The Somerset reporter., 1900-08-09

loves her. 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 to talk about love
women who give a man up the first
time he looks another way! Why.
would make myself the most beautiful
and most attractive creature in the
world to him, so that he could never
even look at another woman-and then.
If he looked, 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 circlet on
her wrist.
The woman in gray looked at her,
and the sight was branded on her
memory When she spoke again, it
was in lower tones. Her eyes were
fixed on a ring-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 were talking
to herself. I'VE 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
J had to take in sewing TO help him
| oil 7 baj ,,Tt t.
| little while he was away beyond me.
have never caught up with him since.
but i have always gone on studying, so
that | wouldn't quite disagrace him
when he became a distinguished man"
The woman in gray stopped to put a
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 | was very young and ignorant
then, and, you see, thought l loved
him.
The woman In white did not speak.
She was sitting quite still. as though
she were 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 II. and always pictured myself so
| proud-so proud of his triumphs! We
cold blooded women feel very deeply
sometimes and think long thoughts!
And now he has won the honors we
dreamed of. and tomorrow | am going
on long Journey"
"
man In white saw for the first time
that she had a little package in the
thin hand.
Il have something to leave with
you" said the woman in gray, "some.
! thing to give you. See, 1t Is a little
bundle of letters. He wrote them dur
ing my mothers Illness They are the
letters of an undeveloped and ignorant
boy to a poor little girl. have cher
ished them long time, but give them
to you now. beeause-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 withered rose had dropped from it
and lay in Der lap among the folds of
! fluffy white. The air was filled with
the fragrance of the little old time
rose. which seemed to be part of the
old time boyish love that was dead as
the rose. Once. long ago. in her life
| also
bt IdulhDl lace Oh TIE woman IN
white was pale and old and weary
looking as she tied the letters In the
packet again and laid this penciled
line upon them:
do not go on the long journey, for
go on journey of my own" Then
| she slipped the bracelet into Its velvet
| case and sealed and addressed 1t and
called a servant TO go on two errands.
II am going away tonight. John"
she said as his foot hesitated on the
stair Send Susan up to pack"
And then she stood In the middle of
the room. her head dropped. pressing
back something that tried to come to
her eyes.
"And now for new fields" she said
despairingly. and the life in them
st. Louis Globe Democrat