Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-09-18

bent over his papers. shadow like death
in his eyes. He looked up in wonder.
Evelyn" he said. -you are an unex-
pected visitor"
She went round to him and stood by the
side of his chair
Felix she said. Il know what has
happened, and l am come to comfort
you
Comfort Comfort seorned Of devils.
tie poet sings. Eve he laughed, what
comfort can you give me?''
She took the papers from his hands,
and was startled on that warm day to
find his fingers as cold as death. She
held them in her eEn-her sweet eyes
filed with tears
Felix, you must not harden your heart
against me. dear You must not keep me
outside it. We have been sucl true
friends-such dear friends always. Do
not be hard and cold and proud with nae,
dear friend
Il win not, Eve" be returned, gently,
Heaven bless you, Ever
Listen to me little while, Felix" she
said, and her voice stole like a strain OF
sweet music over his tired senses. 'sNo
man can know greater sorrow than this
of yours. . Violet has been false to you.'
He shrank back with cry at the sound
of the words. She only clasped his hands
the more tightly.
Never mind the pain, Felix she said.
IL know how you loved her, and / know
the words cut you like a sharp knife"
1T is true, Eve" he told her, in low
voice-'it is quite true. She has forsaken
me-
1T is a terrible SORROW she said; s'no
greater sorrow could have befallen you
But. Felix, do not let it harden you
Some, when the sorrow falls to their lot
harden their hearts-shut all tenderness
all love, all affection away from them
They change their whole natures. To
such persons Gods dealing comes as a
curse, not a blessing"
Such sorrow as mine must be curse. y
he returned sadly.
by no means. You know the old say
ing, sorrows are but blessings in dis
guise.' Who can say in after years what
guise their sorrow may wear?'
But | loved her so dearly. Eve-and /
have lost her." he said.
Il know that you loved her; but, Felix,
has there never been mistaken love!
Have you never heard of man idealiz-
ing woman and worshiping in her vir-
tues that she never possessed? The very
fact that Violet could prove false to you
proves also that she was unworthy of
your love; that you thought her possessed
of qualities quite foreign to her, and that
she is not worth all this passion of re-
greet"
II loved her." was all he answered.
Il know, dear friend, / know" and
Evelyn's voice was sweet as the cooling OF
a dove, land it is a terrible gIief to you
Felix, because we are such dear and true
friends, am come to talk to you about
this sorrow. There are three ways in
which men meet sorrow. The weaker
part of them fly at once to drink, to dis
sipation, to a reckless kind of despair;
they have no nobility Others harden
themselves; they shut out all love and
sympathy from their hearts they grow
cold and proud, SO that no kindly infiu-
ence reaches them. Others-and, dear
friend, believe me, these are the noble
ones-accept sorrow as part of the disci-
pline of life--as gift sent from heaven,
and, while they accept it with humility,
they bear it with dignity. 1t makes them
nobler, grander and better. It is an edu.
cation that prepares them for heaven.
Which of the three classes will you join,
Felix"
The last, if l can, Eve" he said,
slowly.
Believe me-" she went on, earnestly,
Eve shall not know until we die what
great sorrows do for us, and then we shall
thank heaven for them. There is some
thing weak and cowardly in the idea of
being beaten by any trouble. This world
is a battlefield and we must fight nobly.
The temptation to yield weakly to a great
grief is one of the hardest that comes to
us. 1t would be so much easier for you,
Felix, to lie down and die than to do bat
tie day by day, and so have to live your
sorrow down."
Something in the brave face and the
brave, patient voice touched him. He
looked up at her suddenly.
Surely, Eve" he said, you have had
no sorrow that you speak in such fash
ion?"
She smiled, and he thought how like her
face was to that of pictured angels.
"Yes," she said, Il have a great sor-
row; but it is dumb-it will never find
voce-it will die with me, and be buried
in my grave"
(To be contiIaIed)