The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-16
An End to All Things

ner Feet ana Kissed the mem OF neI
dress. How ridiculous demonstra-
tion it appeared to him today. and
| yet he dreaded to meet her again.
She had treated him atrociously, he
had considered at the time. Englished,
she had amused herself with him, and
then given him his congo. She was
a married woman and he had been a
boy.
He recalled every incident OF the
farewell. A youthful passion it may
have been. but-he could not dispute
it even now-it was passion that
left its mark
There had been a conserv atory
opening out of the rooms she oc-
cupied. It was in the conservatory
that he had made himself the most
absurd-there, for moment at the
piano. at which she had seated herself
indifferently, and where he had knelt
to her like lover in "The London
Journals - She had strolled along,
shifted at the flowers saying cruel
things to him in her new and careless
voice, and he had followed her visit
fully like a whipped dog. pleading to
be readmitted to favor. A spray OF
fern that she had dropped had been
captured by him passionately-she had
touched It in their last moments to-
gether. She shrugged her shoulders
with sneer, and his eyes filed at her
cruelty.
| "What do you suppose there was
in boy like you to hold woman
like me'' she had asked.
1t was the hardest thing she could
have said, and he remembered that
at that he had broken down alto
| gether. Good heavens, how preposter-
Gus he had been-how wrongly he had
gone to work, always being pathetic
and reproachful
| However. it was over. He had not
found balm for his wounds in six
months as she had prophesied, but
in nine years he had married, and
| forgotten her existence entirely until
it was recalled to him only by the
| sight of her name in the visitors list.
| Now the recollections rushed back
at him, and while he laughed at his
former self as fool. he was con-
scious of strange tremor at the pros
pect of seeing her once more.
He loved his wife sincerely. Twelve
months ago he could have contemplate
ed meeting Mrs Jernyngham without
misgiving. But he had been married
twelve months. The time had not les
sened his love, but it had naturally
dispelled the romance. After all, to
be "in love- with a woman is q
greater safeguard against others til an
to ''love her" He was bound to &C
knowledge to himself that he was
frightened at the thought of seeing
Mrs. Jernyngham again. He had, as
a matter of fact, avoided the Casino
since he knew she was in Dieppe.
He put down his paper and looked
across at Nellie reading a Tauchnitz
novel. How pretty she was, and how
trustfull What would she say, could
she divine his present moodS Sinless
as..it was it would cut her to the heart
Bah, he was a fool. Why should that
make him afraid to venture out of
doors He was not fond of her still
of course he was not
The Tauchnitz novel dropped to Mrs.
MaxwelPs lap
"What are you thinking about,
darlingf" she asked.
81 was thinking how charming you
look in that frock my dear" he an
swered. He preserved the habit of
making graceful speeches to his wife
tCynical bachelor friends said he for
got who she was-that it was the
force of habit
She shook her head doubtfully.
There was nasty black wrinkle
between your eyebrows, Jack, and you
were Juggling your mustache, as you
always do when you re put out, l do
look charming in this frock, I admit
it-but You weren't thinking so. -
He obeyed sudden impulse
Nellie, come here. Do you remem-
Der soon after we were married. you
asked me question. You asked me
| if | had ever cared deeply for another
girl than yourself.
II remember. said Nellie. "Yess'
81 told you what an internal idiot
had once made of myself over a mar
ried woman. asked you, too, never
to use certain scent because it re-
minded me of her. You know all
thati''
81 know; know go on p
"Well. she's here. that's all and
lconfound tim rather sorry. -
"Ohp' said Nellie And then there
was pause between them. She was
the one to break it.
.'It-it's quite all over, Jack? She
lcouldn't attempt to-f Yours mar
ried-you would simply have to bow
and pass on. Besides, by your own
account she was-well she didn't care
for you any more Why should you
mind seeing herr
| st don,f kpovx, ,, ha r,uffara1 -
lsolutedly; SID rather not, that's all.
! Anyhow, let's talk of something else.
We are leaving Dieppe the end of the
4 week as a matter of fact. l dare say
II shall never come across her -
Mrs Maxwell however, was not
satisfied. For one thing, she wanted ia
lremain longer in Dieppe than they had
at first proposed, and for another. she
objected ON principle to her husband
being nervous of rencontre with any
woman in the wide, wide world.
il Come for walk she said, 'sand
think you were in love with her now.
to hear you talk. You'll make me
jealous "a And she made a mirthless
pretense at laugh which would have
deceived no living soul but husband
"Get ready, I'm going to put on my
hat-and If you're very good you shall
come and watch me lose all our money
in the Casino =
She had never before been more be-
witching or coquettish in their court
| ship than she was during that evening.
Far more plainly than the man him
self she realized that she had rival
though 1t might be only q memory
and she put forth her forces to an
initiate her. Beautiful, doubtless
Jack could never be captured by q
woman who was not good looking.
And a woman of the world alsof Jack
hated schoolgirls Nevertheless. .
+. l sr1uaa1 NJ.