put out her hand.
I But sce did not touch the letter. Why, she
/ could not tell. She walked around TO the
/ other side Of the table and opened a draw
/ eT. she did not know why she pulled 1t
out its full length. But AS she did SO she
/ saw in the corner a pair of mems gloves
one lsy upturned. The fingers curved like
a hand; there was about the whole glove
that singular suggestion of personality
which worn glove emanates. More than
five years ago they had been careiessly
thrust into the drawer. They had been
pushed further ana further out of sight.
when servants he'd cleared the drawer Of
they had cleaned t, for service does not
seek the comeTs). Yet, after all the time
&Hd forgetfulncss, the uptuTncd glove kept
it's mold of the vanished hand which had
worn ii, Tor it was her dead husband ;
glove. She touched it with a strange feel
ing; il was as if she touched his own liv-
ing hand. And she remembered The last
time he had worn il he had been going
TO make a speech and she had pulled of
the glove herself because ii was too shah
by. she declared. He never had cared
enough for his clothes.
->Ai ~ biANNs hleAi llCl DAOlLCIS HEOlI,
| her friends prayers, her own reason had
failed TO do, this slight, intimate token
from the past did as completely as a hole
| In dyke let's free the flood. She was
back in the past She felt the thrill Of
her pride when the vast audience were
hanging on his words. SO simple and so
strong. But that was not what moved
her most; it was the vision of him, the
child's hert. whimsical, careless, infinite
ly tender. She saw him in his habit as he
lived; and the love which had been her
glory and unspeak&ble joy and her tor
ment since he died, rushed like spring
flood back into her being and swept 1t
clean. She threw up her arms and fell
forward into a chair and wept and fept.
like a broken-hearted child. Little sob
bing sentences escaped her. unconscious
ly, II forgot | loved you like that" II
was mad with loneliness-but, now,
now, l will never forget again" After a
time she rose and brushed the tears away.
Opposite her on the table, lay her letter.
She rose. She looked al II with strange
smile.
Il came TO get that" she mGttered, Ito
think l was going TO send it!' She shud-
dered as she flung the envelope from her
into the fire. But didn't go. l couldn' [
20. What made me open the drawer in
stead?' She went back and looked again
into the strong, gentle face. Dearest, "
she said, II wonder was II you? Are you
somewhere? Do you know that you have
saved me?"
An exceeding peace, which none of the
lonely DAYS 10 come was ever 10 destroy,
shone in her face as she watched the fire
do its work on her false dream Of delight.