The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-09
The Song of Solomon.

! into the velvet as she moved to a large,
| easy chair and sank a little YEARLY into
its depths. She was very weary-heart
and soul and body. And, the Office looked
| restful, luxurious Her eyes rested on
| choice etehings and old paintings and val
liable books. The heavy windows and
massive walls softened the roar and noise
| of the city streets to a low monotone.
! very soothing Her heart lay leaden in
| her breast and she thought OF the con-
| vict-poet-
! And every stone one lifts by day becomes
ores heart by night.
And through all her deadly WEAKNESS
| she felt keenly the strange cathedral
stiffness of the room. Her surroundings
served to steady her whirlins brain and
| set the seal OF its calm upon her CULVER
| ing nerves In that solitude she could
| think collectedly. She felt vaguely that
| she had not been able to 60 so for long
time. And now she felt that she could
| take that chill burden that had weighed
| down her heart for so long. and draw its
mummy wrappings and study it, as we
would study the still limbs of little
dead child. II had lain there while the
weeks erept into months, and the months
into years And 1t hurt always, and the
pain of it filed her eyes and made her
face strained and tired. She had kept
it hidden and she had been afraid even
to look unto its face, and the long battle
to keep her thoughts crowded with other
things had exhausted her.
So now she took out the old sorrow
and looked at it,, while she waited there
in that hushed room with the hoarse and
ciamorous city barred outside. She stud
led its every phase with wistful remem-
branee. The emptiness and loneliness of
her life swept over her with renewed in
tensity.
"Ah, God, When will it be worth while
&c live!" she cried And she laid her
head back and interlaced her fingers over
her fearless eyes and wished she were
as other women who weep.
She looked back over the broken col
umns of disappointed hopes and wondered
why that long. long path of pain must
be hers. Why? Why!
Her hands dropped duly on the chair
and her face grew very cold and very
white. She mad wsded through bitter
waters and she had dragged all the old
pain to the light of day, and she knew
that where the dead weight had rested
upon her heart there was a void that
ached duly and hopelessly. She had tried
to be patient But she was tired-she was
so desperately tired.
Soon her eyelids lifted heavily and she
loked thoughtfully, mutely, deep into the
eyes of a man who was standing beside
her 1t wa. a strong face she saw, and
the quiet strength, the steady eyes, suited
the room, she thought dresmily. His gaze
held hers, and IT seemed to send its pur-
pie light down in soft vibration through
all her being. 1t was new and strange
and filled her with a vague wonder.
Then her eyes passed contentedly over
IL.
deep chest and straight limbs-a scup-
tured study in gray It pleased her. The
odd little fancy that he suited the rom
chung to her. Food had been as ashes
on her lips for some time, and her brain
seemed too tired for more thought. She
was resting, it was quiet, and her ar
tistic sense was pleased with this man
who stood beside her. She wanted to
rest-and look at him. That was all.
Then he bent over her and gently took
her two hands in his own strong fingers.
Forgive me! But you seem i'll. You
are my clients friend, Mrs. Steriing?"
The voice was low and rich-it was all
in hormany, and she felt content. She
wanted him to speak again. And her
eyes, that had turned critically TO the
strong white hands that had taken her
own, again sought his face. He looked
down into their shadowy depths a little
anxiously. She seemed so frail and weary
as she lay baca in the great chair. And
as ne looked at her a faint, gray shade |
passed over her face. Then the listless
fingers lying in his twisted suddenly into
a tense grasp, and she dragged herself
to her feet AS he thrust up one of the
windows and let a rush of wintry air
sweep over her, she reeled back His |
arms closed around her in a sudden pas
sion of protest. Why should he have |
such strength-such superabundance Of |
strength-while she had none?
The color czept back into her lips slow |
ly and she placed hand that trembled |
q little against his breast. Bending his |
head low before her, he took the white |
hand and slowly pressed his lips to the |
soft palm. Have I known you half an /
hours" he said slowly. "Or thous- |
and years? Does it matter? I am going |
TO take you to your home. You are too /
i'll to go alone. Just drink this"
From a little cabinet he brought her a |
glass of wine. She drank it obedientlv,
then rested with closed eyes, while he
gathered together a bundle Of papers. Her
pulse was beating with a strange quick
ness She did not know how or why,
but her whole life had changed since
Two weeks later she sent him a let
ter. Il care for you very greatly" she
wrote Your love came 10 me sudden |
iy and swiftly-and dangerously. It has
waEed war with every law from the first,
yet 1t is as impossible 70 fight against
II as to turn the Tioer with reed. And
because l am tired-oecause l have no /
longer strength, physical Or mental, to
battle with conditions, I have given my
self to the torrent. let IT end as II will
I lcve you because you rule others-be-
cause the hand has en- ever-present glove
lf velvet. I love you - the woman OF
Solomon loved all the might and will and
strength Of which she sang to the women
II Jsrus.Iem-ss she loved the limbs that
we're as pillars OF marble the mouth
that gave back kisses, the arms that
we're her world, the love that was bet
.er than wine
ITO both Of us it Will give a sweet
ness that we viii pay for with prize
more bitter than tears-it is jeweled hilt
hat has all Of heavens glories In sts
,olors where Il rests on each breast-btlt
beneath is strip Of steel that Is double
.dged. And already We have felts its
sting YET we will press II closer. ba-
-ause the very pain % IL sends the stalled
1lo-d with keen fire through every v-iu
we win Dress it closer, ana 50 that the
levels blaze, we wiA not heed II the
olood drips.
II viii not last. II viii fade fzto
lead Eraynsss. The gods give Us the
present. but they exact their pound q
le.a. and tomorrow IS theirs. Bat they /
fave given Us the pres-nt-and each
.ther"
And after ne read the letter ne went TO
ter He held her face between hts two
lanGs an dloaked long into hsr EYES