The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1900-03-29
AND AFTER
BY s.l,. rr.,., B,.Aop.

! and was weary. She tossed her hat to
| bed, her gloves and fan to chair, and
she herself dropped into the great will
How rocker--a mass of fluffy white
draperies, her deerlike head, with its
| crown of red-brown hair, lifted above
the foam. The Woman in White had
been younger, hut, she had never before
been so beautiful.
Because she had won him--and be-
cause she had no right to him. Be-
cause he had once scorned and fouted
her, and had passed her with his wife
on his arm and look of cold contempt
in his eyes-and because now he had
followed her for days and days, and
she had made him sue for kind word
from her-her, the scorned and de-
! spised. Because she had laughed in
his face and had baited and lured him
until he had thrown to the winds his
decent life and all the long years of up
rightness and the position among men
for which he had struggled, and was
ready to follow her to the worlds end.
And because he was the one man whose
scorn had cut deep into what she called
her soull
She looked at the radiant thing In
the mirror and laugh ed, and turned the
flashing bracelet about and around on
her wrist; and a something almost
womanly came into her face as she
realized that It was not the diamonds
she cared for--no! she would have
loved ribbon If he had given It to
her with that look on his face, and
would have kissed 1t as she did this,
with a passionate delight.
And the Woman in Gray, standing In
the door, saiv her kissing the bracelet.
MAY I talk with you few min
utes?" asked the Woman In Gray; and
the Woman in White saw her reflection
In the mirror. What she saw was .
slender, gray-clad woman, with a pale,
pale face, and dark eyes with darker
shadows under them, and brown hair
that was beginning to whiten with
early frost.
The Woman in White stared insolent-
ly at the reflection in the mirror and
smiled.
II don't know what my servants can
be thinking Of" she said, without turn
ing. II really have nothing for you,
my good woman. Perhaps IL you go
down, some Of my people will show you
the way out"
"But I must see you for little
while, ,"lsaid the Woman in Gray, put
ting aside the insult, and coming slow
ly nearer; and there was deadly still
ness about her as she drew a chair for
ward and sat down in it. Then they
looked at each other-the Woman in
Gray and the Woman in White.
II think perhaps you know me" said
the Woman in Gray. mo doubt people
have pointed me out to you as the wife
of-of-"
They have" said the Woman In
White, haughtily, taking up steel pa
per knife from the table near at hand
and playing with it. ITO what do
owe the honor of this visit?'
The Woman in Gray looked at the
paper knife and smiled wearily.
"You mistake me-" she said. ''Some
women might have thought of that
but you will live. Seel--to-morrow l
go upon long journey; and knew
that must see you face to face before
I went"
| "What possible interest can l have
in your plans for traveling?S cried the
Woman in White, contemptuously.
Pray consult your dressmaker in
stead-and tell her for me that she
should be killed if she ever dresses you
in gray again. 1t is not becoming"
You are bitter" said the Woman III
Gray; ''and we have SO little time
and we are SO near the tragedies of
both our lives. A little while ago was
bitter against you, too; but now am
too sad to be very bitter. l see how
past remedy it Is. I am not here to
beg you to be merciful. Even if you
wished, you couldn't give me back
what have lost"
Well, you have had yomr chance!"
cried the Woman in White. "And you
have lost it! Who but yourself is to
blame?" =
| The Woman in White had thrown
prudence to the winds with that
speech, and now rage and jealousy and
insolent triumph were curiously blend
! ed in the beautiful face, and flushed in
red glow from the eyes.
"Yes-I have lost it," said the W6m
an in Gray. "And having learned this,
past all doubt, would not try to keep
him II could. am going away, and
he shall live his life In peace. have
merely come to ask you what kind of
life it is going to be-"
The Woman in White threw herself
back in her chair and raised her beau
tiful arms above her head.
"Oh, you cold-blooded wolnan!" she
cried. clasping her hands above the
shining coil OF her hair. "You icy
wives that 60 your round of what you
call 'duties,' and sew on buttons and
have good dinners and sit at the head
of the table. as interesting as that
Dresden shepherdess, month after
month and year after year. and then
are shocked and outraged when he
meets a Aesh-and-blood woman and
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 Lowell
women who give 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, II he looked, 1 would not go away